As New Yorkers know, wheatpasting is a huge lever for out-of-home (OOH) marketing. Itās not technically legal (low-key badass) and the stakes are pretty low in terms of cost, given that you donāt pay for ad space (again, because itās not legal). Although itās more practical in cities and highly populated areas, itās an efficient strategy for brands that want to play with OOH efforts without paying for pricey billboards or subway ads.
Over the past few months, the talent featured in OOH campaigns has been hyper-local, niche individuals. They might not be recognized by nationwide scrollers, or folks passing through town, but city dwellers know exactly who these individuals are.Ā
Here at PEOPLE BRANDS AND THINGS, we loved Still Hereās āCoolā campaign. The brand tapped local writers, business owners, consultants, photographers, creatives, and stylists who are part of New Yorkās fabric:
Outfitted in the āCool Jean,ā and with their own personal flare, it was a beautiful expression of individualism and collectivism.Ā Seeing Laura Reilly and Kaia Avent-deLeon featured was all we needed to consider clicking āAdd to Cartā seconds after seeing the campaign. The women in the campaign were real, and notĀ so far out of grasp that they seemed unattainable. It wasnāt precious.
A campaign like this is also genius in terms of visibility. 100% of the talent shared the images on their respective socials, ultimately leading followers to discover and engage with a brand that perhaps they didnāt know existed. The result? Brands crack into a new audience and gain an endorsement from a source that the audience trusts, making this distribution channel that much more valuable.Ā
Similar campaigns have launched over the past few months, a sign that hyper-local messaging is on the rise. Jolie, a beauty and wellness company, featured Gutes (co-founder of Byline & The Drunken Canal) for a wheatpaste campaign that was not only local to NYC, but was also featured digitally:
Gutes posted photos of the campaign on social in-feed (see above), but arguably more importantly, it was shared by many of her adoring followers for DAYS after. It was also covered in Emily Sundbergās business newsletter, Feed Me. All this to say, the traction of this campaign wasnāt solely due to Jolie, it was mainly Gutes, and Jolie benefited.
Even large, mainstream brands are executing localized initiatives and embracing hometown tastemakers. Last September, Nike Women partnered with Homme Girls Mag and a list of NYC-based women to showcase the brandās versatility:
They took the idea one step further by launching a printed newspaper that they plopped in branded boxes right in front of storefronts like Kalimera Vintage ā likely a similar demographic of consumers paying attention to Miyako Bellizziās latest outfit (Belizzi, a costume designer, was featured in the campaign as shown in the middle image). A cool girl campaign, showing up where the cool girls are shopping? Nike knows what itās doing.
The main takeaway? Lean into real people to represent your brand, make them attainable, relatable, and local to your market. Because these people arenāt just locals ā to your consumers, theyāre niche-celebrities, and nothing beats star power.
Want to submit a pitch? Email us: peoplebrandsandthings@gmail.com.