Need creative inspiration? Visit OAAA.

Outdoor is the most challenging design format because it forces clients to make tough decisions on what the single message should be. This is why so many billboards are horrible, because they cram too much in ... phone numbers, URLs, headlines, subheads, taglines, and multiple images. As a Zen master once said, your billboard is finished when there is nothing left to remove.

The Outdoor Advertising Association of America offers a wonderful library of award-winning outdoor creative, searchable by industries, keywords, or award categories. You can check out new formats, study competitor brand positioning, get inspired by leaders in your industry, or benchmark your existing campaign.

Here's a test for your marketing team: As you review the best outdoor designs at OAAA, count the syllables in each message. Then count the syllables on your current billboards, and see who makes an impact with fewer beats.