Billboards are talking to each other—but is it really worth the effort?

In a world where traditional advertising often struggles to capture attention, brands are finding new ways to communicate with consumers. One trend that has been gaining traction is billboards chatting with each other- playful outdoor campaigns in which one brand’s hoarding elicits a clever response from another. This approach is witty and quick, often resonating far beyond the initial street where it was displayed.

Rajat Abbi, vice president of marketing for Greater India at Schneider Electric, believes that such formats drive greater consumer engagement. He suggests that they also contribute to the reinforcement of brand personality, and, when done well, they create cultural relevance by tapping into current trends.

“If a cultural or industry moment directly connects to our product proposition, we assess whether joining the conversation can strengthen awareness or consideration. For example, when India hosted the G20 summit, we actively leveraged various platforms to communicate the message around sustainability and that the time to act is now!”

What kind of categories suit this trend?

“Brands that operate in dynamic, competitive categories-such as OTT, food delivery, fintech, D2C, and mobile brands, are most likely to engage in conversational OOH,” says Yash Chandiramni, founder and chief strategist at Admatazz, a digital marketing and media solutions company.

“Contextual relevance and playful tone help them cut through clutter and be remembered. The Tata AIA campaign, where creatives were placed near relevant landmarks like solitaire hoarding placed opposite a jewellery store to spark contextual engagement shows how even traditionally serious categories like insurance can join the conversation creatively and effectively if you’re serious about creating something impactful through OOH,” he adds.

Health insurance company Niva Bupa recently did a brand banter with quick commerce company Zepto as part of its Independence Day campaign. It was strategically placed such that it was visible to the commuters travelling from Gurugram, one of the most popular hotspots, DLF Cybercity, towards MG Road.

“When our billboard interacts with another brand, it generates a sense of freshness and spontaneity that captures attention far better than standalone ads. The recent banter with Zepto is a perfect example- it allowed both brands to tap into each other’s audience and created a buzz that extended beyond physical locations to social media, amplifying engagement significantly," adds Nimish Agrawal, director, CMO, and head of digital SBU at Niva Bupa.

The ROI question

That brings us to the most pressing issue: does it actually sell anything? Saurabh Parmar,  a fractional CMO with over 17 years of experience in the marketing world, raises the concern: “Like any marketing activity, it always comes down to two fundamental questions- what is the product and who is the audience? Integration between out-of-home and social makes sense because today communication is free-flowing. People don’t think of it as OOH, TV or digital- they just see it as communication. But the problem arises when the product and the audience are ignored, and the campaign becomes more about marketers showcasing their creativity than serving the brand.”

Chandiramani also highlights speed as a limitation: “The typical OOH process (approvals, printing, installation) doesn’t cater to overnight deadlines. Few concepts that sound clever in principle actually make it to production in time. It takes deep planning and local execution finesse.”

OOH designed for all mediums

The game has changed because outdoor ads are no longer just about what passersby see. They’re designed to live across multiple mediums- social media first, outdoor second.

Abbi explains, “We now create campaigns that are relevant across various media platforms, ensuring that our creative can perform equally well in physical, digital and social environments. Consumers today like to share, mix and respond to communications, which has encouraged us to design billboards that are not only visually impactful but also socially shareable and demonstrate responsible marketing.”

Echoing this, Bhawika Chhabra, MD for Toaster INSEA, adds, “A clever billboard today is often designed with virality in mind, engineered to trigger organic social conversations, engagement, and visibility across platforms. People stop, take photos, share them, and meme them. Before you know it, a hoarding becomes a viral moment, earning exponentially more visibility than its paid media footprint would suggest.”

The digital shortcut: mock-ups over real hoardings

But here’s the catch: most of what we see isn’t real. It’s digital mock-ups designed for social media.

According to Javaad Ahmed, creative at Talented.agency, “In most cases you will not have a free billboard just standing there waiting for a reply… It will most of the time be a digital mock itself.” 

He points out the logistical hurdles—finding a spot, approvals, printing, and installation—that make actual OOH banter rare. “Most of these interactions are designed for social media platforms like LinkedIn and Instagram. It is rare to see actual offline billboard responses because of logistical challenges, high costs, and the unavailability of side-by-side spots.”

That doesn’t mean they lack impact—just that the real goal is online amplification. As Chhabra explains, "The image you capture of the outdoor billboard will reach a much larger audience than the number of people who initially saw it."

Risks of losing the message

Still, there’s a danger in chasing virality without substance. Javaad cautions, “You don’t even remember which brand started it and which brand replied; the product message is like a secondary concern.” In his view, when humour overshadows the product, campaigns end up being more about social chatter than long-term brand building.

Abbi agrees that caution is critical: “We ensure that the participation aligns with our brand tone. The creative must be relevant to our category, resonate with our target audience and contribute to our brand's objectives. We also evaluate potential risks such as misinterpretation of the message, brand dilution or deviation from our sustainability positioning.”

Not a long-term strategy

OOH banter may be fun, but it’s not built for longevity. Parmar warns, “Right now, people are enjoying this because even audiences can create mock ads thanks to AI. They get praise from CMOs and brand managers. But as more and more people start doing it, consumers will become blind to it. It’s not a long-term strategy. With the right product and the right audience, it makes sense. Without that, it doesn’t.”

As Agrawal mentions how these campaigns can be powerful, but one needs to carefully assess the risks—such as potential misinterpretation, escalation into negative exchanges, or unintended brand association. 

“Legal considerations and brand reputation management also play a role in deciding whether to participate. At Niva Bupa, every public brand exchange is vetted thoroughly to ensure it reflects our commitment to positive health messaging and maintains brand dignity,” he adds.

In fact, this “billboards talking to each other” trend isn’t even new. Javaad recalled the 2009 Audi vs. BMW campaign, where the carmakers went head-to-head with duelling billboards. “The formula itself is not very new, so it doesn’t come up in our planning as much,” he says.

For now, playful OOH campaigns are enjoying their moment in the sun. But if every brand joins in just for the sake of it, the conversation may soon become background noise.