What the FOOH is going on?
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As attention spans are shrinking, brands are constantly looking for innovative ways to stand out. Enter FOOH (Fake Out of Home) marketing - a clever blend of digital creativity and traditional outdoor advertising concepts. Brands like Jacquemus and Maybelline have brought larger-than-life digital installations to our social feeds, transforming virtual stunts into viral sensations. But is this purely a marketing hack, or does it offer real value to brands and their audiences?
A New Era: What is FOOH Marketing?
FOOH is the digital cousin of traditional out-of-home (OOH) advertising. Instead of physical billboards or installations, FOOH uses CGI, AR, and digital tools to create hyper-realistic scenes that appear to exist in real-world spaces but are, in fact, entirely digital. The trend began gaining steam in 2023, when French luxury fashion house Jacquemus launched their now-famous Bambino Bag campaign.
In this campaign, 3D artist Ian Padgham created the illusion of Jacquemus’ iconic Bambino bags driving through the streets of Paris, like miniature cars. This stunt exploded on Instagram, gaining over 48.8 million views, and kickstarted a wave of brands experimenting with FOOH. The beauty of FOOH is its versatility—it can simulate anything from massive product installations to fantastical scenes, all from the comfort of a computer screen.
Executive’s dream
One of the biggest advantages of FOOH is cost-effectiveness. Traditional guerrilla marketing stunts require hefty budgets. Brands can easily spend over £100,000 on physical installations, including permits, manpower, and logistics. Guerrilla marketing stunts also run the risk of failure - there’s no guarantee of success, and the cost of physical failures can be high.
FOOH, on the other hand, cuts out these logistical nightmares. With CGI and digital marketing, brands are looking at much lower costs—between £5,000 to £50,000—depending on the complexity of the campaign. There’s no need to hire massive teams, shut down streets, or apply for permits. You simply hire a talented CGI artist or production team, create a compelling digital illusion, and distribute it via social media
It seems to be an answer to many CFO’s dreams as brands can allocate more budget to creating high-quality CGI and promoting the campaign on social media rather than handling the logistics of real-world execution.
This makes FOOH incredibly attractive for brands looking to create memorable, high-impact campaigns without the headache of logistics or the cost of real-world installations. Simply put: big bang, small buck.
Audience Engagement
FOOH campaigns are designed for virality. Their shareable nature allows them to spread quickly across platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Studies show that FOOH campaigns can generate up to 74% more engagement than traditional OOH advertising, thanks to their novelty and eye-catching visuals.
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Audiences are increasingly expecting brands to create shareable content.This opens up a new world of creative possibilities for brands, especially as digital culture continues to dominate our everyday lives.Yet some marketers argue that while FOOH drives digital engagement, it lacks the human element that physical guerrilla stunts deliver. While FOOH works for some, it might not be the perfect solution for all brands - especially those that rely on authenticity.
The Real vs. The Virtual
Having worked on many real-world guerrilla marketing stunts, I can say this - to me, FOOH feels a bit like cheating. There’s something about the logistics, the unexpected crowd reactions, and the on-the-ground buzz that can’t be replicated with CGI. A well-executed guerrilla stunt can have a lasting impact on people who experience it firsthand. The magic of someone stumbling upon your stunt in real life and the crowd reactions can’t be digitally duplicated.
That said, the cost savings and ease of execution for FOOH are undeniable. With guerrilla stunts, you're often staring down huge bills for permits, equipment, and teams of people to pull it off. The risk of it all going wrong is high, but when it works, it’s unforgettable. Now, compare that to FOOH, where digital fire billboards or mascara tube trains rake in millions of views. I know which one will be the executive team’s choice.
At the end of the day, though, I think FOOH is another symptom of the flattening of culture. It’s slick, it’s digital, and it’s designed for the algorithm, but it lacks the rough edges that make real-world marketing stunts feel alive. FOOH is here to stay. Is it efficient? Yes. But is it memorable