As part of our celebrations of 10 years of The Art of Outdoor, we asked members of the Ocean team to pick their favourite campaigns from the last decade.
10. The Secret Life of Pets, 2016
How to launch a film! Over the film’s launch weekend Ocean invited people to select a character from the animal adventure to shoot their own animated selfies.
Using iPads and augmented reality, users were able to feature in their own short #PetsMatch film trailers which were emailed to each individual creator and the trailers uploaded onto Ocean screens using our hi-speed WiFi network.
To drive bookings, Ocean also pulled live data from a booking app to display live film screening times across Birmingham and Manchester. Consumers were also retargeted on mobile triggered by location and behaviour profile to further complement the activation.
“A brilliant example of Ocean and Mediacom working together to deliver something that neither of us thought could be this good and effective. Still has yet to be beaten in my book.”
Andrew Gibson
Trading Director
Ocean Crew Member since 2014
9. Jaguar Wimbledon Sponsorship, 2019
Jaguar used the sponsorship of Ocean’s exclusive Wimbledon content to engage the brand with a younger, sportier audience with their electric range.
The sponsorship included branded highlights of the tournament and live play outs of the men’s and women’s final. Ocean Labs brought together experiential, product trial, DOOH and live content. A full immersive DOOH experience.
“A fantastic example of a brilliantly executed content campaign with DOOH at the centre of it, but supported and enhanced by other media channels. It was also a fantastic way of showcasing DOOH in a new light for audiences and advertisers alike – you can do so much more with DOOH then just straight advertising. For me it encapsulates where DOOH can go, and it’s an exciting and innovative evolution for our industry. The neuroscience and audience based YouGov research backs it up.”
Emma Jeffers
Senior Marketing Manager
Ocean Crew Member since 2018
8. Love Honey, 2020
A slightly naughty and tongue in cheek winner to Ocean’s Crucial Creative Competition. A firm favourite with the Ocean Team who appreciated the brands objective to “raise a smile” during lockdown. Naughty but nice.
“This campaign definitely grabbed my attention (and raised a smile) at Westfield Stratford. Great Copywriting.”
Shabana Hussain
Delivery Co-Ordinator
Ocean Crew Member since 2021
7. Sky Ocean Rescue – Deep Ocean Live, 2019
Another world media first when rapport partnered with Sky News, Mediacom and Ocean to live stream from the depths of the Indian Ocean, the least explored waters on the planet. Sky News’ Deep Ocean Dive project is an underwater scientific survey to search for new forms of life and discover the true extent of human impact on our oceans. Incredible
This was the first time a news bulletin had been broadcast live from 300m under the sea to an outdoor screen.
“Five words: Live. From. The. Indian. Ocean”
Ashleigh Jackson
Regional Operations Manager
Ocean Crew Member since 2011
6. Reebok Zigtech, 2010
A blast from the past starring Nichole Scherzinger. One of the first examples of live experiential at Westfield’s Eat Street.
Scherzinger ran a live exercise class from a gym within Westfield London. This allowed a window into the future where screens and experiential live together harmoniously.
“A campaign that for some reason really sticks in my memory.”
Tom Ballantine
Head of Development
Ocean Crew Member since 2010
5. Compassion in World Farming, 2013
The campaign, created by the marketing agency Elvis, was a winner in Ocean’s Digital Creative Competition in 2012.
The world’s first ‘Real Live Feed’ asked people to show their support for free range farming and better animal welfare standards by linking them live to a free range pig farm via Ocean’s Eat Street screen when they donated – they were sent a unique weblink to their mobile which when activated connected to an online broadcast, and the accelerometer in their handset became a mechanism to throw apples to pigs.
“Simply, this campaign is so good because it always makes me smile whenever I watch the video. The campaign involved all of the things that creates a winning formula, linking physical to digital via live streaming, mobile interaction, gamification and personalised thank you messages.”
Cat Morgan
Director of Ocean Labs
Ocean Crew Member since 2011
4. Mercedes Benz On The IMAX, Waterloo, 2020
Simple yet technical, Mercedes Benz used the Iconic IMAX to superb effect. The IMAX’s Edison LED lighting system brought different features of the car alive; The dashboard became 3D, headlight systems were featured and the cars were the stars.
This one site Primed the whole OOH campaign and featured as content to Mercedes’ 31 million Instagram followers. Another unique campaigned powered by the IMAX.
“Superbly used by Mercedes. The IMAX continues to be head and shoulders above it all – a unique and dominating location – size, positioning, location all work. What a ‘canvas’ indeed.”
Paul Flynn
Estates Manager
Ocean Crew Member since 2018
3. Bond – No Time To Die, 2019
In a world media first, the first film trailer for the highly anticipated 25th James Bond movie ‘No Time To Die’ was released on the iconic Piccadilly Lights in London.
Within 24 hours of the trailer’s debut on Piccadilly Lights, the amplification effect via earned media news coverage went far beyond those seeing the trailer first hand. It generated over 186 published articles, UK wide as well as internationally – reaching more than 4.305 million and delivering an earned media value of over £125k!
The Trailer was so top-secret, it was delivered to Ocean by two security guards who stayed overnight at our offices.
Ironically, we are still waiting for Bond, but the trailer gets an advertising Oscar in our book.
“The priming effect of iconic out-of-home locations has already been proven by our Neuroscience research. If you use locations earlier in the campaign plan, the subsequent impact on the secondary medium increases. This campaign is the ultimate example of the priming effect – this is the power of Piccadilly!”
Rachel Sutton
Group Head
Ocean Crew Member since 2014
2. Big Mac at 50: McDonald’s on The IMAX, Waterloo, 2018
If there was ever a location custom built for the Big Mac then London’s IMAX is it. A phenomenal campaign leading to Big Macs selling out in London. The spectacular IMAX display depicted the bun, the patty and all of its garnishes in the biggest form yet. A Big Mac of the same proportions as the iconic IMAX would measure a gigantic 1,734sqm – surely enough to satisfy even the greatest burger cravings. A superb example of how large iconic Primers drives impact and social media amplification.
“As an iconic McDonald’s product, we are proud and excited to be celebrating 50 years of the legendary Big Mac. It’s clear there was no better way to do that than with the biggest Big Mac of them all. The scale of the outdoor creative on The IMAX, Waterloo perfectly fitted the stature of our most iconic burger – and judging by social engagement on our channels, it’s exactly the sort of surprise welcomed by consumers who continue to enjoy the Big Mac!”
Thomas O’Neill
Senior Brand Manager
McDonald’s UK
1. Women’s Aid – #LookAtMe, 2015
In a world first for digital out of home, Ocean, Women’s Aid and WCRS/Engine delivered what has become regarded as the best DOOH campaign of the last decade.
A powerful 2015 campaign which generated global headlines and went on to win more than 30 other industry awards including two prestigious Cannes Gold and Silver Lions.
The collaboration was a world first because it was the first time the attention of people looking at the digital screens triggered an immediate change in the creative.
“I remember being so amazed by this campaign when I first joined Ocean. Powerful, dramatic messaging on such an important topic.”
Pamela Alexandra
Regional Agency Sales Manager
Ocean Crew Member since 2018
“This was something that I found absolutely stunning and even slightly shocking. As someone who hasn’t worked in media before, this has truly shown me how powerful DOOH can be.”
Margareta Osonjacki
Revenue Management Executive
Ocean Crew Member since 2019