This column was the basis of a presentation at the OAAA Independent Summit this week. Billboard Insider liked the talk so much we are publishing an edited version here.
By Brandon Sweeney, Creative Director, Link Media Outdoor
One of the biggest challenges in out-of-home advertising is not designing great creative, it’s getting clients and sales teams invested in it from the beginning.
Too often, billboards become a place to cram logos, phone numbers, websites, and every piece of information a client can think of into one layout. The result is advertising that blends into the background instead of demanding attention. At Link Media Outdoor, we’ve worked hard to change that mindset by treating creative as a sales advantage, not just a production step.
You’re thinking what’s in it for sales? Great creative sells faster. It creates market demand. Clients renew longer. Most importantly, it changes the relationship from vendor to strategic partner. But making that happen requires commitment from both creative and sales teams.
① The first step is reframing the conversation. Most clients think they are buying space on a billboard. In reality, they are buying attention. That shift changes everything. A billboard is not just a sign; it is advertising that has only a few seconds to make an impression.
② The second step is showing the difference early. Clients only know what they’ve seen in the market, and unfortunately many markets are filled with cluttered, and forgettable boards. Bringing examples of strong creative into early conversations immediately changes expectations and opens the door for better thinking.
③ From there the third step is, creative must be tied directly to money and results. Strong creative is not about making something “pretty.” It is about creating something memorable enough to generate awareness, leads, and revenue. A distinctive billboard equals fewer wasted impressions.
④ One of the most overlooked parts of the process is understanding the client and using rick reduction psychology. Many clients are more afraid of looking foolish than being ignored. Playing it safe feels comfortable, even though blending into the background is the bigger risk. Part of our job is helping clients understand that effective advertising requires confidence and clarity.
⑤ Another important shift is creating a common enemy. The enemy is not the client, sales, or the designer; it is bad advertising. Too many words. No hierarchy. No focal point. What I often call “a business card on a stick.” Once clients recognize what ineffective advertising looks like, they become much more open to stronger concepts.
⑥ Creative briefs also need to evolve. Many briefs today are simply instructions: “put this here,” “make the logo bigger,” or my favorite “make it pop.” A strong creative brief should focus on the problem, not the layout. Instead of asking clients what they want on the board, ask what they want people to accomplish.
⑦ That naturally leads into giving clients ownership of the idea. The goal is not to dictate creative to them, but to guide them through the process so they feel invested in the solution. When clients see their own goals and language reflected in the concept, buy-in becomes much easier. Ask questions designed to surface the ideas like, “What do you want people to remember?”
⑧ Presentation matters too. Don’t walk in and say, “Here’s your layout.” Sell the concept before the design. Reference everything learned in the discovery process, build the narrative around the problem the client described, and then reveal the creative as the answer to their specific challenge. The presentation is part of the sale.
⑨ Finally, make it easy to say yes. Don’t overwhelm clients with fifteen options. Present one to three strong solutions with confidence and clarity.
Following Through After the Sale
After the board goes up, do not walk away. Follow back up, get the results (good or bad) and address them. Clients do not reject great creative because they hate it. They reject it because they do not understand it, do not trust it, or no one ever connected it to their results.
That responsibility belongs to all of us.
Case Study: Old Tennessee Distillery
The example discussed during the OAAA session involved Old Tennessee Distillery. Initially, the client resisted using digital rotation because they did not want to share space with other advertisers. By walking through the process and showing how competitors were underutilizing digital, the conversation shifted from fear of sharing space to owning a competitive advantage.
The result was a campaign built around dayparting that promotes seasonal flavored moonshine and location-specific creative which targeted both locals and tourists specifically around the Tennessee mountain landscape and familiar waring signage along the roadways, the design is called “Watch for falling rocks.” What started as hesitation is turning into one of the client’s most successful campaigns.
The account executive’s note after the close: “This win was especially meaningful because it wasn’t an instinct yes. Those are often the most inspiring.”
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