Balancing visual impact with relevance often means saying no to bigger, flashier options. What trade-offs has MOMS Outdoor had to make on past campaigns to keep an execution culturally grounded rather than just visually loud?
At MOMS, we don’t necessarily see scale and relevance as opposing forces. The question is what you do with the scale. A large format can create impact, but the idea has to earn that impact.
A good example is our work for Swiggy Instamart. We took an impact billboard and physically transformed it, creating a torn section in the billboard to bring the creative idea to life. The communication played on the familiar expression “Kat gayi?”, while the physical disruption of the billboard made the idea tangible. Instead of simply putting a large message on a large canvas, we made the canvas itself part of the message.
That is an important distinction for us. We could have chosen a larger billboard or added more visual elements, but the greater impact came from changing the way people experienced the medium itself.
We have applied the same thinking in other campaigns as well. For Godrej Enterprises Group, regional language around Independence Day helped make the communication more culturally relevant, while for Welspun, we used rain as part of the billboard experience, allowing the physical environment to interact with the creative.
So, the trade-off isn’t always about choosing a smaller format over a bigger one. Sometimes it is about resisting the temptation to add more and instead asking how we can do more with what is already there.
For us, the question is not, “How big can we make this?” It is, “How naturally can this idea live in this environment?” When the medium becomes a part of the idea, even a relatively simple execution can have disproportionate impact.
Regional storytelling worked well for Laalo in Mumbai’s Gujarati neighbourhoods, and MOMS has also worked on festive-led campaigns across markets. How transferable are these hyperlocal creative approaches to markets or audiences MOMS Outdoor hasn’t tested before?
The approach is highly transferable, but the cultural insight can never be copy-pasted.
Laalo is a good example of how we think about hyperlocalisation. It was a Gujarati show being promoted in Mumbai, so rather than treating Mumbai as one homogeneous market, we identified Gujarati-dominated neighbourhoods where the communication could have greater cultural relevance. We used branded rickshaws to take the show’s presence directly into these communities, while branded bookmarks were distributed to passers-by, extending the interaction beyond the immediate OOH touchpoint.
Another example is our work for Asian Paints Ultima Protek where we took contextualisation into the creative itself. We used regional languages and location-specific cultural cues to make the product communication feel native to the market.
The idea was simple: “Coffee means Kappi, Lamination Paint means Ultima Protek.” We then built the communication around familiar local associations — from kappi in Tamil Nadu to Pongal, Chepauk and cricket in Chennai, biryani in Hyderabad, Vizag and cinema in the Telugu market. The product remained the same, but the way we spoke about it changed according to the cultural context of the audience.
That is where we see the real value of hyperlocal OOH. It isn’t simply about translating a national communication into a regional language. It is about identifying the cultural shorthand that an audience immediately understands and using it to make the brand feel more familiar.
So, the methodology is transferable, but the insight needs to be rebuilt market by market. Hyperlocalisation isn’t about making a national campaign look local; it is about finding the local truth that makes the brand feel like it belongs there.
Instamart’s Aambulance campaign leaned entirely on wordplay and absurdist visual humour rather than cultural sentiment or emotional nostalgia. How does MOMS Outdoor decide when a brand’s personality calls for comedy over cultural resonance?
The Aambulance campaign is a great example of how cultural relevance doesn’t always have to be emotional or sentimental. Sometimes it can be playful.
The insight was the phenomenon of “mango fever” – the almost universal obsession with mangoes during the season. We brought that insight to life quite literally by placing a patient inside a moving ambulance, surrounded by mangoes, creating the visual of someone actually suffering from mango fever.
The humour came from the unexpectedness of the situation, while the cultural relevance came from something consumers already understood and experienced.
For us, humour and cultural resonance aren’t mutually exclusive. The creative lever depends on the brand’s personality, the audience’s behaviour and the cultural moment.
A brand like Instamart has the licence to be quick, playful and irreverent, so humour can become a natural extension of its personality. Another brand may require a more emotional, aspirational or culturally rooted expression.
Ultimately, we ask: What is the most authentic way for this brand to enter the consumer’s world at this particular moment? Once we answer that, the creative route becomes much clearer.
Static media in malls, arterial hoardings, branded transit, and on-ground activations were all used across these campaigns. How does MOMS Outdoor decide which combination of formats will deliver both visual punch and cultural fit for a specific brief?
We start with the consumer and the context, rather than the inventory.
Our planning considers audience profiling, movement and traffic patterns, dwell time, visibility, location-level audience understanding, proximity to relevant points such as stores, and reach and frequency. We also use planning and audience tools, including Roadstar and our other datasets, to understand how consumers move through an environment.
We then determine what role each format needs to play.
For example, the moving rickshaw was relevant for Laalo because it allowed the show’s presence to enter the neighbourhoods where its audience was concentrated. With Gullak, the objective was different. A large Gullak installation at Carter Road created a physical spectacle and amplified the show, while smaller Gullaks customised with participants’ names extended the experience beyond the installation.
So, format selection isn’t about asking which medium is the most impactful in isolation. It is about creating the right sequence of exposure, engagement and participation.
The strongest OOH plans are therefore not necessarily a collection of the biggest formats. They are combinations where every format has a role in taking the consumer from seeing, to noticing, to engaging, and potentially sharing.
Looking at the evolution from static festive campaigns to interactive Gullak installations, how has MOMS Outdoor’s definition of creative differentiation evolved, and where does the team see it heading next?
The definition of differentiation has moved from making an advertisement stand out to making the environment part of the advertisement.
Earlier, the challenge was primarily about creating a striking piece of communication within a static medium. Today, we have the opportunity to create something that consumers can experience, participate in and ultimately share.
Gullak is a good example. A large Gullak placed at Carter Road created a strong physical presence for the show, but the experience didn’t stop there. Participants received smaller Gullaks customised with their names, turning a mass-media installation into something more personal and participatory.
For brands like Raymond and Shaadi.com we married the communication on a larger canvas and then amplified it on social media pages.
This represents a broader evolution in OOH. The medium is moving from simply delivering a message to creating a physical memory around a brand.
And that is where we see the next opportunity moving from media exposure to experience, from experience to content, and from content to social conversation.
OOH is no longer just a canvas. It can become a physical content platform, where the environment, the audience and the brand idea come together to create something people want to notice, participate in and share.
The future of differentiation, therefore, isn’t necessarily about making the biggest statement. It is about creating the right moment, in the right place, in a way that gives people a reason to become part of the story.
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