The $20,000,000 Missoula Billboard Stunt
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How they got a 1,333x ROI:
A bank in Montana placed 3 billboards around Missoula, MT. They made it look like a guy named Ryan was looking to make friends in town.
It was the talk of the town who this Ryan guy was....but if you visited their website NewToMissoula.com it was actually just a bank!
This viral stunt cost roughly $15,000 in billboards, but netted around $20,000,000 in new business for them! These were the billboards:
How you can copy it:
Does your company have $15,000 to buy a few billboards? You might actually need way less
In fact I rented this billboard for only $970 and they left it up for 4 months on a prime spot in Austin, TX!!
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$15,000 in modern day advertising might get you a few days of promotion, but going back to old school advertising methods like billboards can still have huge results (and it's not as crowded of a space).
When Whitefish Credit Union moved into Missoula, they didn’t scream, “NOW OPEN.” They put up billboards that looked like a lonely guy’s notebook: Ryan’s selfie, a fishing rod, and a scribbled line asking for friends. No logo, no offer, no rate. Just a URL: NewToMissoula.com. The result: viral screenshots, packed comment threads, real friendships, and $20 million in deposits in month one.
Inside the “New Neighbor” Billboard
Each board looks like a whiteboard note from a new neighbor: Ryan biking, kayaking, fishing. Short, human asks like “Looking for a kayaking compadre?” scrawled in imperfect handwriting. The only call-to-action is curiosity: visit the simple URL. Only after the click do you learn Ryan works at the just-opened Whitefish branch. The whole thing feels like meeting a person first, a bank second.
How To Act Like A New Neighbor
- Lead with a real human face, not your logo.
- Talk about shared hobbies or local life, not products.
- Use one simple, intrigue-driven URL to reveal the brand later.
- Show up in town events so the billboard character actually exists.
Brands Acting Like Neighbors
Whitefish Credit Union entered Missoula by introducing Ryan, a real staffer looking for outdoor buddies, then softly revealing the new branch behind NewToMissoula.com.
Creative Variations
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