What Is FOOH Advertising?

FOOH (fake out-of-home) advertising is a CGI video that shows an impossible ad in a real place, such as a giant product moving through a city street. Nothing is built physically. Real footage of a recognisable location is extended with 3D, then published on social media, where it reaches people for far less than a real stunt would cost.

You have almost certainly seen one: lashes on a London Tube train, handbags driving through Paris, a bag the size of a building in an Italian square. This guide explains what FOOH means, how a fake out-of-home video is made, how it differs from traditional OOH and 3D DOOH, which campaigns made the format famous, what UK advertising rules say about CGI, and what it takes to produce one. It draws on our own CGI video production work. MAD CGI is a London-based studio making AI video and CGI for fashion, beauty and luxury brands.

FOOH meaning: what fake out-of-home stands for

FOOH stands for fake out-of-home. "Out-of-home" (OOH) is the industry term for advertising people see outside their homes: billboards, bus wraps, station posters and building projections. The "fake" means the placement never existed. The ad is a piece of video content made to look like footage of a real outdoor installation.

A FOOH video usually has three ingredients: a real, recognisable location; a product or brand element at an impossible scale or doing something physically impossible; and photoreal integration good enough that viewers are unsure for the first few seconds whether it is real. That moment of doubt is what makes people pause, rewatch and share, which is why we describe the mechanics in detail in our article on why CGI video stops the scroll on social media.

FOOH is also called fake OOH, CGI out-of-home or faux out-of-home. Whatever the name, it lives on TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts rather than on a physical site, so the "media" is the audience's feed, not a rented billboard.

How a fake out-of-home video works

A fake out-of-home video works by shooting or sourcing a real background plate, building the product in 3D, tracking the camera so the CGI moves with the footage, then matching light, shadow and reflections so the object appears to sit in the scene. The steps below are how a typical production runs.

1. Concept and location. The idea pairs a product truth with a place people recognise. The location matters because familiarity is what makes the impossible element surprising.
2. The plate. A real video of the location is filmed for the project or licensed. Camera height, lens and time of day are chosen to suit the final composition and a vertical 9:16 frame.
3. 3D model and look-development. The product is built as a photoreal 3D asset. Materials such as glass, metal, leather and fabric are shaded so they still read correctly at architectural scale.
4. Camera tracking. Software reconstructs the movement of the real camera so the CGI object stays locked to the street, the building or the vehicle as the shot moves.
5. Animation and simulation. The product moves, opens, pours or drapes. Cloth, liquid and particle simulations add the physical behaviour that makes scale believable.
6. Lighting, shadow and compositing. The 3D light is matched to the real sun or street light. Shadows fall on real surfaces, reflections appear in real windows, and crowds or traffic pass in front of the object where needed.
7. Grade, sound and formats. The final shot is colour graded to match the plate, sound designed, and delivered in the formats each platform needs.

Integration is the hard part. On our Ghibli FOOH campaign for a Tuscan leather goods house, the weave, the leather grain and the way light passes through the handwork all had to stay correct at building size, with shadow and reflection matched to the real plate so the bag sits in the location rather than on top of it. If you are comparing partners, our guide on how to choose a FOOH studio explains how to judge that integration quality.

Some FOOH concepts now start, or are fully made, with generative AI. AI is fast for exploring ideas and environments, while CGI keeps the product exact. Our Swatch × Audemars Piguet AI video concept, which turned Big Ben into a wristwatch, reached 1.6M+ views. For when to use which, read CGI or AI video or see our AI video production service.

FOOH vs OOH vs 3D DOOH

The difference is where the ad lives. Traditional OOH is a physical placement people walk past, 3D DOOH is animated content played on a real digital screen, and FOOH is a video that only exists online but looks like a real-world placement. Each format suits a different job.

Traditional OOH

• Where it lives: a physical billboard, wrap or poster at a booked site.
• What you pay for: media space for a fixed period, printing or installation, permits and production.
• Timing: tied to booking cycles and installation slots.
• Reach: people who physically pass the site, plus any photos they share.

3D DOOH (anamorphic billboards)

• Where it lives: a real digital screen, often a curved corner screen, playing 3D animation that appears to break out of the frame.
• What you pay for: screen time plus content built to the exact screen specification.
• Timing: production plus the screen owner's technical approval and scheduling.
• Reach: passers-by, plus social reach when people film the screen. Our guide to 3D billboard advertising covers the format in depth.

FOOH

• Where it lives: social feeds only. No site is booked and nothing is installed.
• What you pay for: CGI production, and paid distribution only if you choose to boost it.
• Timing: production time only, typically weeks rather than months.
• Reach: potentially global, driven by shares and platform algorithms rather than footfall.

The formats can work together. After its FOOH success, Sister's Aroma extended the same CGI language into a 3D billboard and DOOH campaign that reached 1M+ views, as people filmed and shared the screens. For a broader comparison of production methods, see CGI vs live action.

Famous FOOH campaigns

Two 2023 videos made FOOH mainstream: Maybelline's lashes on a London Tube train and Jacquemus's Le Bambino bags driving through Paris. Since then, brands across beauty, fashion and luxury have used the format, including the campaigns we have produced below.

Maybelline: lashes on the London Underground

In July 2023, Maybelline posted a video of a Tube train wearing giant false lashes, swept by an oversized Sky High mascara wand as it pulled into a station. The FOOH library entry for the Maybelline Sky High video dates it to 8 July 2023 in London.

Jacquemus: Le Bambino bags on wheels in Paris

In April 2023, Jacquemus shared a short Instagram clip of giant Le Bambino bags rolling through Paris traffic. As Paper reported, 3D artist Ian Padgham filmed the street, modelled the bags in 3D and matched lighting, shadows and reflections so they sat in the scene. Viewers argued over whether it was AI, CGI or real, which is exactly the doubt the format depends on.

MAD CGI FOOH results

Our own campaigns show how the format performs for beauty, fashion and luxury brands. Figures are total views across platforms, as listed on each case study.

• Sister's Aroma FOOH: 2M+ organic views with zero paid spend. The video was shared widely and picked up by accounts dedicated to CGI and creative advertising.
• Revolution Beauty FOOH in London: 1M+ views. A tennis-inspired concept set in a recognisable London environment, produced from concept to final delivery in two weeks and used as the teaser for the wider campaign.
• Ghibli FOOH: 500K+ views for a hand-woven leather bag placed at architectural scale in an Italian setting, with no media buy.
• Lego × World Cup concept: 4.8M+ views for a self-initiated concept that dropped two football stars, built in brick, into a real New York street.

Across all our work, MAD CGI has delivered 90+ campaigns for 60+ clients over 5+ years, with 100M+ views in total. The pattern is consistent: the videos that travel furthest combine a place people know, a product truth worth exaggerating and integration that holds up on a phone screen. Beauty brands use the format often, and our article on CGI beauty advertising shows other ways the category uses 3D, while CGI for fashion and sportswear covers material detail at scale.

CGI out-of-home in the UK: locations and advertising rules

In the UK there is no blanket legal requirement to label an ad as CGI or AI, but the ad must not mislead. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) judges CGI and AI content under the same CAP Code rules as any other ad, and a disclaimer does not rescue an ad that is misleading at its core.

Choosing a UK location

London is the natural stage for UK FOOH because its landmarks are recognised worldwide: the Underground, red buses, Big Ben, Piccadilly Circus and the City skyline. Recognition matters more than size. A familiar street corner can outperform a famous landmark if the audience you want knows it well. Using a real place in a video is different from booking it, but plates still need to be filmed legally or licensed, and any identifiable people, private property or trademarks in shot should be cleared as you would for any commercial shoot.

What the ASA says about CGI and AI

• No blanket disclosure rule. In its May 2025 article on disclosure of AI in advertising, the ASA states there is no blanket legal requirement in the UK to disclose the use of AI in ads, and that existing rules apply however content is generated.
• A label does not fix a misleading ad. The same article says disclosure alone is very unlikely to mitigate a fundamentally misleading message.
• Do not exaggerate what the product does. The CAP guidance on production techniques in cosmetics ads says visual claims must not misleadingly exaggerate what a product can achieve, and that disclaimers are not a "carte blanche".

For FOOH, this means the spectacle is fine: nobody believes a mascara wand really sweeps a train. The risk lies in product claims. A giant lipstick in Covent Garden is creative licence; a CGI shot that shows a serum doing more than it can is a misleading claim. We also recommend not presenting a FOOH video as a real event in captions or press, and adding a simple "CGI" note in the caption, which keeps audiences on side when they find out. Responsibility always sits with the advertiser, so check final copy and claims with your own compliance or legal team.

What a FOOH video costs and how long it takes

The cost of a FOOH video depends heavily on the concept, so there is no single price. A simple shot with one product on a licensed plate costs far less than a bespoke shoot with simulation, crowds and several cut-downs. Production typically takes two to four weeks from approved concept to final files, and simple shots can be faster: our Revolution Beauty FOOH went from concept to delivery in two weeks.

The price moves with the same factors as any CGI project, which we break down in our guide to how much a CGI product video costs in the UK:

• The 3D model. An existing accurate CAD file saves time; building the product from photos and samples adds it.
• Materials. Glass, liquids, metal, gemstones and woven or soft fabric need more look-development to hold up at scale.
• The plate. Licensed stock footage costs less than a bespoke shoot, but a bespoke plate gives you control of angle, light and timing.
• Simulation and interaction. A static giant product is quicker than one that drapes, pours or interacts with traffic and crowds.
• Formats and versions. Extra cut-downs, aspect ratios and city or colourway variants add time, though far less than the first build.

The 3D asset is reusable. Once the product model exists, it can feed future FOOH, stills, e-commerce loops and DOOH, which is why brands with ongoing content plans build a CGI product asset library. To brief well, follow our step-by-step guide on how to order a CGI video and our checklist on how to choose and brief a CGI agency in the UK. For the wider process behind a product film, see our complete CGI product video guide and our 3D motion service.

Frequently asked questions

Is FOOH real or CGI?

FOOH is CGI. The location footage is real, but the product, installation or event is created in 3D and composited into the shot. Nothing is physically built, which is why it is called fake out-of-home.

Do you need to label FOOH ads as CGI in the UK?

There is no blanket UK requirement to label CGI or AI in ads, according to the ASA. The ad still must not mislead, especially about what the product does, and a label will not save a misleading ad. We recommend a short "CGI" note in the caption anyway.

How much does a FOOH video cost?

The cost depends heavily on the concept. The main factors are whether a 3D model exists, how complex the materials and simulations are, whether the plate is licensed or shot, and how many formats you need. Production usually takes two to four weeks, and if you send us a brief we will come back within one business day with a concept direction.

Which brands use FOOH?

Maybelline and Jacquemus made the format famous in 2023, and it is now widely used in beauty, fashion and luxury. MAD CGI has produced FOOH for brands including Revolution Beauty, Sister's Aroma and Ghibli, with results from 500K+ to 2M+ views.

Does FOOH work on TikTok and Instagram?

Yes. FOOH is built for TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts: vertical, short, and designed to create a moment of doubt in the first seconds. Our article on CGI on TikTok explains how premium brands use the platform.

Plan a FOOH campaign

A strong FOOH idea starts with your product and a place your audience knows. Tell us what you are launching and where your customers are, and we will come back within one business day with a concept direction. See our CGI video work and our full list of services, or send us your brief.