Top 10 Creatives in OOH: Melody Roberts

by Amber Larkins, OOH Today

We are wrapping up our winner highlights for the Top 10 Creatives in Out-of-Home 2024. Today we learn more about Melody Roberts, Founder and Chief Creative Officer of OOHC (Out of Home Creative).

A dedicated and enthusiastic OOH advocate, Roberts is the founder and chief creative officer of OOHC. OOHC is a creative agency specializing in outdoor advertising. For 23 years, she has dedicated her career to the medium, inspiring clients, driving sales, and mentoring the next generation of designers to redefine their boundaries in the OOH space.

Melody has received numerous awards and accolades throughout her career, including being a multi-OBIE finalist and recognized internationally by the OMA’s “Best of OOH Worldwide.” She has judged for the OBIE awards and serves on OAAA’s creative committee and OBIE advisory board. She also speaks at industry events and writes for OOH publications. Last year she was featured in OOH Today as one of the Top 24 Women Driving Growth in OOH in 2023.

She thinks it’s nice to be recognized for your efforts, but awards do not drive her. “Partnerships with clients, sales, and operations are most meaningful to me. The reward is my client’s success,” Roberts
said.

“Exploring OOH opportunities and where my ideas can lead a client’s business is a favorite aspect of the creative process. This results in a larger buy for outdoor companies, which increases revenue for them
and the client,” Roberts said.

Roberts believes that engaging copy, powerful imagery, and innovative ideas with simplicity in mind makes great creative.

“OOH is successful when it’s memorable,” Roberts said. “it’s about engagement that evokes an emotional reaction and makes you want to revisit or talk about what you saw.”

From the campaigns she’s judged recently, she remembers the ones that made her laugh, left her speechless, and grabbed her attention with vivid colors and stunning imagery. OOH works well when it brings products and the brand’s distinctive style to life. She finds interactive transformations and immersive AR experiences incorporating physical and digital worlds into a virtual playground for OOH inspiring.

“All of these create a sense of connection with people, which makes great OOH creative,” Roberts said.

Roberts says that design is a combination of objective and subjective elements. “As creatives, we are tasked with being solution-oriented in partnership with our clients. So, for me, it is a combination of the two,” Roberts said.

She says AI can bring many benefits to streamline business processes and enhance creativity. However, there are challenges associated with integrating it into design processes, such as quality assurance and
maintaining the human touch.

“Integrating AI into a design firm’s workflow requires planning, ongoing evaluation, and a willingness to adapt to the latest technologies and methodologies. We will inevitably evolve, but some ideas are not
meant for shortcuts; AI cannot replace customer service, product respect, and undivided attention,” Roberts said.

Roberts is well known for her strong command of the medium, especially locally. “I am passionate about the medium because it allows us to push creative boundaries and develop innovative ideas unique to this industry, challenging us to think differently for each client,” Roberts said.

“My focus and energy come into play when I explain how to utilize outdoor advertising effectively to local, regional, and national advertisers. When they get it, I love creating the unexpected.”

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