Creativity doesn’t need a Scroll Bar to be Powerful
Nivasha Pillay
Nivasha Pillay
26 May . 4 min read . Opinion
(Credit: Lerfam)
In an era dominated by mobile screens, social stories, and digital feeds, the enduring relevance of Out-of-Home (OOH) advertising is a testament to one thing: creativity doesn’t need a scroll bar to be powerful. But what’s even more powerful is when that creativity bridges the physical and digital — when a billboard becomes a meme, a transit ad becomes a TikTok, and a wall mural becomes a conversation on Twitter.
The strategic integration of OOH with social media is no longer a trend. It’s a creative imperative for brands aiming to deliver omnichannel storytelling that’s both memorable and measurable.
To understand the power of this, we must consider how far OOH has come. Once limited to static prints and passive impressions, today’s OOH is dynamic, data-driven, and interactive. Technologies like digital screens, programmatic DOOH, augmented reality (AR), and geofencing have turned what was once a broadcast medium into a canvas for contextual storytelling.
If we look at how OOH has evolved there has been many shifts which have shaped the landscape we saw:
- Pre-Internet: This was when OOH was about pure visibility and mass awareness
- Early Digital: Where brands utilized rotating content, LED billboards, basic segmentation to start driving more Integrated Strategies
- Mobile Era: The rise of GPS targeting, QR codes, real-time content to amplify and start telling more targeted strategies
- Now: Full integration with digital ecosystems, dynamic creative, and social triggers which allow OOH and social to be analysed as a whole.
As the internet evolved, so did people’s ability and desire to interact with what they see in the real world. And that’s where social media enters. OOH advertising commands attention. Social media thrives on amplification. Together, they create a feedback loop of awareness, engagement, and virality.
As a marketer I see this seamless flow happening as per the below:
- OOH creates spectacle and curiosity
- Social captures, shares, and extends the moment
- Audiences engage and reinterpret the content
- The campaign lives far beyond the billboard
At its best, this integration transforms OOH from a one-way message into a participatory experience.
There have been many brands which have done this and seen powerful performance for me the 3 case studies below stand out the most.
Case Study 1: Nike x Serena Williams – “Queens of Queens”
To honour Serena Williams at the US Open this ad has been timeless for me, Nike created a mural in Queens, NYC, featuring powerful artwork and a “Queen of Queens” tagline. The mural became an Instagram sensation, with fans and influencers flocking to photograph it. Nike amplified the moment with targeted paid social and influencer reposts, making the mural both a local tribute and a global conversation. This campaign shows how OOH can lead, with social following and scaling its impact. The mural’s physicality grounded it in authenticity, while social extended its lifespan exponentially.
Case Study 2: Guinness “Made of More” – Lagos Edition
In Nigeria, Guinness localised its global brand platform through OOH murals painted across Lagos neighbourhoods. Each mural celebrated Nigerian identity which we know is a unique expression of culture and lifestyle, from Boda riders to Lagos nightlife content was designed to be shareable. The brand seeded content on social through local creators who added voice and context. The campaign became not just an ad but a moment of cultural pride, amplified by Twitter threads and influencer commentary. In markets like Nigeria where community and visual culture are strong, this “IRL to URL” bridge is invaluable.
Case Study 3: Spotify Wrapped – OOH That Feeds the Feed
Every December, Spotify Wrapped campaigns take over subways, bus stops, and airports globally. The genius lies in the copywriting witty, personalized, data-led and in its perfect synchronization with the in-app Wrapped experience. The OOH placements drive attention. But it’s the screenshots, social commentary, and meme-i-fication that make the campaign famous. Spotify doesn’t just advertise, it lets people advertise for them.
Some of the key takeouts for me to truly bridge OOH and social means brands must design for both distance and detail:
- Hook fast. Tell the joke or story in 5 words or less.
- Design with photo-taking in mind. Think bold colours, iconic imagery, or surprising placements.
- Incorporate calls-to-share, not just calls-to-action. A simple “Tag us if you spot this” works wonders.
- Use AR or QR codes sparingly — only when they enhance the story.
- Collaborate with local creators to extend the narrative authentically online.
In many African countries, OOH is still the loudest media voice, while social is the fastest. Pairing them gives brands both authority and agility. To activate truly integrated OOH + social campaigns, media teams must plan for synergy, not sequence. This requires breaking traditional silos between media, creative, and social teams.
Here’s my personal framework to guide activation:
Step | Action |
1. Start with Culture | What are people talking about? What’s visually or emotionally resonant? |
2. Identify Real-World Triggers | Events, locations, or moments that anchor the campaign physically |
3. Design for the Lens | Assume people will take photos — what will make them stop and snap? |
4. Map Paid + Organic Strategy | Use social to seed, retarget, and scale the story from OOH placements |
5. Measure for Amplification | Track sentiment, shares, impressions, and offline-online lift |
OOH isn’t just top-funnel anymore. With the right digital support, it can drive mid-funnel engagement and even bottom-funnel action via QR-linked CTAs or social retargeting.
As we look forward, the fusion of OOH and social will become even more seamless. Imagine:
- DOOH ads that pull in real-time social trends
- Billboards that display user-generated content
- Murals that unlock AR stories on TikTok
- Influencer OOH takeovers that generate viral location-based buzz
This is more than media evolution it’s a new era of cross-channel storytelling where the physical and digital are not competing, but collaborating.
The best campaigns today don’t live in one space. They travel from the streets to the screens, from the lens to the loop. As media professionals, our role is not just to buy placements but to build ecosystems where messages resonate, replicate, and reinvent themselves across every channel.
The OOH + social integration isn’t just clever. It’s the future of creative media.
Nivasha Pillay is a seasoned digital leader and transformation strategist, celebrated for her bold thinking and deep expertise in performance marketing across Sub-Saharan Africa. With over 12 years of experience, she has spearheaded digital maturity and media innovation for global giants including Coca-Cola, adidas, and P&G building scalable performance hubs across 57 markets.
A former member of the IAB South Africa Digital Transformation Council, Nivasha is passionate about empowering brands and people through purposeful digital strategy, agile operations, and data-driven solutions. As a mentor and public speaker, she brings energy, insight, and a future-focused lens to every stage she steps on championing diversity, innovation, and meaningful transformation in the marketing ecosystem.
Nivasha please see follow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nivashapillay/