This month we’re celebrating 5 years of The Piccadilly Lights – well, 5 years since the global advertising icon was reborn and the DOOH landscaped evolved forever.

There were three main changes to the screen at this time.

The heritage patchwork was maintained; however, to make it equal for the six brands on the lights at any time, the creatives now rotate positions around the screen every 90 seconds, using square and landscape copy.

But most excitingly, each of the six brands can now take full-screen domination every 10 minutes, where the brand takes over the whole screen for 40 seconds.

Additionally, Ocean’s new DeepScreen technology allows brands to create a breath-taking 3D advert during their full-screen domination time.

We have had 5 years of fantastic campaigns, hugely amplified across the online space, proving that DOOH is not just about making an impact in person but also delivering to millions of eyeballs beyond the screen.

Each day this week, we share an innovation or capability that has been brought to life since we launched the new screen in 2017, along with 5 standout campaigns voted for by the Ocean team (in no particular order!).

1. Inspiration
Moments that matter

As an iconic screen in a capital city, The Piccadilly Lights has delivered more than just being a screen for brand campaigns, but also has become a noticeboard to showcase powerful moments that matter.

2. Innovation
Where great becomes spectacular with DeepScreen™

Of course, we can’t discuss the Lights without mentioning our stunning DeepScreen activations, which appear to jump out of the screen.

3. Emotion
Bringing short film to DOOH

The best campaigns are those that create impact while telling a story. Thanks to The Piccadilly Lights being the largest full-motion display in Europe, brands can create a narrative and impact by combining outstanding cinematography with this spectacular site.

4. Technology
Showcasing Ocean Labs on Piccadilly Lights

Ocean has established a new space in DOOH with our Ocean Labs Technology.

Having developed a unique creative palette of technologies, brands not only engage emotionally with consumers by using full motion; they can also enhance this engagement further by utilising some of the world’s leading innovations. Being an iconic and standout location, Piccadilly Lights is a spectacular site to bring this technology to life.

5. Impact
Talk of the town

From the Queen’s memorable message to the nation during COVID-19, saying our farewells to Her Majesty and Prince Philip and the England Lionesses’ big Euro win this year, The Piccadilly Lights has been globally recognised as part of the cultural fabric of London and one of the most socially shared! Throughout the 5 years, The Lights has had 25,000+ mentions in the press, with an estimated reach of 51 billion.

At Ocean, we practice “The Art of Outdoor®” by deepening the experience between the brand and the consumer, as well as setting the global industry bar for quality, creativity and innovation. The Piccadilly Lights embodies this as Europe’s most seen screen, with 100m people passing through each year and 260m impacts yearly.

This iconic location has 1 in 5 people take a photo of Piccadilly Lights, proving it’s more than an excellent DOOH advertising location. It has held an important place in the hearts and minds of Londoners and global citizens alike. Here’s to the next 5 years!