In commercial advertising, the ultimate goal is simple. To drive sales. But getting there? That’s where the complexity often lies. At the heart of it all is brand fame – a measure of a brand’s prominence in the minds of consumers. Famous brands don’t just exist, they occupy significant mental real estate in the minds of consumers, making them the go-to choice when purchase decisions are made.

Les Binet and Peter Field, often referred to as the godfathers of marketing effectiveness, have advocated for the power of brand fame in their seminal work, The Long and the Short of It. Their research has revealed that fame-driving campaigns – those that creatively inspire people to share their appreciation on- and offline – are typically four times more effective at generating share of voice (SOV) compared to their less creative counterparts.

While brand fame has always been crucial, in today’s fragmented media landscape, it’s more important than ever for building long-term brand success. Out of Home (OOH) is the most powerful medium for driving this fame, blending scale, unmissable creativity, and consistency.

The power of reach in an age of fragmentation

At a time when some traditional broadcast channels are experiencing audience declines and digital and social platforms are grappling with the rise of multi-screening, brands are finding it harder than ever to reach and hold the attention of potential buyers.

This is where OOH stands apart. Unlike other media channels, OOH isn’t subject to the same kind of fragmentation – it’s integrated into consumers’ lives as they move around out of the home. From billboards on highways, digital street furniture in urban, premium environments, screens across transport networks and inside office towers, OOH reaches audiences at scale where they’re most receptive to brand messaging.

OOH doesn’t interrupt content, it is the content. It’s an unmissable, unblockable, and unskippable force in the public space and OOH guarantees reach in a way that other media are unable to match.

Creative impact: the key to brand fame
While reach is essential, it’s creative impact that cements a brand in the minds of consumers. According to Analytic Partners research, 41 per cent of OOH’s ROI¹ comes from the quality of the creative itself. When it comes to making brands famous, it’s the campaigns that break through the clutter with bold, emotionally resonant ideas that succeed.

OOH lends itself to creativity in ways that other channels can’t. We like to refer to it as public space art, paid for by your brand. From full-motion digital screens, to immersive 3D anamorphic displays, the creative possibilities are endless. When done right, OOH doesn’t just catch attention – it demands it.

Fame-driving campaigns are those that inspire people to share their enthusiasm, and OOH is uniquely positioned to create these cultural moments both online and offline.

Building fame consistently
While short campaign bursts can catapult a brand into the spotlight, true brand fame is built over time through repeated, impactful exposures. The three key components to this are reach, creative impact, and frequency.

Campaigns that run across both classic and digital formats can achieve over 30 per cent uplift in brand sales², frequent public exposure allows creative to embed and reach to build. The longer a campaign runs, the deeper it embeds in consumers' minds, allowing the message to marinate and truly stick. Running a campaign for 3-6 weeks drives a 12 per cent incremental ROI compared to a 0-2 week burst ¹.

An oOh!media campaign for IKEA demonstrates this impact of longevity on brand performance and sales uplift. The home furnishing giant, a repeat customer of oOh!’s solution selling, aimed to elevate brand awareness and drive sales over an extended campaign period. Utilising a multi-format OOH strategy with targeted creative across oOh!’s Road and Rail networks in five metro markets, the campaign delivered exceptional results. IKEA saw a 60 per cent increase in new customers during the campaign period compared to pre-campaign figures, along with a 5 per cent increase in buyers and a 2 per cent boost in brand penetration ².

Data from Analytic Partners shows that brands utilising two OOH formats see a 20 per cent uplift in ROI. IKEA was a great example of building brand fame through emotive messaging on large formats, which are 22 per cent more effective when featuring such content ¹.

Fame in the face of uncertainty
Amid economic challenges and tightening media budgets, many brands are prioritising short-term sales at the expense of long-term brand-building. But now is the time for fame-building efforts to take precedence.

OOH delivers high ROI, driving both short-term activations and long-term brand awareness. With its scale and reach, it bridges the gap, offering fame-building advertising that ensures brands stay top-of-mind when consumers are ready to buy.

With a network of 35,000 digital and classic assets across the country and a metropolitan reach of 98 per cent of Aussies every week ³, oOh! has the scale and experience to make brands famous. And we’re not standing still. We recently announced that Waverley Council in the heart of Sydney’s eastern suburbs will be joining our network. In addition, we have expanded its presence in the Northern Beaches with coverage from Manly to Palm Beach. When combined with the recently launched Woollahra Council, we now have 100 per cent coverage of all of Sydney’s highest income earning suburbs.

Added to that the recent renewal of Australia’s largest single street furniture contract with Victoria’s Department of Transport and its 5,000 street furniture assets; the highly prized long-term contract for Melbourne’s five new prestigious Metro Tunnel stations; the launch of Sydney Metro and Martin Place Retail Precinct, Australia’s #1 Out of Home company makes brands famous.

People have less time and more choice than ever. OOH is unmatched in its ability to build and sustain brand fame. It’s unmissable, unblockable, and unstoppable – the perfect medium for driving fame in today’s fragmented world. The road to brand fame starts with OOH. Are you ready to make your brand famous?

^Sources:

^{1. Analytic Partners, Australian norms, 2005-2024. Results benchmarked to TV = 100%}

^{2. oOh! outcomes results through Westpac Data X 2023-2024}

^{3. MOVE 1.5, September 2024, weekly reach of oOh! MOVE measured assets, 5 capital cities}