Why you should take your advertising offline (yes, even in 2025)

The digital world is more crowded than Steve Buscemi’s smile (no shade, ily.)

We all know as marketers that our job is to fight for attention in a never-ending scroll of content, ads, and algorithm-fed distractions. So, when something real and physical appears in front of us, it hits different.

And CommBank has just shown us how it’s done. In collaboration with M&C Saatchi the Australian banking company nailed it with their latest ‘Out of Here Out of Home’ campaign in Melbourne. Because the billboard wasn’t just a billboard. In fact, it wasn’t a billboard at all, but a fully immersive walk-through experience designed to bring a slice of New York to Flinders Street. And it’s proof that showcasing your brand in the real world adds a layer of credibility and impact that digital just can’t replicate.

Out-of-home (OOH) advertising has a unique ability to command attention in a way that digital ads never could. You can scroll past an Instagram ad in half a second.

This is the power of physical presence. You can mute a YouTube pre-roll. But a massive, interactive billboard in the middle of your path on the way to work? You kind of have to engage with it. CommBank’s campaign turned a simple OOH placement into an experience, letting people literally step into another world, deepening brand perception in a way that digital alone could never achieve.

Marketers love to chase younger audiences, but here’s the thing: The consumers with the most disposable income and financial decision-making power aren’t Gen Z—they’re older demographics with lower screen time and a much higher median income.

Digital-first strategies often fail to reach them effectively, but OOH advertising? That’s their domain. Whether they’re commuting, walking through the city, or simply living their offline lives, they engage with physical advertising in a way younger, digitally native consumers might not.

Experiential marketing = emotional buy-in.

Humans connect with brands through experiences, not just pixels on a screen. A walk-through billboard doesn’t just tell you about something, it lets you feel it. That’s the difference between passive advertising and active engagement. CommBank didn’t just say, “Imagine yourself in New York.” They let people step into it, creating a sensory-driven moment that sticks far longer than any Instagram ad ever could.

Digital marketing isn’t going anywhere, but if you want real-world credibility, you need a real-world presence. Whether it’s an immersive billboard, a pop-up experience, or even just a strong OOH strategy, brands that show up in physical spaces build trust and impact that a digital-only strategy can’t match. CommBank’s campaign serves as a reminder that when you create something people can actually step into, they’ll remember it.

-Sophie, Writer