As ad-inundated customers grow wary of messaging that doesn't feel authentic, businesses are increasingly building national audiences through locally focused out-of-home (OOH) activations, amplified on social media.

At the DPAA Global Summit held this month in New York, national advertisers highlighted recent gains earned through local activations using OOH. Making a physical impression in the immediate environment through compelling OOH creative, or an in-real-life experience, lends credibility to campaigns when they make their way around social media.

Though brand safety and user distrust of AI-generated content are concerns on social media, the majority (56%) of advertisers plan to increase their social media spend over the next half-year, according to a May Mediaocean survey. Eighty-four percent plan to increase OOH spend (33%) or maintain their level of spending (51%), the same survey found.

Launching an app IRL

ESPN's launch of ESPN Unlimited, an entirely new app, was a nationwide effort. However, the company wanted to make a big local splash in the two biggest US markets.

In August, the company took over a New York City train on the E line during morning rush hour, covering cars with signage, and inviting local team mascots like Mr. Met along for the ride.

“We have been supporters of out-of-home for a long time,” said Inna Kern, ESPN’s vice president of media strategy and planning, at the DPAA Global Summit. “There were a couple of cities we wanted to go a little bit bigger in, New York and LA. And we wanted to have authentic, in-real-life, breakthrough experiences.”

ESPN partnered with OOH publisher Outfront and experiential agency Civic to orchestrate billboards, transit ads and ESPN’s unique subway experience. The activation attracted attention from local media, and was amplified on social platforms.

“It was a break-though experience, and now we’re going to be wrapping trains forever,” said Kern said.“The earned media punched higher than its weight because we had so many mentions.”

Think globally, celebrate with Taylor locally

When Taylor Swift and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce announced their engagement in late August, H&R Block (which is also based in Kansas City) struck a local note by giving company employees the afternoon off.

“Historically we’ve done a lot of targeting based on demographics," said H&R Block CMO Jill Cress. "For our brand we know that life moments are tax moments."

The company’s own research indicates that many people switch their tax preparation methods when other big changes occur in their lives. Connecting with customers during these big moments, personally or around important cultural moments, helps create the impression that the brand knows their customers and can be trusted during key life moments.

“We’re always thinking about how we can hijack culture and how can AI help us move more quickly,” said Cress.

When news came of Kelce’s proposal to Swift, Cress and her team saw productivity at the company stop. They decided to contact human resources and arranged for the offices to close for the day. This move turned into a news story of its own, garnering impressions of the brand through earned media and social posts.

Reacting through digital OOH

Dana Nussbaum, co-head of motion picture marketing for Warner Brothers said the studio also values the flexibility that local digital OOH activations offer to respond to needs in smaller markets.

“We’re leaning into channels and formats that really allow us to be incredibly nimble,” said Nussbaum. “When you’re thinking about the outdoor space, digital outdoor gives us a tremendous opportunity to be really responsive to the signals we’re seeing from the audience and to be able to react in real time.”

Nussbaum said a big trend she’s seen recently is the blurring of lines between earned media and paid media.

“I think before they used to be completely distinct and separate, and I think there’s more interactivity between those two than ever,” she said.

Earlier in the year, the studio created an outdoor ad in Los Angeles promoting the release of "Final Destination Bloodlines." The ad was designed to look half-finished, with dummies made up to look like outdoor sign workers dangling in front of the sign, as if there had been an accident while mounting the sign. This stunt played a key role in sparking digital news coverage and social posts about the film’s release.

“Those are content creation opportunities that fuel our media campaigns,” Nussbaum said.