Netflix returns to the UK’s favourite banner this month, turning the location into a giant yellow and purple retro neon sign for the premiere of its crime drama Griselda.

Their 3.5 metre tall LED special, twinned with the IMAX’s Edison light show, is the third time Netflix has chosen the scale of the Waterloo landmark to make a breakthrough statement. As banners go, it’s impossible to replicate the size, scope and presence of the BFI IMAX, Britain’s temple to out of home.

With its four traffic and pedestrian facing frames, the IMAX is London’s largest banner site, delivering 3.2 million impacts a week (source: ROUTE).

But its reach and reputation extends well beyond the 1,734m² physical location.

That’s a wrap

A seat of creative theatre, the IMAX gives brands a canvas to produce and film work for wider integrated campaigns, from TV spots to very shareable influencer content.

• Take a (lettuce) leaf out of McDonald’s book which blew our buns off with the Big Max, a feat of creative ingenuity. This 50 Years of the Big Mac celebration played to the emotional elevation delivered by a unique architectural location which registers an index of 168 versus standard formats
• British heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua was the face of Beats’ studio 3 headphones in the brand’s Above the Noise campaign. The installation married LED ribbons with a neon signage art direction, a nod to the night time environment that many Beats athletes perform in
• Dressing the IMAX was Heinz’s Salad Cream which used iconic pack shots and user generated insights to reaffirm the nation’s overwhelming fondness for a 100-year brand which isn’t just enjoyed with a salad. A celebration of versatility, simplicity, accessibility and popular appeal while driving purchase intent
• Paramount Pictures created the world’s biggest ever DeepScreen® canvas in an audacious 3D takeover for the action blockbuster, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. To achieve the level of detail needed for the massive 360-megapixel render, the interior of the cinema was modelled in 3D based on its actual layout, right down to the seat numbers
• OOH! – The final season of Netflix’s hit comedy Sex Education came to a suitable Cl-IMAX featuring cast members in a cheeky poster which invited everyone to finish together.

A marquee masterpiece

Ocean Labs and Ocean Studio have rolled out a new suite of creative initiatives including 3D experiences, animated holographics and mobile AR, allowing brands to make use of the “virtual” skyline above the IMAX with richer immersive content.

• Edison Live – outdoor theatre which gives the impression of fluid, constant movement using every colour possible (except black). An opportunity to customise the 48,000 LEDs to create flexible, dynamic advertising campaigns with spotlight effects for different areas of the panels
• LED Content Mesh – a chance to highlight key events or campaigns as they happen. The wrap sits behind LED panels that can be updated with static content multiple times a day, bringing campaigns to life in real-time
• Mobile AR – Own the sky as well, using geo-location web based mobile augmented reality technology. A new chance for audiences to interact with the work above the physical banner itself
• Time lapse video – including time lapse of the artists bringing your brand to life on Europe’s ultimate canvas drives social sharing
• And coming this year – IMAX murals.

To find out more about any of these opportunities, contact Ocean Labs on labs@oceanoutdoor.com.

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