Saatchi & Saatchi, TMW Unlimited, St Luke’s, Dentsu Creative bag top prizes in Ocean’s annual digital creative competition

Saatchi & Saatchi and TMW Unlimited have taken the top prizes in Ocean’s annual digital creative competition, winning DOOH space for original concepts created for the mobile network EE and The Trussell Trust.

St Luke’s and Dentsu Creative are the other two winning agencies chosen by a panel of 20 expert judges drawn from the creative ad industry. The prizes were announced at an industry event hosted by Ocean at the National Gallery in London on October 13. The event was also live-streamed.

Saatchi & Saatchi walks away with three awards in total for ideas submitted on behalf of EE and Solgar in the brand category and the British Heart Foundation in the charity category.

Taking first prize in the brand category is EE Home Safe, a campaign which addresses the safety of lone women at night, using live travel data, AR and lighting technology to help them plan and track their journeys or get to safe spots.

In the charity section, first prize is awarded to TMW Unlimited for Put It On Your List, an interactive campaign to help stock The Trussell Trust’s local foodbanks with emergency public donations, using data to identify what products are most needed for those affected by the cost of living crisis.

Commenting on the 2022 winners, Ocean Outdoor UK Joint Managing Director Phil Hall said: “DOOH for good is the central message across the board this year. Our winners tackle some important societal issues, using the power and reach of out of home in our communities to connect with audiences, effect change, help to save lives and solve some of the nation’s big problems.

“We asked for concepts that leverage the entertaining, immersive and technical opportunities of DOOH. Our winners have done just that, putting creativity at the heart of their ideas. We look forward to seeing these campaigns play out on our screens next year.”

Second prize in the brand category goes to St Luke’s for Zoom By Ocado: Blinking Fast Delivery, a fun immersive, shareable game which invites people to race each other across the digital screen by blinking as fast as they can to power the brand’s speedy grocery characters along the track.

Third place goes to Saatchi & Saatchi and vitamin and supplement brand Solgar for Golden Lights which looks to boost the wellness the of the two million Brits affected by seasonal affective disorder (S.A.D) by creating responsive billboards using S.A.D lighting technology which is triggered by the winter darkness or inclement weather.

In the charity category, second place goes to Saatchi & Saatchi for British Heart Foundation: Lifesaving Beats, an educational immersive experience in association with Spotify which teaches people how to correctly perform life-saving CPR to the beat of music.

Third prize goes to Dentsu Creative for Mayhew Mini Me’s which uses Ocean’s LookOut technology to pair people with a homeless dog that’s not just their physical doppelganger but is waiting to find its forever home.

Ocean Head of Marketing and Events Helen Haines said: “This year’s competition has attracted a record number of entries. Many from agencies seeking to tap into the positive role DOOH plays in our communities. These ideas often go on to win even bigger prizes. We applaud them all.” 

The winning agencies and their clients share £500,000 worth of airtime for their campaigns to be showcased across Ocean’s multiple environments and iconic digital formats in cities across the UK.

Previous winners of Ocean’s digital creative competitions have gone on to win six prestigious Cannes Lions, including a bronze Outdoor Lions this year for Forever Beta and The Big Issue Foundation for helping vendors to reclaim their place on the High Street following the most challenging period in the history of the charity.

The 2022 winners

Commercial brand category

1^st Prize

EE:  EE Home Safe

Saatchi & Saatchi

EE’s ‘Stay Connected data’ means that no matter where they are, how late, or out of data, customers always have access to the essential apps to get home safely at night. Combining this offering with Ocean’s technology, EE uses live data feeds across the Loop network to pull in travel updates to help plan and track journeys. HD cameras and lighting technology on the Loop network recognise lone women and light the space around them, using AR to show smart routes to get to transport links or safe spaces. 

The judges said: “Most sector campaigns are based on price differential, but EE has come up with something very different. This is tech for good and using DOOH locations is exactly the right platform. It solves a real problem and reflects out of home as the responsible channel it is.”

2^nd Prize

Zoom by Ocado: Blinking Fast Delivery

St. Luke’s

This fun, immersive campaign allows people to compete against each other on a digital race track using one of Zoom by Ocado’s iconic speedy grocery characters. Using LookOut technology, the billboard tracks people’s blinks and whoever blinks the fastest wins the race, a prize and the glory of being named a true blinking legend. Participants’ names appear on a Speederboard which can be shared on social channels.

The judges said: “This campaign highlights Zoom by Ocado’s unique brand proposition and the power of DOOH. It’s a cool idea and we like the game mechanic. It is new, original and makes you laugh.” 

3^rd Prize

Solgar: Golden Lights

Saatchi & Saatchi

Two million Brits experience a type of depression known as seasonal affective disorder (S.A.D). Vitamin and supplement brand Solgar is committed to wellness and wants to help people get through the shorter, gloomier days in a healthier way. To make that happen they will transform Ocean billboards into S.A.D lights early in the morning and late at night, keeping the UK healthy through the winter.

The judges said: “Responsive billboards triggered by the darkness and weather to boost people’s wellness. This is the kind of idea every creative wants to sell to their client. It is a great idea.”

Charity category

1^st Prize

The Trussell Trust: Put it on your list

TMW Unlimited

The Trussell Trust has seen a dramatic increase in the number of people using food banks – up 81% in the past year alone. But food banks are struggling to meet demand. Not only are they in dire need of donations, but what they need changes from day-to-day, hour-to-hour. 

‘Put it on your list’ is a contextually relevant, geo-targeted outdoor campaign that notifies shoppers exactly which products are most needed by their nearest food bank at that very moment. It then prompts them to add those items to their shopping list or scan a QR code to make a direct emergency donation.

The judges said: “We like the idea of using the localities to encourage people to engage with their local foodbanks. This is a nice use of data and tech to do something practical.”

2^nd Prize

British Heart Foundation: Lifesaving Beats

Saatchi & Saatchi

Ninety percent of people who have a cardiac arrest outside of hospital currently don’t make it. But these odds could improve if only more people knew how to perform CPR correctly and at the right beat. Hoping to save lives, this idea teams the British Heart Foundation with Spotify to teach the nation how to do CPR to any of their favourite songs which are 100-120 bpm – the perfect beat for CPR.

The judges said: “This is an important educational piece and it works. CPR is a hard thing to do. People will learn something and the idea connects the physical to the digital.”

3^rd Prize

Mayhew: Mayhew Mini Me’s

Dentsu Creative

As record numbers of pets are abandoned at shelters, the search is on for new forever homes. A recent study proves that not only do dogs look like their owners, but people are more likely to adopt a dog that looks like them. Using Ocean’s LookOut technology, this campaign uses facial detection to pair people with a dog that’s not only a physical match but is waiting to be adopted. Once they have been matched, people can find out more about their canine mini me via the dog’s online profile which shows their likes, dislikes and needs.

The judges said: “This is fun creatively and very shareable. For a match made in heaven, don’t use Tinder, use this. Really lovely.”