• by Danielle Oster , Yesterday

Most longtime New Yorkers probably have at least one story of a nightmare roommate or living situation.

A new campaign from leading New York City rental marketplace Openigloo taps into this phenomenon, based on real stories shared on social media by creators and renters living in the city. To bring the stories to life, the brand worked with Creative Director Clara Calvo Sotelo, photographer Rocio Segura, and a full production team.

Entitled “We Do Apartments. The Rest Is On You,” the OOH campaign is running across subways and MTA bus lines throughout the city. The copy contextualizes humorous stories about living in the city with the suggestion that the platform can help find an ideal apartment, but the rest of navigating roommates and life in a city apartment is up to the viewer.

“This campaign is all about real NYC renters and their stories,”  Lidor Bar David, co-founder and CMO of Openigloo, said in a statement. “We wanted to celebrate what happens after renters get the keys to their apartment. At Openigloo, we can help you find a place that matches your preferences, but the rest? That’s up to you.”

By finding humor in the more difficult aspect of New York City renter life, the campaign also leans into the brand’s positioning as trustworthy.

“We’ve built our reputation on transparency and real reviews,” Bar David added. “This campaign reflects the full reality of NYC renting: messy, funny, frustrating, and everything in between.”

The focus on stories from social media micro influencers served another function as well: bridging the gap between OOH and digital. Some of the talent  involved in the campaign shared collaborative posts with the brand, extending the campaign’s reach on social media. Evan Lazarus, for example, posted about how they “went method for this ad and killed 100s of plants!” — while sitting in front of the subway ad they appear in.