A Love Letter to OOH - From Ubiquitous
One of Tia’s campaign’s for Rosewood Hotels in 2025.
What does the future hold for OOH? The team at Ubiquitous don’t have a crystal ball. We’re just genuinely curious about the future of a format that has entertained, surprised, and delighted for generations.
We thoroughly enjoyed reading a heartwarming article in Creative Salon which discussed the enduring magic of OOH. The article gave convincing reasons why OOH is still the number one choice for brands that want to connect with the public, not just individuals.
Knowing what we know after 20 years of Taxi Advertising, we wanted to offer a taxi-shaped perspective. Here’s our love letter to OOH.
A format with impact.
OOH formats are more than just a static image. They drive impressive brand uplift, prompt action, and importantly, build trust. Sales Director Steve Clarke suggests that OOH offers impactful results because it’s grounded in the real world.
Steve Clark loved watching these All’s Fair taxis roll through London in 2025.
“OOH’s tangibility, giving brands visibility in the physical space, simply makes brands feel real, legitimate, established. It remains the reason I absolutely love OOH and seriously believe in its ability to deliver for clients.”
Attest research explains why OOH formats like Taxi Advertising provide irresistible campaign results. Post-campaign Attest research for a luxury brand found that 89% of respondents who recalled seeing the taxi advertisement expressed a likelihood to purchase from the brand. Even exposure to a single advertisement was enough to shift consumer sentiment, with 82% expressing a desire to buy compared to just 18% among those with no recall.
Besides being a ‘hero channel’, OOH is a versatile format that can grab attention when needed, but also let other formats have their moment too. IPA Databank research found that OOH boosts the effects of other media channels like search (+54%), social (+20%), and of course, TV (+17%) too. It’s concrete proof that OOH formats add value to media plans thanks to their flexibility.
OOH formats demand simplicity.
OOH has been responsible for iconic campaigns that stick in our collective memories. Account Manager Tia-Aimee Morgan believes OOH is a format that is naturally hard to miss.
“I love OOH because it transforms ordinary spaces into unforgettable moments of connection. It’s bold, unmissable, and impossible to ignore.”
OOH formats like Taxis certainly make the most of their charm and unique shape to bring creative ideas to life. Research from Clear Channel and System 1 explains that anything quirky (like the unconventional shape of a London taxi) will be committed to memory because it captures the attention of our overstimulated brain. Further, we know from internal research that audiences are already more likely to attach their own emotions and thoughts to a London taxi. Taxis continue to build this mental availability thanks to the thousands of trips they make past landmarks and places of interest where purchases are made.
These powerful memories are ingrained in our memories thanks to the captivating nature of formats like Taxi Advertising. They don’t just carry a message. They capture attention and keep it.
OOH speaks to the audience, not individuals.
We spoke previously about how OOH campaigns have a habit of sticking in our memories. International Account Director Susanna Giagheddu believes OOH speaks to a collective experience.
For Susanna Giagheddu, Calzedonia’s campaign’s in 2025 were impactful and elegant.
“It connects with people in real life. It becomes a shared experience, a moment that stays in your mind because it’s real.”
The visual nature of an OOH format like Taxi Advertising lends itself well to the significant cultural moments we all remember. The Ubiquitous team can’t help but make a connection to our recent work with IKEA. Our team was contracted to complete a special build to celebrate the opening of IKEA’s flagship store on Oxford Street. While it’s obvious to mention the humour and boldness behind an activation that bolted furniture to the top of a London taxi, it’d be a missed opportunity not to mention the numerous impressions and clicks generated online.
So, how does the effortless nature of OOH fit in a social media-obsessed world? Well, Jim mentions how OOH fits into our everyday lives. Social media channels are now just another part of our daily routines too. OOH is an impactful format because the creative works across multiple channels and formats. A viral video of our IKEA activation is a great example of Jim’s point. The video was posted to IKEA and creative agency Mother’s social accounts and at last count, it has 3,300 likes on Instagram. It demonstrates how OOH formats like taxis make audiences want to reshare and repost what they see. As communities move from the offline to the online world, taxis and their star power translate well online.
So, what does the future hold for OOH?
With such an established, effective medium, it’s easy to predict the future. Maybe we don’t need that crystal ball after all! We’re confident that as long as advertising remains an audience-centric format, OOH formats like taxis will be a part of the media plan because they are brought to life by the imagination of the audiences that see them. As this article makes clear, there’s plenty to love about a format that engages with the public, not just individuals.
Sources: Attest research for Gucci Flora, IPA Databank Research, Peter Field and Les Binet, Ubiquitous Research, 2023, and GPS Data