Out of home advertising with graffiti has been proven to engage audiences from the very first moment, as the artist lifts the brush – or spray can – to start their mural. It becomes an effective way of grabbing people’s attention, and an Instagram moment that attracts audiences online as well as in-person.

Graffiti advertising or commercial graffiti refers to out of home advertising campaigns hand-painted on large facades or billboards. This form of mural advertising turns city walls into canvases for contemporary art inspired by or related to a brand’s campaign.

Hiring contemporary street artists to hand-paint a mural that highlights a brand or a company’s message, while people take photos or interact with the mural (see AR murals), combines out of home advertising with an important experiential aspect – one that’s started to receive a lot of attention in recent years.

That the painter is a real urban artist, painting live on the street where passers-by and neighbors can watch the progress step-by-step, is something that out of home advertisers have increasingly focused on. Another aspect that makes hand-painted graffiti murals attractive to conscious advertisers is the fact that no printing is needed, in contrast to traditional printed billboards that use non-eco-friendly materials like non-recyclable vinyl, toxic ink and glue.

Because of the artist’s astonishing skills, there’s a high chance that a spillover effect will happen and the art will make a big splash on social media networks – increasing reach far beyond the offline mural.

In the past decade, renowned brands such as Polo Ralph Lauren, Netflix, Sony, and Adidas have hired top street artists for their out-of-home advertising campaigns, with great hybrid success: online and offline.