The New OOH: From nails to potholes, how brands are rewriting the rules of advertising

Billboards, bus shelters, airports, metro stations and the occasional transit wrap are no longer the only places to advertise. Brands are putting their messages into the places people actually use and inhabit on a daily basis, frequently in ways that blur the boundaries between visibility and utility. These new touchpoints transform everyday items and moments into potent brand experiences as consumer routines become more fragmented and attention becomes more limited.

This change symbolises a new marketing mindset that goes beyond simple creativity. Brands are making their way into people's homes, lives, and discussions in ways that feel intentional, personal, and occasionally even undetectable instead of waiting for viewers to notice a TV commercial or glance up at a hoarding. In order to change things, they are breaking into metro smart cards, EV charging stations, milk packs, and even nail art.

At the same time, the definition of visibility itself is evolving. For some, it’s about intimacy and resonance, like Sebamed’s “The smallest nail art campaign via the Tiniest Billboard". For others, it’s about responsibility and impact, like CARS24 choosing to fix dangerous potholes rather than spend crores on anniversary ads. And in between, OOH specialists are reimagining cities as canvases, turning mundane objects in the environment such as safety nets, garbage trucks, charging stations, and even smart benches into branded touchpoints.

In short, advertising today isn’t just about being seen, it's about being felt, experienced, and remembered in places you’d least expect.

Everyday Objects as Living Billboards

“Delivery bags have become a powerful media touchpoint for brands like Instamart, Blinkit, and BigBasket, literally entering homes and ensuring repeated impressions,” noted by Jayesh Yagnik, CEO, MOMS.

 But there’s nuance. While such formats thrive for impulse-driven categories, their effectiveness is limited for high-involvement brands. As another perspective highlights: “It’s no longer just about billboard brands wanting to become part of the consumer’s daily life. Whether it’s branded grocery bags, delivery packaging, or metro smart cards, these formats serve both a practical function and a brand recall purpose.” said by Dr. Yogesh Lakhani, CMD, Bright Outdoor Media Ltd.

Billboards Become Emotional: Using Them as Breakup Therapy

While scale and visibility have long been the focus of out-of-home (OOH) advertising, Tinder's humorous Move On campaign demonstrates how it can also directly appeal to human emotions. The company turned Mumbai's streets into a moving billboard of heartache and healing by introducing an "ex-press disposal truck" with humorous signs. It serves as a humorous reminder that, done correctly, OOH can engage with consumers in a way that is surprisingly sympathetic, human, and even therapeutic going beyond logos and taglines.

New Frontiers In OOH Spaces

From temples to transport hubs, every corner of public life is becoming a real estate. “Airports with buggies, trays and baggage belts give premium visibility while metros, autos, and buses bring everyday commuter reach,” said Jayesh Yagnik, CEO, MOMS. Looking ahead, he sees “EV charging stations, metro feeder e-rickshaws, shared e-scooters, digital street furniture, parcel lockers, and smart benches” as the new wave.

Dr. Lakhani stressed “The future is even more exciting with AI-powered billboards that change content based on traffic demographics, AR-enabled bus shelters, and drone banners.” Bright Outdoor Media already operates nearly 50 of Mumbai’s giant digital LED billboards, and is bullish about metro networks in emerging cities as aspirational ad hubs.

This two-tier strategy high-impact visibility plus subconscious reinforcement through daily-use items like milk packets or gas bills is becoming a cornerstone of OOH innovation.

When Ads Talk Back: Real-Time Engagement

Today’s consumers want to interact, not just observe. For younger audiences, real-time cues are particularly powerful. “During IPL and World Cup seasons, airport digital screens showing live cricket scores turned waiting lounges into lively, engaging spaces,” recalled Yagnik.

 Bright Outdoor has leaned into interactivity as well, with QR codes on billboards leading to instant app downloads, and weather-triggered ads. “The key is contextual relevance,” explained Dr. Lakhani. Campaigns that integrate live social media feeds have even created instant digital communities.

When Witty OOH Banter Stole the Spotlight Micro-OOH:

Sebamed’s Campaign “The Smallest Nail Art Campaign If OOH is about visibility, Sebamed turned the concept on its head by going microscopic. In a bold move, the brand used nail art as media space to highlight scalp health awareness. “We wanted to surface the real issue which goes beyond just visible flakes. By turning nails into the message space, we tackled the root problem instead of the symptom,” explained Philip Kuncheria, Country Head, Sebamed.

Influencers carried the tiny ads, turning ads into “living, mobile billboards.” The results were staggering: “The campaign generated 2M+ views, with almost a million accounts reached and >5% engagement,” said Kuncheria.  He calls this format “micro-OOH-the world’s smallest billboard that literally goes wherever the wearer goes.”

Unlike mass hoardings, the goal was intimacy and depth. “While a hoarding shouts at everyone, a nail can whisper to a few and still spark a conversation loud enough to be remembered,” Kuncheria added.

 Advertising through Social Responsibility: CARS24's Pothole Repairs

CARS24 may have redefined OOH in the most creative way when it fixed roads rather than placing advertisements to commemorate its tenth anniversary. “We deliberately chose not to produce a glossy advertisement or cut a cake,” Gajendra Jangid, co-founder and CMO, stated, "Instead, we wanted to fix the very roads our cars drive on every single day." By fixing more than 500 potholes in busy areas, the project improved road safety for cyclists, pedestrians, and automobiles.

The effect was far more than goodwill. With more than 100 earned media stories, the campaign reached 15 million people online in just 72 hours. It was dubbed "a celebration that actually mattered" by the public. For Jangid, the campaign was about impact rather than visibility. "While advertising will always have a role, this time we decided to allocate our funds to a life-saving initiative. We believe that to be the strongest message a brand can convey.

As part of CARS24’s 10th anniversary celebrations, they undertook a creative on-ground activation. Potholes were first filled and then stamped with the CARS24 stencil, transforming repaired patches into a striking brand impression on the road. This symbolic gesture not only celebrated our milestone but also highlighted the commitment to addressing everyday mobility challenges in an innovative and relatable way. In addition, the brand also installed witty yet thought-provoking road signs across cities, turning everyday commutes into moments of awareness and engagement. One road sign read, “Don’t drink and drive. Someone is waiting at home.” While another read, “Drive slow, this is not GTA.”

Another innovative campaign from CARS24 was the brand’s partnership with Mumbai’s iconic Khetwadicha Raja. CARS24 became Bappa’s official sawaari, in the recently concluded festivities, with an ambassador car wrapped in eco-solvent vinyl to ensure that not a trace of harm was left behind on the city’s streets or its sacred waters. CARS24 also came up with its ‘Shoe Rack Campaign’. Understanding the chaos that often surrounds large gatherings, CARS24 created a dedicated parking lot, not for cars, but for shoes.

Creating Safety, Creating Brands: Branded Nets from Bangur Cement

In Delhi, where typical OOH formats are limited due to MCD constraints, Bangur Cement discovered a creative solution: building safety nets. In addition to adhering to safety regulations, the project produced 9,900 square feet of high-visibility presence across construction locations by substituting the typical green mesh with eyecatching white nets branded for its premium goods Roofon and Magna.

 According to Shailesh Ambastha, President of Sales at Shree Cement, "this step ensures site safety while turning everyday construction zones into powerful brand ambassadors." The campaign, which targets influencer groups, home builders, and contractors, represents a first for the building materials industry and demonstrates that even under-utilised areas may have a significant marketing impact.

The Future of OOH: Blurring Boundaries

From delivery bags to digital benches, from LED billboards to nail polish, OOH is no longer just about size and placement. It’s about presence, interactivity, intimacy, and even responsibility.

As Yagnik summed it up, “Malls and airports are evolving into experience hubs with immersive installations, interactive DOOH and branded zones that go beyond visibility to real engagement.”

The next era of advertising isn’t just seen, it’s lived, shared, and remembered.