In the middle of Times Square, where brands competed through giant digital screens and elaborate visual effects, Cluely chose to do almost the opposite. The AI startup placed a series of stark white billboards carrying a simple message: “hi i’m roy im 21 / this was very expensive / pls buy my thing / cluely.com.” The campaign attracted significant attention online, turning the billboard itself into social-media content and generating conversations around Cluely’s unconventional approach to advertising.

Times Square was a visually crowded advertising environment, with brands constantly using bright colours, motion, celebrities and elaborate visuals to capture attention. Cluely instead used a blank white background, simple black typography and conversational language. The billboard appeared almost unfinished, making it stand out precisely because it refused to follow the conventions of traditional outdoor advertising. The line “this was very expensive” added another layer of humour by openly acknowledging the cost of advertising in one of the world’s most expensive and recognisable advertising locations.

At the centre of the campaign was Cluely co-founder Roy Lee. By including his first name and age, the advertisement transformed a corporate billboard into something that resembled a personal message from a young founder. The phrase “pls buy my thing” deliberately avoided the polished language normally associated with advertising. The lowercase typography and informal wording reinforced the internet-native personality of the campaign. Instead of presenting Cluely as a distant technology company, the billboard presented a young founder speaking directly to the audience.

The campaign also demonstrated how physical advertising could become digital content. People photographed the billboard and shared the images online, allowing the advertisement to reach audiences far beyond Times Square. This gave the campaign a second life on social media, where its unusual appearance and humorous copy encouraged people to discuss and share it. The billboard therefore became more than an outdoor advertisement; it became the content itself. Cluely effectively used the physical placement to create something that audiences could voluntarily distribute across digital platforms.

However, the campaign also had a clear limitation. While the billboard successfully attracted attention, it did not immediately explain what Cluely actually offered. Someone seeing the advertisement for the first time might remember the humorous message without understanding the company’s product or value proposition. This highlighted an important distinction between creating awareness and communicating information. The billboard worked primarily as an attention and curiosity-building tool rather than a detailed product advertisement.

Ultimately, Cluely’s “Hi, I’m Roy” billboard became an example of how simplicity, humour and self-awareness could challenge conventional advertising. Rather than competing with the elaborate advertisements surrounding it, Cluely deliberately looked different. Its biggest lesson was that advertising did not always need to shout to attract attention. In one of the world’s loudest advertising environments, Cluely used a remarkably simple message, and succeeded in making people stop, look and talk about it.