OAAA has announced the contenders for the 2016 OBIE Awards. Now in its 74th year, the OBIE Awards program is the oldest and one of the most prestigious shows in advertising, awarding creative excellence in the out of home (OOH) medium.
The 108 campaigns nominated this year demonstrate the myriad ways that simplicity can be captured and expressed through the OOH medium.
“When designing for OOH, it has to be beautiful, it has to be smart, and it has to be relevant,” said Jim Copacino, Copancino + Fujikado, one of this year’s OBIE judges. “And if you can do all that, you win an OBIE.”
McDonald’s displayed the infinity symbol using their classic yellow and red straw with the tagline “Endless Refreshment” to simply and effectively catch the attention of passersby. “OOH forces you to be simple and clear about everything,” said Matt Dowshen, McDonald’s “infinity” billboard PNYC, one of this year’s OBIE judges. “It forces you to say that one true thing about your brand.”
To demonstrate improved software and hardware, Apple combed through tens of thousands of customer photos to use in its latest OOH campaign. The “Shot on iPhone 6” campaign demonstrates the quality of the phone’s camera, as used by everyday consumers trying to master the art of photography.
“OOH is looking beautiful today, and making its surroundings beautiful. I’ve seen some gorgeous pieces of work that are also hard-working ads,” said Gerry Graf, Barton F. Graf 9000, and Chief OBIE Judge.
As technologies expand and improve, there are greater opportunities to personalize interactions with consumers. Marcolin’s GUESS Eyewear engaged consumers in a unique interactive way using custom iPad additions at mall kiosks that enabled consumers to take a selfie and try on sunglasses while viewing the ad.
JetBlue created an interactive trivia game hosted within a custom built fuselage. Mall shoppers were challenged to select the correct city from a multiple choice list corresponding with the aerial view to win a roundtrip ticket sweepstakes.
“A trend we’ll see continue is OOH’s relationship with technology. Its ability to engage people in such innovative and compelling ways is only going to get better,” said Tom Adams, Deutsch North America, also an OBIE judge. “OOH can now become a completely immersive experience.”
The 2016 winners will be announced at the OBIE Awards Gala on Tuesday, April 19. The event will be held as part of the TAB/OAAA Out of Home Media Conference & Expo in Boca Raton, FL.
A Complete List of OBIE 2016 Finalists:
72andSunny – Tillamook
Adams Outdoor Advertising – Coastal Carolina Fair
Adams Outdoor Advertising – Terrery Dental
Antithesis Advertising – Golisano Children’s Hospital
Baldwin& – Red Hat
BBDO – Snickers
BLT Communications – Paramount
C2C Outdoor – Kraken
Chemistry Club – Monterey Bay Aquarium
Coca-Cola – Coca-Cola
Colle + McVoy – Associated Bank
Colle+McVoy – Explore Minnesota Tourism
Colle+McVoy – Grain Belt
Copacino+Fujikado – Seattle Mariners
CP+B – Elder Heart
Cramer-Krasselt – Culligan
Cramer-Krasselt – Crystal Springs
Deeplocal – Google Photos
DeVito/Verdi – Bernie & Phyl’s
DeVito/Verdi – BevMo!
Downtown Partners – Adler Planetarium
DSC Creative – Dollar Shave Club
Duncan/Channon – Duncan/Channon
EYE Corp Media – Marcolin USA/GUESS Inc.
Fairway Outdoor Advertising – Audi of Greenville
Fairway/Adams Outdoor Advertising – Holiday Cards
Fold7 – Carlsberg
Gabriel DeGrood Bendt – Summit Brewing Company
Garrison Hughes – Heinz History Center
Grand Visual – Coca-Cola
Grand Visual – Disney Parks
Grand Visual – Freeform Television Network
Grand Visual – Mondelez
Hiebing – Culver Franchising System, Inc.
Horizon Media; New Traditions; Control Group – Lifetime
Intersection – Amazon.com
Isobar Sweden – Coca-Cola
Source: OAAA