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FOOH for a product launch means placing the new product at giant scale inside real city footage and building one scene people will share. The launch day stops being an announcement and becomes an event. Viewers usually recognise the place before they recognise the product, then ask themselves whether what they are seeing is real. Below are the five FOOH formats that work hardest on launches, the brief each one suits, and real examples from published work.
FOOH (fake out-of-home) is a social video built on real location footage, with giant products, objects or scenes added in CGI that aren't really there. On most of our projects our own team films the location, and the CGI element is placed into the footage to match the camera move, the light and the shadows. When filming permits are needed, we obtain them, or on some projects the brand does. For the production flow and the budget items, see the FOOH ad production page; for why the format travels so far, read what FOOH is and why it goes viral.
What does FOOH solve on a launch?
FOOH solves the hardest moment of a launch: holding attention while you show the product for the first time. A conventional product film explains the product; FOOH puts it inside an event and gives viewers something to talk about. On a launch that pays off in three practical ways.
- A familiar stage: the audience already knows the place. Even when the product is new, the shot reads in a second because the setting doesn't.
- One visual idea: launch messaging tends to be crowded. FOOH forces you down to a single image that can be described in one sentence.
- Platform-native delivery: the main cut is vertical, and horizontal and short versions come out of the same production.
It has a limit too. FOOH does not walk through a product's features. If the packaging detail, the texture or the way the product works has to be shown, the launch package needs a CGI product film or a 3D animation alongside it. Strong launches usually run both: the FOOH scene that earns attention and the film that shows the product up close.
Five FOOH formats for launches
These five set-ups are the ones launch briefs keep landing on. Which one fits you depends on the size of the product, where the launch runs and what assets you already have.
1. A giant product on a city landmark
The product appears at giant scale in front of a building or a view everyone knows. This is the strongest format for carrying the reveal moment, because the landmark provides a ready-made stage and carries news value. It works best when the product's silhouette is recognisable on its own.
2. A product breaking out of a billboard
The product bursts through the frame of a billboard in the city. On a launch it conveys the feeling that something new has arrived and won't fit inside the usual format. It is worth being clear that this is FOOH, watched on social media: an anamorphic 3D billboard playing on a physical screen is a different kind of project, and we covered the distinction in FOOH vs 3D anamorphic billboards.
3. A store or mall illusion
When the launch physically happens in a store or a shopping centre, FOOH is used to make that event bigger online. The real installation continues inside the film: the product spills outside the building, travels through the air or steps out of the window display. For launches with a physical activation this is the most efficient format, because one budget produces two pieces of work.
4. A street furniture takeover
An everyday element such as a bus stop, a sign or a building façade turns into the brand's showcase. It is quieter than the landmark format but far more repeatable: the same idea can be restaged with different stops, different products and different cities. For collection or series launches, that repeatability matters.
5. A product in a natural landscape
The product rises from the sea, drifts through the sky or settles into a landscape. Without the clutter of city texture the product reads on its own, which is why beauty, beverage and travel-adjacent launches reach for it. The landscape has to be as recognisable as the product.
| Format | Launch it suits | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Giant product on a landmark | Single-product launch, the reveal moment | Location shoot and permits where needed |
| Billboard breakout | Bold, short, single-punch announcement | Not to be confused with a 3D billboard |
| Store or mall illusion | Launches with a physical activation | Venue permission and matching the real build |
| Street furniture takeover | Collection, series or multi-city launch | Keeping the idea fresh on every repeat |
| Product in a landscape | Beauty, beverage, seasonal launches | Recognisable scenery and light matching |
Examples from Clytech
Clytech is a CGI, FOOH and AI advertising studio based in Istanbul and London, and every piece below was produced by our own team.
HONOR – giant phone reveal at Maiden's Tower. In front of Istanbul's iconic Maiden's Tower, a giant HONOR smartphone appears partially veiled in a flowing red drape, the image of a dramatic product reveal. The FOOH activation blends technology with heritage and turns a landmark into a launch stage built for global attention. The drape is what ties the format so directly to a launch: the audience waits for the reveal before it ever sees the product. See the HONOR film.
PROJECT VIDEO
TECNO – A Launch Like No Other. This one steps outside the usual launch-video playbook: TECNO's new device is introduced through a giant CGI illusion staged in the city. The surprise factor of the FOOH format turns launch excitement into a moment made for social sharing. See the TECNO launch film.
PROJECT VIDEO
MAD Parfum – giant bottle billboard breakout. A giant perfume bottle smashes through a city billboard, dissolving the line between reality and imagination. This FOOH illusion turns conventional outdoor advertising into an immersive brand experience, engineered to spark conversation online.
J.Lindeberg – giant shoe at NK Mall. To amplify the brand's OOH activation in Stockholm, we produced a CGI film around the giant version of the new shoe installed at the iconic NK department store; in the film, drones carry the oversized shoe across the city before its arrival. The piece gathered over 200,000 views across Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and LinkedIn, and shows how a physical activation and FOOH work together.
SUWEN – bus stop, and Bioderma – giant serums over the Bosphorus. For SUWEN we turned an ordinary bus stop into a brand showcase; the digital installation sits naturally within real street footage, putting the collection on display at city scale, and the film passed 58 million views. For Bioderma, giant bottles of the signature serums rise from the waters of the Bosphorus as passersby stop to take in the surreal view; the campaign pairs skincare innovation with Istanbul's iconic scenery. Between them they show exactly what the last two formats look like in practice.
Where does FOOH sit in the launch calendar?
Leaving FOOH until launch day is where most delays come from. The order runs: idea and location, shoot planning, the plate shoot, CGI integration, sound and delivery. Each of those steps carries a brand approval, and the complexity of the idea, the number of locations and the approval rounds set the timeline. For step-by-step planning, read how to plan a FOOH campaign.
On a launch specifically, settling three things early makes everything easier. You need the product's 3D model or enough reference photography. If there is an embargo, write down who can see the product at which stage. And decide the delivery list up front. A vertical main cut, a horizontal version and a short teaser come out of the same production, but asking for them afterwards makes them a new project.
Questions to answer before picking a format
- What is the launch for: conversation, explaining the product, or footfall to a store?
- Is the product's silhouette recognisable on its own? If not, a transformation idea works better than a scale shock.
- Is there a physical event or installation? If so, the FOOH should be built on top of it.
- Is this a one-city launch or one that will repeat? If it repeats, choose a format you can restage.
- Which channels will carry it, and which formats have to be delivered?
- Who gives final approval on the product imagery and the message?
For concrete patterns on how the first second is built, the opening seconds of a social ad is the piece to read straight after these decisions.
Frequently asked questions
For a product launch, FOOH or a conventional product film?
They do different jobs. FOOH earns attention and gets shared; a product film explains the product. A launch package usually carries both, with the FOOH piece going out first and the product film right behind it.
Can you make FOOH without a 3D model of the product?
Yes. Depending on the project, the product can come from photography the brand supplies, from a shoot of our own or from a 3D model built from scratch. Not having a model doesn't make the work impossible; it lengthens the preparation step.
Do you need filming permits for FOOH?
It depends on the location and how it's filmed. When permits are needed, we obtain them, or on some projects the brand does; we clarify this during planning.
How many formats does a launch FOOH get delivered in?
The main cut is usually vertical, and the same production can yield a horizontal version, a short teaser and a separate cut for in-store screens. Putting the number of formats in the brief is the simplest way to get the budget and the schedule right.
Can you commit to a view target?
No; nobody can honestly promise that. What we deliver is an idea designed to be shared and a believable production. We show our results with the platforms' own counters.
Let's talk about your launch
The right FOOH format for a launch depends less on the product itself than on the goal of the launch and the assets already in your hands. A short brief covering the product, the date and the channels is enough to make that call. Share your brief and we'll come back within 24 hours with an approach; if you'd like to see the full body of work, take a look at our company presentation.