OOH Agency Today —20-time OBIE Winner —Extra Credit Projects

by Sarah Druhan, OOH Today Journalist 

Today for our Agency of the Day, we’ll be taking a look at one of this industry’s smallest yet mightiest names: Extra Credit Projects. Backed by a history rich in experience and notable accolades, a quick scan of ECP’s achievements confirms that they are more than deserving of today’s title. Interested in learning why? Let’s take a look at who ECP is, and find out what it is about their OOH work that makes them so special.

The Basics: If you want a full summary of all the services offered by Extra Credit Projects, you may want to sit down. From corporate branding to integrated campaigns, from newsletter writing to catalog design, this Grand Rapids agency has it all.

Their job doesn’t stop with just an advertisement. ECP goes above and beyond to achieve ‘creative solutions’—whether that’s passing out candy bars in astronaut costumes or wrapping entire stadiums. Their relatively small size (about nine employees totaled on LinkedIn) fuels their passion for connecting directly with clients, ruling out the ‘middleman’ at all times. And the resumes on staff aren’t too shabby either. Rob Jackson, the company’s founding principal and Chief Creative Officer, is a 20-time OBIE winner and recipient of the OAAA’s prestigious Ray L. Vahue Marketing Award to boot. We need say no more than the agency’s own catchy slogan: “We keep it simple. We give extra.”

Clients: Past clients of Extra Credit Projects include the Gerald R. Ford International Airport, Blandford Nature Center, Michigan State University, EarthDay.org, Lamar Advertising, and even the OAAA itself. While they certainly do have a portfolio of digital media, ECP’s Out of Home Advertising reputation is known all across the country for a reason. From Times Square to Grand Rapids public transit, ECP’s decades of OOH experience has guaranteed them a foothold in almost every market.

Campaign Standout: I’ll be the first to admit that this was a tricky one. When choosing just one campaign from a company that has done seemingly every aspect of OOH under the sun, it’s hard to narrow it down. That said, I might just have to go with ECP’s billboard for Michigan car dealership Car City.

This billboard’s black-and-white scheme may appear simple at first glance, but it has a good reason. By putting up a ‘mirrored’ version of the ad, ECP not only stands out and sticks in the minds of curious drivers. When seen in a driver’s rearview mirror, it also gains a whole new layer of meaning: the billboard is now positioned behind the driver, just like the driver potentially could leave ‘behind’ their bad credit at Car City. As drivers’ cars get further and further away from the billboard, the whole experience is imbued by the irresistible relief of also getting to distance oneself from bad credit.

In other words, the billboard does everything a good OOH ad is supposed to. It stands out, it sticks in a viewer’s mind, and it evokes a feeling that quickly becomes an active part of a viewer’s day. It’s magnificently simple proof of all that can be done with just four words, four corners, and one bright idea.

The Bottom Line: The people at ECP not only embody the core spirit of Out of Home. They are champions of creative problem solving—and they aren’t afraid to do what it takes to reach their finish line.

With past work in everything from event branding to book design, and specialties ranging from education to entertainment, it’s clear that the sky is the limit at Extra Credit Projects. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter the goal. As long as it’s something that will help out your campaign, you can bet it’s within ECP’s reach.

Think you’ve found a match in ECP? Check out their website here.

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