From less-is-more to more-is-more, these traditional out-of-home media campaigns (bulletins, wallscapes, and murals) used effective copy and scale to deliver a message worthy of just about everyones attention.

In order to spark water conservation efforts, the city of Denver, CO decided to take to billboards to get the point across. Job well done.

This bulletin was intended to reach an audience of one. Thanks to the shockingly candid and vengeful copy, it became a viral story across the web. Now the whole world knows about this affair and Steven’s um, “inadequacies.” Moral of the story? Outdoor doesn’t just get someone’s attention, it gets everyone’s attention. Oh and, don’t cheat on your wife of course.

Executed in Columbus, OH, this wallscape / mural shows the extent to which one can go in making an impact. Can you imagine driving past this and not noticing? We didn’t think so. And yes, they actually painted the parking lot yellow.

The same location was recently used by American Family Insurance to generate word of mouth. Unfortunately, some of this creative was compromised during severe weather a couple weeks after it posted. Ironic? Yes. (Don’t mind the yellow paint COOPS Paints & Nationwide left behind.)

This wallscape (..err cliffscape?) gained national attention, and how could it not? Not sure how hungry this made drivers and passengers, but it probably generated some really great road trip conversations.

In an effort to generate more followers than CNN, (and upgrade his ego of course) Ashton Kutcher went to digital billboards to provoke the American public, or at the very least it’s Twitter users. Well, it worked. Mr. Demi Moore won this bout with exceptionally simple copy. (A year later, Kutcher is still ahead of CNN by approximately 4.3 million followers.)

Arguably first of what will inevitably be many uses of the Quick Response Code in out-of-home, Calvin Klein jeans engineered a crafty way around the sexual controversy that usually follows its billboards. Instead of posting a lurid image of scantily clad models in public view, CK invites you to view the almost NSFW content on your smartphone. Smart, huh?

Have any questions about the photos above? Let us know. We’re happy to help.

–Ashley Shipley, Director of Social Media Marketing, a health conscientious twenty-something with a lyric obsession.