Ever wished you knew a bit more about the people who were going to be judging your awards entry? What sort of things do they find inspiring - or downright informative – in their professional or personal lives?
The answers would help reveal something of their approach to life and what they appreciate, wouldn’t they – as well as giving some fresh inspiration and knowledge for your own curious brain.
We’ve done you a service and got nosey on your behalf with the judges of the 2022 Outdoor Media Awards.
We asked them to tell us something which has either inspired them hugely and/or informed you brilliantly over the past 12 months and why it has made an impression on them. We asked them to suggest things that might, broadly speaking, relate to one of the categories in this year’s awards - Creative, Planning, Effectiveness, A Platform for Good and Talent.
We also wanted to know, of course, what they are hoping to be inspired or informed by in the entries to the awards. What are they looking for in the papers they are to judge next month?
The deadline for entries to the 2022 Outdoor Media Awards, run by Clear Channel in partnership with Campaign, is March 22. Enter here.
This is the second of a two-part article – check out the first here.
But, now, read on to be inspired and/or informed by these judges’ choices…
Chris Gough, head of marketing, Samsung Electronics UK
I’ve always found inspiration and amazement in the world of science. Growing up as a kid in the 1980s it felt like every great film was inspired by either NASA or the concept of time-travel (Flight of the Navigator and Back to the Future being my all-time favourites). Since then, space and time have held a particular fascination for me.
The launch of the James Webb Telescope on Christmas day last year marked a massive step forward in our understanding of the universe and is mind-blowing in terms of both its complexity and ambition. It will enable us to view galaxies over 13 billion light years away, effectively allowing us to observe the very beginnings of space and time. It is said that any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic, and I strongly believe that technology can provide a huge amount of inspiration to inspire brilliant creativity and art – and, of course, advertising.
---------
Outdoor offers one of the purest advertising environments out there, and brilliant outdoor creative has the ability to convey a great deal without having to say too much. I’ll be looking for work that punches above its weight, that goes beyond the category norm, and that would make me stop and think differently.
Becky Power, executive creative director, Mindshare
My answer? The recent profile of choreographer Wayne McGregor as part of Alan Yentob's Imagine strand on the BBC, which was an inspiring look at how he creates his breathtakingly beautiful and ground-breaking work. It showed the creative power that comes from challenging conventions and staying true to your vision. I love the way he is constantly reinventing, his generosity when collaborating with other artists, and the way that he embraces and experiments with new technology.
---------
I have a strong belief that we can contribute to a more sustainable, more equitable future through our work, so I’m looking forward to seeing the entries for Platform for Good. In particular, I’m interested in work that makes a positive impact on local communities. I’m also slowly emerging from two years of lockdown-living in the countryside, feeling dazzled by the bright lights of London, so I know I’ll get excited by creative uses of new technologies like DeepScreen.
Andrew McLean, head of strategy and planning, PHD
Let me start with an understatement….everyone’s mental health has taken a bit of a battering over the last couple of years. I told you it would sound understated, but it’s something that has had very real consequences; it has become quite easy to fall into apathy towards our industry.
Apathy is the death of the two things that advertising and marketing thrive on the most: creativity & determination.
For me, that’s why listening to people, engaging in new circles, and finding people who think differently is so important. If we’re to keep re-imagining the way we do things, to keep providing stimulus and imagination to push creativity and rediscover determination, we have to surround ourselves with new voices and ways of thinking.
Here’s two things that I’ve found that I want to tell you about.
Go luck yourself by Andy Nairn (founding partner at Lucky Generals)
The fact that he’s a Celtic fan aside, Andy is such a brilliant thinker; witty and incredibly inclusive. With Go Luck Yourself, he shows the wealth of opportunity that exists, the roads we’ve yet to travel in the pursuit of greater creativity and how to turn misfortune into good fortune. If there’s one thing that gave me the motivation to rediscover creativity in the midst of turmoil, then this is it.
Based on their profile on Linkedin – Bloom “champions the real voices of women to drive change in the communications industry”, but, in reality, they do so much more than that. I was fortunate enough to hear about Bloom during 2020, and even more fortunate to participate in their ‘Exchange’ where men and women are matched up as co-mentors. There’s something so refreshing about being able to hear people’s points of view, their stories, and their sincerity during a time when communication felt increasingly transactional. The work that they do in creating change, their charity contributions, and their approach to holding aloft others is so inspiring and a reminder of the power of good in our industry.
---------
As a judge, I hope to see entries that make me jealous, thankful, and then inspired. I want to see stuff that’s not only effective but makes me and others see things differently.
Tamara Cross, executive director, head of creativity and innovation, Manning Gottlieb OMD
Rewind, if you will, 12 or so months back to this time last year and the grind of the miserable, daily walk. It’s odd to say that this is what has inspired me most over the past 12 months but with little else to do in the early days of lockdown, walking around an empty London, looking at all the different shapes, perspectives, colours, textures and views of the city was one of the main things that would get my mind turning over.
There is so much beauty to be seen if you open your eyes to it. After years of rushing, head down, from home to work and work to home, the lockdown fracture of the daily routine made me look up, down and all around, and take in the visual stimulation that a city like London offers.
There are few things more inspiring than new places and new people and walking without agenda allowed me to soak them all up and store them for a later date when the world opened up again and I could remould them into an idea for a client.
---------
As a judge, what I’m looking for from entrants is real insight and planning as to why out of home was the right medium for the audience and then how they have really thought creatively of what OOH can do to bring their clients’ objectives to life.
I’m looking forward to seeing how entries have used new technologies where and when they really make a difference and how entrants have thought about the space of the canvas creatively in the environment it appears in.
Charles Reid, group managing partner, Carat UK
For many of us, the past 12 months have continued to be challenging. There have been so many inspiring stories. In truth, I didn’t watch Kate Garraway: Caring For Derek when it was first broadcast. In fact, I actively avoided it. I hadn’t particularly followed the story, however I was aware that Covid had left Derek [Draper] with serious health challenges and unexpectedly made Kate a full time carer. After two years of the pandemic, I chose to watch something less serious. A week later, I was surfing late-night TV and found myself watching the ITV documentary.
I had expected it to be upsetting. It was. However, I had not expected it to be so inspiring. Ultimately, Caring For Derek is about love. There are moments of unbelievable kindness in the face of unimaginable challenges. Kate, her children, Derek’s sister and his carers are all remarkable. Despite massively reduced motor function, Derek still manages to interact with his family, show love and maintain his dignity as best he might. Ms. Garraway, television and radio broadcaster, is considered by many to be a “celebrity”, however her story is the story of millions of families and carers across the country. Kate visited another family hoping to bring their father home, coming to terms with a catastrophe while also trying to navigate the unnavigable social care system. Rather than being another reminder of the pandemic and the past two years, Caring For Derek was a timely reminder of just how amazing people can be.
---------
While television, radio, streaming services and online boomed during the pandemic, restrictions saw out of home take the biggest hit. As we return to normality, we all expect to be out and about more this year. We hope that we emerge stronger and wiser. I have the feeling we are in the midst of out of home’s renaissance. A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reset and reinvent the medium.
What do I want to see in entries? The role outdoor plays in consumer’s lives. Its representation of society. I hope to be inspired by creativity. To be surprised. I expect true inclusivity, not tokenism. Consumers expect to be engaged. Why should I look up? Why should you hold my glance? Few media have the coverage of outdoor. It cannot be ad-blocked. Outdoor is a fantastic medium and it feels like this is its moment.
.jpg)
Emma Slater, regional managing director, Wavemaker UK
There has been so much to inspire us all over the last 12 months on both a personal and professional level that to pick something as a highlight is quite tricky…but there has been something bubbling under in our industry that I think should inspire us all to make the world in which we work even better. Over the past 12 months, a passionate group of people have been asking us all to take a good look at the diverse make-up of our industry – but through the lens of social background. They have inspired me to question my own bias about the talent we employ – if we are going to best represent our clients, we need to better represent the UK in our make-up. All areas of diversity are important. Hats off to Jed Hallam and his Common People forum, Lisa Thompson and her IPA Essay which challenges our bias and The Social Mobility Foundation (@SocialMobilityF ) – which challenge businesses to look at their make-up and work with them to improve it.
---------
I want to see entries that focus on the work, putting something amazing out there into the world that has a positive impact and makes a difference to the people it’s trying to reach. I would like to be inspired by great insight and collaboration, and I would love to learn something new.
Bhavesh Patel, head of media, Sky UK & Europe
My choice is Belonging by Kathryn Jacob, Sue Unerman and Mark Edwards. The mind often wanders back to those gloomy times of Lockdown 2 and how miserable it all was. The days were dark, Christmas was cancelled and the resolutions didn’t stand a chance.
It was then that I started reading this gem of a book which, although it touches on a number of serious themes, managed to make me feel very warm and full of hope for what we could achieve if we all took responsibility for inclusion in the workplace.
It’s an effortless read, with simple, sharp storytelling, packed with experiences that we can all resonate with and advice on even the little things we could do to create a culture that will help everyone to be the best of themselves and celebrate the uniqueness we all bring.
Here is a review by Esquire, which has done a far better job than me in celebrating its brilliance.
---------
Now, onto this year’s OMAs… I am super excited to be a judge this year! Out of home is one of my favourite media channels as the stature it brings to a plan plays such an important role in helping to build consumer trust. I am looking forward to seeing all kinds of submissions. Any meaningful tech integration always seems to do well but I also look forward to being inspired by campaigns that rely heavily on social amplification or by brands that have just had some fun with it and delivered high levels of engagement. Best of luck!
Tom Curtis, executive creative director, MediaCom UK
For anyone who follows the @thingsihavedrawn Instagram account I do with my two boys (and now children from all over the world), you’ll know that I’m really into kids’ drawings. Children’s uninhibited creativity should be an inspiration to us all but there’s a lot of reasons why that creativity is under threat – not least school curricula seemingly designed to suppress it, as well as screen-based activities offering more immediate gratification to the juvenile psyche. But, if anything, we should be encouraging our next generation of artists and creators now more than ever.
A wonderful charity that does exactly that - not just for kids, but for everyone - is The Big Draw. Full disclosure - I’ve recently become a trustee, but it’s precisely the wonderful work they do that inspired me to get involved. Through their various programmes, talks and The Big Draw annual festival, this is a charity that is dedicated to raising the profile of drawing as a tool for wellbeing, thought, creativity, social and cultural engagement – and has offered a lifeline to many artists throughout the turbulence of the last couple of years. It’s worth following the charity on Twitter just to see some of the brilliant artists and their work that the charity is involved with. Perhaps you’ll even decide to get involved in this year’s festival, with the uplifting theme of “Come Back To Colour”.
---------
Outdoor ads offer the simplest, purest opportunity to catch the attention of audiences with a bold headline and accompanying picture – and who wouldn’t feel privileged to judge the best in the business from the past 12 months? Although I’ve worked in media agencies for my entire career, I’ve always been involved in art and design (including my degree), so I’m a real sucker for a beautifully designed poster. I’m especially hoping to see outdoor campaigns specifically designed for the medium, rather than one-off special builds to get a bit of PR, or after-thoughts that merely accompany telly spots.
Dan Whitmarsh, global chief strategy officer, MSix & Partners
At MSix, we talk a lot about partnership. After all, it’s what makes us who we are: a unique collaboration between The&Partnership and GroupM. We love partnership because we see the difference it makes every day. To the work we do, to the lovely people we employ, to the great clients we work with.
It is the power of partnership that has inspired me. From the pandemic to the Ukraine, it is the relationships we form and the way we behave within them that makes progress possible. Our industry has felt this in lots of ways, but perhaps most pressingly in terms of talent: the partnerships agencies form with clients are totally dependent on the way we work in partnership with our people. And expectations of partners on all sides continue to evolve.
Working in a global role is fundamentally about connecting people, separated by geography but united by objective. People swarm around a brief, the solution is delivered and the experience gained also flows into the hive mind. What’s really interesting is that this is also where media activation is heading, through clean rooms.
More and more of our work is revolving around this new kind of partnership: connecting different partners through the benefit they receive from each other’s data, the solution staying in the privacy-safe environment, and the experience flowing into each partner’s wider business. Obviously this has huge potential to supercharge DOOH innovation & relevance, for example, enabling live stock updates across partner retailers.
Various ways I’ve felt inspired by the power of partnership in action:
The partnership that photographer JJ Waller shares with his beloved Brighton, capturing people in lockdown 2021
Infosum’s Nick Halstead on the beginning of the privacy-first age
Crowds of volunteers in Berlin station welcoming Ukrainian refugees with signs saying who they can take in
Industry coming together to use programmatic to bypass Russian news censors
---------
I'm really looking forward to seeing how a better partnership between agency and media owner makes better work happen for clients. Not just how something off the shelf was bought, but how people worked together to solve problems and innovate.