Cluely’s brutally honest Times square ad is the anti-ad flex

Times Square is where brands go to flex.

Flashing lights, mega-budgets, CGI spectacles — but AI assistant startup Cluely just went the other way.

Its latest billboard campaign, sitting in the middle of New York’s most expensive ad real estate, is stark white with plain black text:

hi i’m roy im 21
this was very expensive
pls buy my thing

The lo-fi execution cuts through the noise by refusing to compete with the spectacle around it.

we r live in times square https://t.co/YcdFYaucGe

— Roy (@im_roy_lee) August 9, 2025

Whether it sells product or just racks up social shares, Cluely’s billboard proves you don’t always need a million-dollar creative treatment to make an impact.

Advertising OOH