Louis Vuitton turns construction site into genius OOH spectacle

Louis Vuitton has turned an otherwise ordinary construction project into an extraordinary marketing spectacle, showcasing the best use of the out-of-home (OOH) medium without incurring additional costs for creative campaigns, advertisements, or site rentals. As the brand’s iconic flagship store on East 57th Street and Fifth Avenue in Manhattan undergoes demolition, the scaffolding has been transformed into a gigantic replica of Louis Vuitton’s signature trunks—a stroke of brilliance that combines functionality with branding. 

The brand ingeniously leveraged the fact that they would need to spend on covering the site during construction anyway. Instead of settling for plain scaffolding or a simple banner announcing the new building, Louis Vuitton chose to wrap the space in their iconic design language. The scaffolding features the classic Trianon Grey textured canvas, adorned with laser-cut steel rivets and a monumental 40-foot-long black handle—all elements modelled on their iconic trunks. This creative approach repurposed a necessary construction expense into a powerful OOH branding opportunity, with zero extra spend on media rentals or creative placement. 

The result is an installation that has become a standout feature of Manhattan’s retail landscape during the pre-Christmas shopping season, attracting both locals and tourists who flock to the site for photos and social media posts. In essence, the scaffolding isn’t just functional—it’s a giant, 3D advertisement for Louis Vuitton that costs no more than the standard expense of maintaining a construction site. Its visual impact, however, far outweighs its cost, generating organic buzz and widespread attention. 

Even as Louis Vuitton operates from a temporary five-story flagship across the street—the largest in the U.S.—this larger-than-life trunk display keeps the original location in the public eye, reinforcing the brand’s legacy and building anticipation for the new store. By blending practicality with creativity, Louis Vuitton has turned a construction necessity into a memorable, high-impact OOH campaign. It’s a testament to how resourcefulness and smart branding can elevate even mundane elements into a spectacle of luxury and innovation.