Creative Secrets: Crafting an Out-of-Home Ad

by Dave Dumanis

Seven words.That’s the limit. That’s all you get to tell your story. Can you do it? When you write an out-of-home ad, you’re about to find out.

The seven-word limit, of course, comes from the billboard, which if you weren’t stuck in a traffic jam, you would pass at 65 mph on the freeway as you commuted to or from work. 65 mph is a dangerous speed to read pretty much anything, much less something long.

Because of the seven-word limit, the key to writing a great out-of-home ad is the power of context. I'll show you how to use that power to create great, high-impact work that commands attention and gets results, with a minimum of words and a maximum of strategic thinking.

For more, buy your copy of this tiny but mighty ebook now. It's part of the Creative Secrets series, written with a lifetime of ad world experience—and zero AI.

13 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 18, 2025

About the author

Dave Dumanis is the author of 51, AMERICAN BEEHIVE, ALPHABETICAL DISORDER, SHAGGY DOG STORIES AND NURSERY RHYMES, A PLAGUE OF BOILS, CREAM, THE SOFT PINK AND WHITE BUNNYRABBIT STORY, MONA LIEBOWITZ, and NINE LIVES BY PAUL VARJAK. He lives in San Francisco with his wife and daughter.