Perhaps more than ever, the 80th annual OBIE Awards were a testament to the infinite possibilities of out of home innovation. Of the 49 awards handed out last night, almost half included some type of non-traditional format with a unique collaboration of technologies. Seeing this wave of fresh work shows how OOH media is becoming its own content channel.
In awarding these campaigns, the OBIE judges have given us a playbook for a new era of OOH creativity. They have inspired all of us to fearlessly adapt to what’s new and put it to work in the public space. We should all feel very good about how far our industry has come.
This year’s top honor, the Platinum OBIE Award, went to Michelob Ultra FCB New York for its cutting-edge “Courtside” campaign. The project pushed the definition of OOH with a collaborative use of technologies that digitally immersed fans into the NBA bubble’s virtual stands from home. It was a creative way to inject the contagious energy and joy that a live audience brings to a game.
COVID-19 could have thrown the beverage company’s first year as the NBA’s official beer sponsor into a tailspin, but the ingenuity of “Courtside” led Michelob ULTRA’s sales to grow 32 percent via 13 billion campaign impressions, 81.5 million hours of NBA coverage, and ticket promotions.
“Courtside” also received Gold OBIE Award honors in five categories: Entertainment & Live Events, Custom Installation, Food & Beverage, Digital Design, and Interactive.
Other Gold OBIE Awards were presented to:
- Monogram “Headlines”
- Category – Combined Multi-OOH Formats
- Advertiser – Rocnation
- Agency – Monogram
- Boards of Change
- Category – Custom Installation & Buzzworthy
- Advertiser – City of Chicago
- Agency – FCB Chicago
- Fanta Halloween
- Category – International
- Advertiser – Fanta (Coca-Cola)
- Agency – Isobar
- OMEGA MART Custom Iconic Mobile Billboard Truck PR Release
- Category – Transit
- Advertiser – Meow Wolf’s Omega Mart
- Agency – Kre8 Media Team
- Chris P. Poultry, Attorney at Law
- Categories (3) – Buzzworthy, Combined Multi-OOH Formats, Contextual
- Advertiser – Jollibee
- Agency – David & Goliath
- Alpha: Chickenflation
- Category – Buzzworthy
- Advertiser – Alpha Foods
- Agency – Mischief @ No Fixed Address
- Balenciaga x Fortnite
- Category – Fashion & Luxury Goods
- Advertiser – Balenciaga x Fortnite
- Agency – AC3 Studio
- Thinx Absorbs Worries
- Category – Direct to Consumer
- Advertiser – Thinx
- Agency – Thinx
The 2022 OBIE CRAFT Award winners are:
- Balenciaga x Fortnite
- Category – Digital Design
- Craft BRONZE
- Mixwell
- Category – Copywriting
- Craft SILVER
- Jollibee U.S.A.
- Category – Copywriting
- Craft SILVER
- Anheuser Busch/ Michelob Ultra
- Category – Digital Design
- Craft GOLD
In addition to the Platinum and Gold awards, 11 silver and 16 bronze OBIE Awards were presented.
The OBIE Hall of Fame went to Denver Water for their long running “Use Only What You Need” campaign from Sukle Advertising & Design, Denver.
“This year’s winners showed extraordinary ingenuity and their influence on consumers are widely felt,” said Anna Bager, President and CEO, OAAA. “Congratulations to all the teams who worked tirelessly to bring these campaigns to life. We are thrilled to celebrate them as peers, innovators, and game changers.”
The full list of 2022 OBIE Award finalists:
Category: Automotive:
- Hyundai (Agency: OUTFRONT Studios)
- Kia America (Agency: New Tradition)
Category: Billboards:
- Lamar Advertising (Agency: Lamar Advertising)
- Paramount+ (Agency: Paramount+)
- PUMA (Agency: Inustria Creative and Overall Murals)
- Shutters.com (Agency: OUTFRONT Studios)
- The Stage on Broadway + Legends Corner (Agency: OUTFRONT Studios)
- Traeger Grills (Agency: Zambezi)
- Veritiv Corp. (Agency: OUTFRONT Studios)
- Warner Brothers (Agency: Overall Murals)
- Wellness Mode (Agency: Lamar Advertising)
Category: Buzzworthy:
- Montefiiore – Einstein (Agency: Alto NY)
- Republic Records (Agency: Republic Records)
- The KraftHeinz Company (Agency: Vayner Media, Publicis 57)
- Traeger Grills (Agency: Zambezi)
- Warner Brothers (Agency: Overall Murals)
Category: Combined Multi-OOH Formats:
- Netflix (Agency: BOND)
- Rocnation (Agency: Rocnation)
Category: Consumer Goods & Services:
- PENN SHEET METAL (Agency: Adams Outdoor Advertising)
- B & C Plumbing and Heating (Agency: Reagan Outdoor Advertising)
- Big Rig Truck Driving School (Agency: Lamar Advertising)
- Blenders Eyewear (Agency: OUTFRONT Studios)
- Chase (Agency: Overall Murals)
- Colorado Springs Utilities (Agency: Vladimir Jones)
- French (Agency: McKee Wallwork & Co)
- Illinois Eye Center (Adams Outdoor Advertising)
- Lee’s (Agency: OUTFRONT Studios)
- Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital (Agency: Extra Credit Projects)
- Montefiiore – Einstein (Agency: Alto NY)
- PENN SHEET METAL (Agency: Adams Outdoor Advertising)
- Pestech Pest Solutions (Agency: Lamar Advertising)
- The Clorox Company (Agency: OMD & Outoor Media Group, FCB)
- Traeger Grills (Agency: Zambezi)
- Urban Nirvana (Agency: Adams Outdoor Advertising)
- Washington Health System (Agency: Lamar Advertising)
- YMCA of Greater Grand Rapids (Agency: Extra Credit Projects)
Category: Contextual:
- Doritos (Agency: Overall Murals)
- Dunkin’ (Agency: PMX)
- FASTSIGNS (Agency: Extra Credit Projects)
- JobsOhio (Agency: Madwell)
- KFC (Agency: Weiden & Kennedy, Billups)
- OUTFRONT Media (Agency: OUTFRONT)
- Palantir Technologies (Agency: The Lighthouse Corp)
- Pure Leaf (Agency: Overall Murals)
- Republic Records (Agency: Republic Records)
- The Clorox Company (Agency: OMD & Outoor Media Group, FCB)
- The KraftHeinz Company (Agency: Vayner Media, Publicis 57)
- Volvo Cars (Agency: Colossal Studios, Kinetic, Mindshare)
Category: Copywriting:
- Freedom for Cuba (Agency: OUTFRONT Studios)
- JobsOhio (Agency: Madwell)
- PinkCherry (Agency: Pink Cherry In House Team)
- The KraftHeinz Company (Agency: Vayner Media, Publicis 57)
Category: Custom Installation:
- Great Lakes Neurosurgical Associates (Agency: Extra Credit Projects)
- Guiding Light (Agency: Extra Credit Projects)
- Meta (Agency: Kineti Worldwide)
- Netflix (Agency: Netflix, Kamp Grizzley, Midnight Oil)
- Panera Bread (Agency: ODN)
- SHOWTIME (Agency: Horizon Media)
- The Stage on Broadway + Legends Corner (Agency: OUTFRONT Studios)
- Traeger Grills (Agency: Zambezi)
- Uber (Agency: Special Group)
- Universal Music Enterprises (Agency: Wilkins Media)
- Veritiv Corp. (Agency: OUTFRONT Studios)
- Washington Health System (Agency: Lamar Advertising)
Category: Data Use & Technology:
- Hormel (Agency: BBDO Minneapolis)
- Pestech Pest Solutions (Agency: Lamar Advertising)
- Sweetwater Donut Mill (Agency: Adams Outdoor Advertising)
Category: Digital Design:
- Netflix (Agency: Netflix)
- Sama Tea (Agency: OUTFRONT Media)
- Verizon (Agency: Madwell)
Category: Direct to Consumer:
- PinkCherry (Agency: Pink Cherry In House Team)
- Shutters.com (Agency: OUTFRONT Studios)
Category: Entertainment & Live Events:
- Pocono Axe Works (Agency: Adams Outdoor Advertising)
- Tampa Bay Lightning (Agency: Dunn & Co)
- The Stage on Broadway + Legends Corner (Agency: OUTFRONT Studios)
- Tyrol Basin (Agency: Adams Outdoor Advertising
Category: Experiential (Physical Presence):
- Traeger Grills (Agency: Zambezi)
Category: Fashion & Luxury Goods:
- Bottega Veneta (Agency: Publicis)
- Kate Spade New York (Agency: Ovative)
- PUMA (Agency: Inustria Creative and Overall Murals)
Category: Film & Media:
- Hunt A Killer (Agency: Out of Home Creative)
- MGM Studios (Agency: Cakewalk Entertainment)
- Warner Brothers (Agency: Overall Murals)
Category: Food & Beverage:
- Pure Leaf (Agency: Overall Murals)
- Subway (Agency: Carat, McGarry Bowen)
- The KraftHeinz Company (Agency: Vayner Media, Publicis 57)
Category: Illustration:
- Pure Leaf (Agency: Overall Murals)
- Rocnation (Agency: Rocnation)
- Varo (Agency: Serviceplan Group, Mindstream Media Group, Billups)
- Warner Brothers (Agency: Overall Murals)
Category: Integrated Multi-Media:
- The Clorox Company (Agency: OMD & Outoor Media Group, FCB)
Category: Interactive (Online Integration):
- Varo (Agency: Serviceplan Group, Mindstream Media Group, Billups)
Category: International:
- Arts Emergency (Agency: FCB Inferno)
- Danone (Agency: Wavemaker)
- HEINEKEN/ Molson Coors (Agency: Publicis Toronto, SDI, Citizen Relations, Wavemaker)
- Interac Corp (Agency: Zulu Alpha Kilo)
- LACOSTE (Agency: LACOSTE)
- Seat España (Agency: PHD – Omnicom Group)
Category: Photography:
- Rocnation (Agency: Rocnation)
Category: Public Service & Non-Profits:
- Adams Outdoor Advertising (Agency: Adams Outdoor Advertising)
- City of Chicago (Agency: FCB Chicago)
- Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida (Agency: OUTFRONT Studios)
- Find Your Anchor, Born This Way Foundation, Ali Forney Center (Agency: Havas Media Group)
- Out of Home Advertising Association of America (Agency: Extra Credit Projects)
- Out of Home Advertising Association of America (Agency: Extra Credit Projects)
- OUTFRONT (Agency: OUTFRONT Xlabs)
- OUTFRONT Media (Agency: OUTFRONT)
Category: Transportation, Travel & Tourism:
- Gerald R. Ford International Airport (Agency: Extra Credit Projects)
Category: Transit:
- Self Financial Inc. (Agency: Odysseus Arms)
- The Clorox Company (Agency: OMD & Outoor Media Group, FCB)
- Trip Actions (Agency: Trip Actions)
As always, we thank the OBIE Award Judges for their time and effort:
- Jury Chief, Mark Tutssel, former Executive Chairman, Leo Burnett
- Susan Credle, Global CCO, FCB Global
- Rupen Desai, Global CMO, Dole Sunshine International
- Scott Donaton, SVP/Head of Marketing, Hulu
- Sara Phillips, Creative Director, Wieden + Kennedy
- Mel Routhier- CCO, VMLY&R
- Jimmy Smith, CEO and CCO, Amusement Park Entertainment
- Tracy Wong, Chairman, Executive Creative Director and Founding Partner, WONGDOODY
You can view and download high-resolution digital files for all of the OBIE winners and finalists by logging on here
If you want to keep the OBIE magic going, pre-order your copy of the commemorative 80th edition coffee table book. It is a fantastic source of inspiration and a wonderful way to remember last night’s special ceremony — plus it is a great gift for your contacts.
Published: May 18, 2022