How 5 Local Chicago Brands Successfully Used Billboards for Growth

Billboard advertising in Chicago is a powerful tool that has helped numerous businesses grow their visibility, engage their target audience, and drive sales. View Chicago offers various outdoor advertising formats, including HotSpots, Wild Postings, Wallscapes, and Street Furniture, to ensure that brands reach their audience where they live, work, and commute.

In this article, we’ll take a detailed look at five local Chicago brands that leveraged street furniture and billboard advertising to create successful, high-impact campaigns. We'll also share key strategies and tips that helped these brands maximize their results.

1. The Village of Rosemont – Seasonal Campaign with Street Furniture Domination

The Strategy:

The Village of Rosemont executed a Street Furniture Domination campaign, taking over multiple bus shelters across Chicago to promote itself as a shopping and dining destination. This full-scale Shelter Domination approach ensured that Rosemont’s branding was impossible to miss, utilizing both ad panels, adhesive graphics, and painted elements to create a fully immersive experience.

Key elements included:

• Winter holiday-themed design with snowflakes, reinforcing the seasonal shopping appeal.

• Full Shelter Domination—not only did the shelter feature branded ads, but benches and panels were also painted in the brand’s signature red color, ensuring a striking and cohesive look.

• Images of people shopping and dining, making the experience feel aspirational and inviting.

Why It Worked:

• The holiday theme aligned with consumer shopping behavior.

• Eye-catching design and a full-shelter takeover helped stand out on busy streets.

• Strategic placements near high-traffic areas ensured maximum exposure.

Beyond its visually striking campaign, Rosemont’s Street Furniture Domination strategy focused on localized engagement. By positioning their fully branded shelters in high-traffic shopping districts, they capitalized on foot traffic from holiday shoppers actively looking for dining and retail options. The timing of the campaign during the holiday season further increased its effectiveness, as potential customers were already in a spending mindset.

Additionally, the cohesive branding across multiple Shelter Dominations created a sense of familiarity and trust, reinforcing Rosemont as a go-to shopping and entertainment hub. The integration of a fully immersive, visually consistent theme across different locations ensured that the message was easily recognizable, strengthening recall and long-term brand awareness.

Takeaway Tip:

Street Furniture Domination is an innovative way to ensure complete brand immersion. Utilizing a full-shelter takeover allows brands to make a bold statement, creating a memorable and engaging experience for pedestrians and commuters alike.

2. Popeyes – Competitive Billboard Placement with Street Furniture Domination in Oak Lawn

The Strategy:

Popeyes strategically executed a Bus Shelter Domination campaign, taking over an entire street furniture unit near a competing Wing Stop location in Oak Lawn, Illinois. This approach included branded ad panels to create a high-impact, unmissable presence. The ad featured the bold orange brand colors, an image of crispy chicken wings, and the playful tagline: "Wings Please Stop" and "Discover New Flavors."

Why It Worked:

• Competitive Conquesting: By using full Shelter Domination near a direct competitor, Popeyes effectively diverted attention and influenced purchasing decisions.

• Mouthwatering Visuals: The high-quality food photography triggered cravings, making it an effective call to action.

• Maximum Brand Exposure: The full Shelter Domination approach ensured Popeyes branding surrounded pedestrians and commuters, leaving a lasting impression.

Beyond just strategic placement, Popeyes leveraged consumer behavior insights to ensure maximum impact. By fully branding the entire bus shelter, they immersed potential customers in the Popeyes experience, reinforcing its bold and flavorful image. This tactic transformed the bus stop into a mini billboard experience, engaging commuters while they waited and ensuring Popeyes stood out as the most appealing option.

The integration of social media and digital marketing helped extend the campaign’s reach. As customers engaged with the Shelter Domination, many shared their reactions on social platforms, adding an extra layer of organic exposure. The campaign successfully created a buzz, reinforcing Popeyes as a dominant player in the fast-food market while increasing foot traffic to their locations.

3. OSF Healthcare – Trust-Building with Informational Billboard Ads

The Strategy:

OSF Healthcare launched a dual-panel street furniture campaign that reinforced its credibility as a leading healthcare provider in Chicago. The ad featured:

• The OSF Healthcare logo and brand colors (blue & green) to establish trust.

• Informative copy, including "OSF Little Company of Mary voted No. 1 in Emergency Services, Hospital, Geriatrics, Urgent Care, and Home Health Care."

• A QR code directing viewers to more healthcare information.

Why It Worked:

• Trust and Credibility: Highlighting No.1 rankings and awards helped establish OSF as a reliable choice for healthcare.

• Convenience Factor: The QR code enabled quick access to appointments and services.

• Reinforcement of Brand Identity: Even the bus shelter and bench were painted in OSF’s colors, ensuring strong brand consistency.

Beyond just the visual elements, OSF Healthcare’s campaign demonstrated the power of clear, concise messaging. The inclusion of awards and rankings helped reinforce their expertise, making it easier for passersby to immediately recognize OSF as a top-tier healthcare provider. Additionally, the choice of street furniture advertising meant their message reached commuters and pedestrians at crucial moments—when they were already navigating through their daily routines.

By incorporating digital engagement through the QR code, OSF Healthcare created an omnichannel experience, ensuring that individuals who saw the ad had an easy, immediate way to interact with their services. This bridge between out-of-home (OOH) and digital marketing further increased the likelihood of conversions, as users could schedule appointments or learn more about healthcare offerings in real-time.

Takeaway Tip:

Use billboards to highlight awards, achievements, and rankings to build credibility and trust with your audience. Additionally, incorporating a digital touchpoint, such as a QR code, ensures potential customers can easily take action on the information provided.

4. Adidas – Hyperlocal HotSpot Targeting with Influencer Marketing

The Strategy:

Adidas executed one of the most engaging and innovative billboard campaigns by combining HotSpots and Wallscapes with influencer marketing. Their approach included:

• Targeting local influencers by incorporating their Instagram handles into billboard messaging.

• Creating buzz by keeping influencers in suspense about what the billboards would say.

• Driving foot traffic by directing influencers and their followers to a brand-new Adidas store with the promise of an exclusive experience.

Why It Worked:

Adidas took a unique approach by leveraging outdoor advertising to create an interactive experience. The billboards were not just advertisements but an invitation to influencers to engage directly with the brand. Adidas handpicked influencers, calling them out by their Instagram handles on the billboard and prompting them to visit the store for a surprise.

The execution generated a viral effect, with influencers rushing to see their names on the billboards, sharing photos and videos, and creating a social media frenzy. Some even asked if they could keep the billboards after they were taken down! This excitement drove millions of impressions online, amplifying Adidas’ campaign reach beyond physical locations.

To maintain momentum, Adidas followed up by switching the billboard content after a week, replacing the influencer callouts with imagery of the actual Adidas shoe they were promoting. This seamless transition ensured that the campaign spoke to both niche influencers and the broader audience, maximizing engagement across all touchpoints.

Takeaway Tip:

Pair outdoor advertising with influencer marketing to create a viral campaign that extends beyond physical locations and into the digital world. This strategy is particularly effective when promoting events, product launches, or exclusive brand experiences.

5. Bulleit Bourbon – Art, Creativity, and Street-Level Advertising

The Strategy:

Bulleit Bourbon executed a bold and visually stunning campaign by collaborating with various artists to develop unique, street-level Wild Postings. These ads blended urban art with branding, making them an organic part of Chicago’s streetscape.

Why It Worked:

• Creativity Drove Engagement – By featuring custom artwork from different artists, Bulleit’s ads stood out and became instantly shareable on social media.

• Street-Level Visibility – Unlike traditional billboards, Wild Postings are positioned where pedestrians naturally encounter them, encouraging interaction.

• Authenticity & Culture Fit – The hand-crafted, artistic designs helped reinforce Bulleit’s identity as an innovative, trend-forward brand.

The Social Media Effect:

The campaign’s creative power led to an organic social media buzz. People walking by the Wild Postings snapped photos and shared them online, significantly extending the campaign’s reach. This kind of user-generated content added credibility and excitement to the brand message.

The Importance of the Right Medium & Message:

The campaign’s success highlights two critical factors in OOH advertising: choosing the right medium and crafting the right message. Wild Postings worked exceptionally well for Bulleit Bourbon because they complemented its brand image, and the eye-catching design ensured engagement.

Takeaway Tip:

Great creative is the key to successful outdoor advertising. Even the best billboard locations won’t make an impact if the design and messaging fail to capture attention. Investing in unique, artistic, and shareable content can significantly enhance campaign effectiveness.

Key Lessons for Successful Billboard Advertising in Chicago

1. Strategic Location Matters

Choosing the right location for your billboard is one of the most critical decisions in outdoor advertising. A well-placed billboard ensures high visibility and engagement. Placing ads near competitors can give you an edge in capturing their audience, while selecting high-traffic areas maximizes impressions. For example, Popeyes strategically placed its ad near Wing Stop, directly targeting customers already looking for chicken options. Additionally, the Village of Rosemont maximized exposure by placing street furniture ads in key shopping districts, ensuring that their brand was the first thing holiday shoppers saw when making purchasing decisions.

2. Consistency Creates Brand Recognition

Your billboard should align with your brand colors, messaging, and identity to reinforce recognition. OSF Healthcare’s campaign ensured uniformity across multiple placements by incorporating their brand colors into the actual bus shelter design. Consistency across multiple ad formats and locations strengthens recall and fosters trust and familiarity with your audience. Adidas also used this approach by maintaining uniform branding across HotSpots, ensuring that their fitness-related ads remained instantly recognizable, no matter where potential customers encountered them.

3. Use Seasonal and Timely Messaging

A well-timed message can increase relevance and engagement. The Village of Rosemont’s winter shopping campaign capitalized on the holiday season, making the ad more resonant and compelling. Refreshing creative content regularly ensures your billboard remains attention-grabbing and up-to-date. Bulleit Bourbon also leveraged this technique by strategically placing ads in nightlife districts where they knew their target audience would be more receptive to messaging about premium spirits.

4. Enhance Engagement with QR Codes & Online Integration

Billboards don’t have to be static—adding digital elements like QR codes can enhance user engagement. OSF Healthcare’s QR code allowed passersby to instantly access healthcare services, improving convenience and conversion. Integrating billboards with online marketing strategies creates a seamless customer journey.

Incorporating QR codes into billboard advertising not only increases engagement but also provides measurable results. Marketers can track scan rates, user demographics, and interactions, helping brands refine their advertising strategies. By connecting billboards with an online presence, businesses can build an interactive experience that bridges the physical and digital worlds, ensuring that potential customers have immediate access to services, special promotions, or additional information.

Moreover, QR codes enhance the efficiency of ad spend. Instead of relying solely on static messaging, businesses can update their landing pages or promotional content in real-time, making it easier to align with seasonal trends, limited-time offers, or location-based promotions. This level of adaptability ensures that billboard campaigns remain relevant and responsive to consumer needs, ultimately driving higher conversion rates.

5. Leverage Visual Impact

Billboards must be striking and easy to read. Large-scale formats like Wallscapes dominate cityscapes, creating memorable urban landmarks. Keeping messages short and visuals impactful ensures maximum effectiveness, especially in busy metropolitan areas.

A well-designed billboard takes advantage of bold typography, vibrant colors, and simple messaging to grab attention quickly. The average viewer has just a few seconds to absorb an ad while commuting, which means every design element must work together to make an instant impression. High-contrast visuals, recognizable branding, and minimal yet compelling copy all contribute to making an advertisement more effective.

Additionally, leveraging unique locations for billboards can amplify their visual impact. Placing billboards near high-traffic areas, public transit hubs, or entertainment districts ensures a diverse and engaged audience. When combined with strong visual storytelling, a billboard can transform into a city landmark, reinforcing brand awareness and customer recall. By investing in eye-catching design and strategic placement, businesses can ensure their outdoor advertisements make a lasting impression.

Why View Chicago is the Best Billboard Advertising Partner

View Chicago provides premium outdoor advertising formats that help brands grow. Whether you need Street Furniture, HotSpots, Wild Postings, or Wallscapes, we’ll work with you to create a customized strategy tailored to your goals.

Want to launch a high-impact campaign? Contact View Chicago today and let’s make your brand impossible to ignore!