When Posters Ruled the Streets
By Brent Baer, Publisher, OOH Today
Before algorithms, there were artists.
Before impressions were counted, they were felt.
A century ago, when I first entered the business, the streets of Paris, Milan, and London were galleries of persuasion. Walls didn’t whisper — they shouted. Beer, cider, absinthe, travel, theatre… every brand fought for attention with color, wit, and just the right amount of scandal. We all know they were the roots of OOH: bold, public, artistic.
The purpose was simple: Stop people in their tracks.
Artists like Cappiello, Mucha, and Toulouse-Lautrec turned advertising into culture. A woman lifting a glass, a couple sharing a drink, a bold name stretching across the sky — these posters didn’t just sell products.
They sold moments.
They sold moments.
Fast forward to today, and those canvases have been replaced by glowing screens that change every 8 seconds, where paper once hung.
Data flows where paste once dried.
But the mission? The same.
Catch the eye.
Spark curiosity.
Own the street.
OOH has always been the original social feed
OOH has always been the original social feed — unavoidable, highly visual, and designed to start conversations.
Are we as an industry carrying forward the mission?
The next time you see a digital billboard light up the night, ask yourself that and remember: OOH is just the modern descendant of a cheeky poster on a Paris wall, trying to make someone smile… and maybe order another round!
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I think there could have so much more to the poster story. The simplicity of OOH is so simply captured by the poster billboard on the streets of any neighborhood within the USA. The poster is as much to the streets of our country as are the curbs. They are the backdrop of our society that expresses what’s current and to come. I think your story will need much more than the expression of elegant creative.
@JackSullivan, You are right! Our post is just a single bristle of the larger brush, which is the poster. We welcome your comments and opinions on our soapbox. Please feel free to submit to BillBoard@OOHToday.com