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To Boldly Go, Elvis and Revolt were the big winners at Ocean Outdoor’s 15th annual Digital Creative Competition, which rewards original and adventurous concepts in digital out of home (DOOH) advertising.
Rather than rewarding ads that have already been made, the Digital Creative Competition, run by Ocean Outdoor and ±±¾©Èü³µpk10, rewards concepts. The six winning entries - gold, silver and bronze - across the regular commercial brand and non-profit categories, will share £450,000 worth of airtime for their concepts to be shown on Ocean’s digital screens across the UK. As well as the regular commercial category and the non-profit category, new this year is the 'Printworks SkyLights category', with the winner awarded two weeks of space on the largest digital ceiling screen in Europe at Manchester Printworks.
This year’s event, at Bloomsbury Ballroom in London, was all about concepts that celebrated the ethos of Ocean Outdoor’s ‘Spaces into Places™’ positioning, launched this year. Together with its commercial and local authority landlord partners, Ocean creates magnetic destinations with DOOH at the heart, maximising value for advertisers and landlords alike. That’s Spaces into Places. “We're very privileged to work with landlords that have amazing, iconic locations, and we then determine how we can place a digital out-of-home screen at the heart of those locations, to really enhance the environment,” says Phil Hall, Ocean Outdoor UK’s chief executive.
The event also featured a panel of experts, hosted by Marie Le Hur, marketing director UK at Ocean Outdoor. Bhavesh Patel, director of media, UK & Europe at Sky, Will Parrish, chief strategy officer at VCCP Media, and Katy Hindley, group innovation director at Posterscope, reflected on how far DOOH has come in the 15 years since the Digital Creative Competition was launched. They discussed topics including:
Creative flexibility
Hindley says: “The benefits for brands is that they don't only get the traditional strengths of out of home – brand building, brand safety, high attention – but you've also got that additional benefit with digital, of creative flexibility. So you can tell multiple stories to multiple audiences on a hyper-local or national scale. You also have more interactive opportunities, such as using your mobile to control and personalise content on the screen.”
Perception and personalisation
Patel says: “We've seen a direct link between digital out of home and quality perception of brands, while mass personalisation at scale is probably the most exciting thing for us at Sky. For example, with the launch of our English Football League channel on Sky, we could target fans of different football teams in each and every city across England with personalised campaigns.”
Attention
Parrish says: “On social media you're being trained to have less and less attention. So what I think is really interesting about outdoor is that the behaviours from the end consumer haven't changed. And the amount of data and technology you can put into those sites means you can now start to maximise an attention span that has never really changed, which I think is really compelling.”
The 15th Digital Creative Competition was particularly special because, for the first time, the awards were happening simultaneously across six of Ocean Outdoor’s markets, with all winners to now be entered into the Grand Prix.
THE 2024 WINNERS
Commercial category
Gold: McVitie’s “Dare To Dunk?” By To Boldly Go
McVitie’s invites biscuit lovers to put their dunking skills to the test with an interactive DOOH challenge. Players use Ocean’s hand and gesture control haptics technology to mimic the classic hot drink dunk, trying to hit that sweet spot before the biscuit breaks. Every day, there are 100 chances to win, with rewards for near-perfect efforts and a grand prize for those who master the ultimate dunk. A live ‘dunkerboard’ adds a competitive edge, encouraging social media sharing.
The judges said: “This game is simple, inherently British and made us smile. It’s educational about the product’s characteristics, there are several moving parts and we especially liked the dunkerboard.”
Silver: Kwik Fit’s “Road Happy” by VCCP
From soaring insurance premiums to petrol prices, there’s not much for motorists to laugh about right now. In 2024, more than two-thirds of drivers admitted to experiencing road rage, which makes people 10 times more likely to cause an accident. Kwik Fit’s Road Happy uses Ocean Vehicle React technology to anonymously scan cars while they wait at traffic lights, and then serve drivers a joke relevant to their vehicle, bringing some levity to their journey by making the roads a happier (and safer) place.
The judges said: “This is a positive reinforcement of the brand. A refreshingly simple creative idea which is right where the brand positions itself.”
Bronze: Wasabi’s “No Time to Waste” by Initials CX
Wasabi tackles food waste with a campaign which activates 30 minutes before their outlets close. Live data turns digital screens into real-time displays of nearby store shelves, showing dishes still available at half the price. With a ‘No Time to Waste’ message and a countdown timer, passers-by are encouraged to act fast and grab a discounted meal using their phones. As the dishes are bought, they vanish from the screens, with seamless mobile integration allowing customers to easily purchase and get directions to their nearest location.
The judges said: “This campaign hits several notes. It not only drives foot traffic but reduces waste without asking too much of the customer. It’s a very creative use of tech, has a lot of talkability and sells OOH perfectly.”
Non-profit category
Gold: Greenpeace UK’s “You Can’t Jail This Billboard” by Elvis
Greenpeace UK and Elvis use Ocean screens and technology to draw attention to the fact that DOOH placements have more freedom than the average peaceful protester. Greenpeace activists will protest from ‘inside’ Ocean screens, where they are in no danger of jail as opposed to the situation ‘outside’ of them, using The Loop network to tour different UK cities at different times of the day. Activists will be seen holding their protest signs and heard via ShoutOut technology, making a powerful statement with Ocean Labs innovation at its heart.
The judges said: “This makes you stop and think. It doesn’t get in your way and it doesn’t make people’s lives harder. It breaks free from the confines around protesting to protect the planet and will create conversation. Out of home is where the people are and that is right in the heart of local communities.”
Silver: Metropolitan Police’s “Look Up. Look Out” by Pablo London and Unlimited TMW
A mobile phone is reported stolen every six minutes in London, which is why the Met wants to raise awareness in an attention-grabbing way. In one day across the city, every phone in 250 different OOH ads is “pinched” to represent the same number of phones that are stolen every day. Utilising Ocean screens reaches people exactly where the crimes occur, whilst 3D Deepscreen® makes the disappearing acts unmissable in a surprising reminder to everyone to Look Up. Look Out.
The judges said: “This is a really simple, creative idea which can also be amplified across social and TV. But it’s the use of 3D outdoor that drives context for a real-world problem.”
Bronze: The British Skin Foundation’s “The Burnable Billboard” by Wonderhood Studios
, but only 27% of Brits are taking proper precautions to prevent it. The Burnable Billboard series makes it impossible to overlook, showing the damage the sun can cause. Via a live data feed, screens will feature real-time UV data from their exact locations to show realistic sun damage based on a range of different skin tones. QR codes will take the public to an Instagram filter, allowing them to take photos of their own skin and receive an estimated burn time based on the UV levels of their location.
The judges said: “This campaign is well thought through and location-specific, which gives it a valuable, personal element. We liked the fact that it happens over a period of time and there is more than enough to land the message. There is a purity to this idea.”
Printworks SkyLights category
Winner: Frazzled’s “The Feeling Ceiling” by Revolt
, yet . Frazzled is a community that provides a non-judgmental space to open up. To raise the charity’s profile, Revolt deploys full-motion VFX, special lighting, audio and audience interaction, turning Manchester Printworks’ vast digital ceiling into a skylight. The weather represents different emotions, creating an immersive experience that starts conversations about mental health. The activation will allow visitors to answer the question ‘What’s the weather like in your head today?’ by choosing a weather symbol, triggering that animation on the vast ceiling above.
The judges said: “This idea will look and sound amazing. It has a great interactive element which is completely anonymous and it ends positively with an uplifting blue sky. A complex issue has been boiled down into a neat idea which is completely immersive.”