July 16th, 2026
All You Need is an idea
When Digital Creative Competition ideas go big, we mean big. This year’s Ocean Outdoor Grand Prix champions have since been shortlisted for a prestigious Cannes Lions and picked up a second UK industry award.
Glenn Scholefield and Tom Holmes, the creative minds behind TBWA\MCR’s Dodge the Finger, reveal how their idea helped a small cancer charity called Prost8 reach a global audience.
Download What encouraged you to enter Ocean’s Digital Creative Competition?
What drew us to this competition was the creative challenge: the opportunity to come up with a great idea for the charity Prost8 that uses Digital Out of Home in an original and unexpected way.
For us, the real prize is the media. Winning provided Prost8 access to a national campaign that simply wouldn’t have been possible otherwise. Such a unique opportunity for a charity of Prost8’s size.
We also love that Ocean Outdoor are continually looking for ideas that push their technology and showcases what’s possible in Out of Home. That’s what makes it a competition we’re always excited to be part of.
What sets OOH apart from other media?
You’re asking people to stop, look up and engage with an idea in the real world. That’s a brilliant creative challenge. Digital screens have made the medium even more exciting. They’ve transformed billboards from static posters into interactive canvases where technology and creativity work hand in hand.
What do the Ocean Grand Prix win, your Cannes Lions shortlist and now the Prolific North award mean to you personally and professionally?
Recognition from the industry is always gratifying. But what we’re proudest of is what those accolades unlock. Winning the Grand Prix meant Prost8 received media they simply couldn’t have accessed otherwise, allowing the campaign to reach people on a global scale.
Download What does it mean for the charity?
Dodge the Finger provided Prost8 with a platform to significantly raise the charity’s profile. One of the strengths of OOH today, is that it doesn’t end with the billboard. The work naturally spills into PR, social media and day to day conversation, meaning the audience keeps growing long after the campaign goes live.
What have been the biggest campaign outcomes?
The results have been incredibly encouraging. The campaign generated more than £500,000 in earned media, reached 54 million people, and Prost8 saw a fivefold increase in patient triage enquiries. Those are brilliant numbers, but the most important one is the increase in enquiries. If more men are taking that first step to get checked because of the campaign, then it’s done exactly what it set out to do.
What are your top tips for creating this sort of work?
The best DOOH ideas don’t just use the technology; they’re inspired by it. Spend time understanding what the technology can genuinely do, because that could be the key to generating the best ideas.
Treat your entry like another creative project. We knew Dodge the Finger was rooted in humour, so we made sure the case study entertained the judges as much as it explained the idea.
Finally, and most importantly, have fun with it. We had a great time producing this campaign; from the initial idea to crafting the game and playing it on some of the largest DOOH screens.
Download What can the OOH industry do better to champion creativity?
We’d love to see creative agencies, media agencies and OOH specialists collaborating earlier, giving everyone more time to push the work and challenge what’s possible. The earlier those conversations happen, the more ambitious and enjoyable the work becomes.
What’s next?
We’ve spoken at length about launching Dodge the Finger as a mobile game, helping Prost8 reach even more men. So, check the app store soon! As for us, we’ll be back for the next Digital Creative Competition. It’s become one of those briefs the TBWA\MCR team look forward to, challenging us to think differently and push what we can do in the OOH space.
Entries for the 2026 Digital Creative Competition are now open across all seven Ocean markets. All 14 gold winners will then go on to compete for next year’s Grand Prix giving the ultimate winner access to Europe’s best large format screens. The closing date for entries is 21st August.
Good luck everyone.
