London's Old Street EC1 Roundabout has recently been brought kicking and screaming into the 21st century with a state-of-the-art, four-screen digital billboard. To celebrate this digitisation, a YouTube ad campaign has been launched to raise awareness of the screen, with ads running across all Google-owned digital properties, as well as on TV, print and on out-of-home signs. The campaign, which was planned and bought by OMD UK and Talon, with creative work courtesy of Adam & Eve/DDB, will be showcasing the work of some of the streaming platforms biggest stars, such as Zoella, Vice News and The Slow Mo Guys, in order to demonstrate the possibilities of the newly digitised platform for content creators and brands that use YouTube.
The campaign will be showcasing the work of some of the streaming platforms biggest stars, such as Zoella, Vice News and The Slow Mo Guys
The screens themselves arrive courtesy of JCDecaux, who also have screens present at Capital locations in Waterloo, Liverpool Street and Euston stations. Spencer Berwin, JCDecaux's managing director, said “Old Street EC1 delivers the influential audiences that brands need, from the tech communities, to the city-workers and fashionistas.” He believes that digital has brought a new level of potential engagement to the medium, and says JCDecaux are “Delighted to see YouTube deploy this exciting new channel to its full creative potential, putting their vloggers centre stage in the heart of Tech City.”
JCDecaux UK: OLD STREET EC1
Jamie Finn, a business director at Talon, said the campaign ties in perfectly with their “Campaign objectives for YouTube,” and that it “Reaches a valuable audience,” at a site that will allow them “To make a big impact in a unique area of London." Rob Maddison, media manager at Google, adds that the launch suits their campaign perfectly, as it “Allows YouTube to become part of the fabric of this highly desirable and exciting part of London.”
According to Gerard Grech of Tech City UK, “EC1 is made up of the opinion formers and tastemakers of today.”
According to JCDecaux, EC1, a borough of London that's located in what is colloquially referred to as the “Silicon Roundabout” acts as a “Powerful communications channel for brands to engage with the unique and exciting audience who live, work and socialise” in the area. The area in question is regarded at the “World’s largest technology hub outside of San Francisco and New York City,” and it is fast becoming a location where leaders in fashion and new city socialites (trend-setters) gather to discuss the latest apps or the coolest new bars. According to Gerard Grech, the CEO of Tech City UK, a company that's partnered with JCDecaux to enable startup companies to access the newly digitised roundabout, “EC1 is made up of the opinion formers and tastemakers of today.” So what better place to launch such a bold and audacious campaign?
Official Adam & Eve/DDB Website
Benjamin Hiorns is a freelance writer and musician from Kidderminster in the UK.
