TE LL M E A STO RY
Andy Lark, Founder & Chief Executive Officer,
Group Lark
...
Few start with it. Even fewer end with it.
Most include it – more or less. But rarely
does anyone start with it and let it dominate.
That’s how it’s always been with Out-ofHome (OOH) advertising.
Some of the most memorable campaigns,
however, launched alongside Australia’s roads,
inside bus shelters and atop our buildings, teach
us that OOH is more than just part of the mix;
a checkbox to tick in effective planning. They
underscore that OOH can be the starting point
– or even the entire platform – for the creative
idea and campaign.
Who can’t recall the roadside image of
the kid’s eyes bleeding in the rain to emphasise
the need for driving safely in the rain? Or,
for us Kiwis, Tui Beer’s now iconic Yeah
right campaign? How about last summer’s
brilliant Bonds’ Boobs billboards? (pp. 20–21)
They all bet big on OOH and won – not just
hearts and minds, but also wallets. Much like
the Commonwealth Bank Can campaign,
Bonds teased the idea of Boobs before the
campaign broke, creating both anticipation and
talkability. OOH wasn’t just part of the mix,
it ignited the mix.
So it was at Commonwealth Bank in
opening the Can campaign. Billboards across
the country created anticipation and planted
the idea firmly in the minds of Australians.
By the time the campaign broke a week later,
Commonwealth Bank owned ‘Can’ and had
provoked a national conversation. OOH had
again proven its effectiveness as a potent