How do you come up with a concept that stands a chance of success in the Digital Creative Competition?

According to Auke Kroese, Product Development Manager at Ocean Labs, it doesn’t start with the technology, but with a recognisable human insight.

A good example is ‘Zomerpakkers’, the concept that NOISE developed for Etos and which won silver at the DCC in 2024. Passers-by used their phones to operate a claw machine on a large digital screen. Anyone who managed to grab a suitcase was immediately presented with the prize inside by the team standing by the screen.

No groundbreaking technology was required. In fact, passers-by were playing a familiar game, but on a large scale. Yet the result was impressive: queues of participants formed at the locations where the game could be played. Auke: “First, think about what you want people to feel, see or do. Then you look for the technology that suits that.”

From idea to execution

Ocean Outdoor has now installed extra-powerful equipment at around ten to fifteen prime locations. This makes it quicker and easier to test and implement ideas.

The possibilities are vast. Sensors can recognise movements and body postures, allowing people to see themselves, for example, as a different character on the screen. Virtual objects can also react to the movements of passers-by. A mobile phone, games console, physical button or voice can be used to control the system.

In addition, screens can react to real-time data, such as the temperature, traffic information or a passing aeroplane. The well-known British Airways campaign, in which a young boy pointed at a flying aeroplane on a digital screen, demonstrated how a simple link to real-time data can have a powerful and surprising effect.

A campaign for the Daniel den Hoed Family Centre showed that technology can also evoke emotion. Based on the insight ‘the closer, the better’, the image of a patient changed as soon as someone moved closer to the digital totem. In this way, it demonstrated in a simple yet tangible manner just how important the presence of family is to people with cancer.

“The most innovative campaign isn’t necessarily the one with the most complex technology,” says Auke. “It’s about how you use technology and what impact it has on people.”

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The location as part of the concept

The location also plays an important role. A large screen on Leidseplein offers different possibilities to a digital totem in a shopping centre or a screen along the highway. The surroundings, the distance from the audience and the time people have to view the message can all form part of the concept.

Sometimes, advanced technology isn’t necessary at all. A link to temperature data or a simple response to movement may be enough. The key question remains: what works at this location, for this brand and for the people passing by?

Ocean Labs then helps participants to make their idea technically feasible. So, anyone wishing to take part in the Digital Creative Competition doesn’t need to be a technical expert. A strong idea that moves, surprises or inspires people to take action is the starting point.

Registration for the DCC closes on 28 August at 12.00. You can find the terms and conditions here. Do you have a good idea? Send it to dccamsterdam@oceanoutdoor.nl.