ENGAGING NEW YORK WITH PROFESSIONAL CURIOSITY
Set against the backdrop of New York City, LinkedIn launched one of its largest Out-Of-Home campaigns to date to introduce its AI Job Search—a new tool that moves beyond keyword matching and into conversational, human-first prompts like “I want people to see the stuff I make.”
To complement the bold traditional OOH placements across Manhattan, we developed a series of localized, creatively driven activations. These in-situ moments used the same product messaging but reimagined it through a more aspirational, personal lens—tailored to the neighborhoods and passions of New Yorkers.
CREATIVE DIRECTION AND DESIGN
The design language of the campaign was directly inspired by the AI Job Search bar’s interface. Each activation recreated that search bar in a tactile, surprising way-placing it on unexpected canvases to spark curiosity and shareability.
We partnered with a beloved Tribeca bakery to create custom cakes, each one iced with job search prompts in buttercream, like edible versions of the AI interface. We also worked with a well-known bookstore to produce custom bookmarks, placed inside specific titles, each featuring clever, context-specific search copy. And at a public basketball court in Manhattan, we placed hand-painted basketballs inscribed with playful queries connecting the love of the game to potential careers-merging creativity, aspiration, and public space in a way that felt both organic and unexpected.
Each of these pieces reflected a different passion or hobby, brought to life through the lens of LinkedIn’s new tool. It was a way to remind people that the search for meaningful work doesn’t have to begin on a screen-it can start with what they already love.
PRODUCTION AND EXECUTION
Each execution came with its own creative and logistical challenges. The cakes, for instance, had to be designed with legible icing that would hold up in a working bakery display and under studio lights. The basketballs needed to be painted by hand, then discreetly placed in a busy public court, requiring tight coordination and setup. The bookmarks had to be subtle enough to blend into the browsing experience of the store, while still catching attention and sparking curiosity.
In addition to these moments, we also documented and photographed key OOH placements across Manhattan-creating a visual thread that linked traditional media with the real-world activations and extended the story across digital and press.
WHY IT MATTERED
These contextual activations gave the campaign its heart—bringing emotion, delight, and cultural relevance to a product launch rooted in utility. By meeting audiences in their everyday spaces with messaging that spoke to personal passions, we made the product feel less like a tool and more like a companion to curiosity.
The result was a brand moment that moved fluidly between media, message, and place—turning a billboard campaign into a city-wide invitation to dream differently about work.
