PML Group reveals 2022 IMPACT Award Winners

Personalities, summer vibes, sustainability and event-based marketing were common themes among the ten winning Out of Home campaigns in this year’s IMPACT Awards, presented by PML Group.

We recognise annually the best performing campaigns across ten product/service categories from more than eight hundred Outdoor campaigns that are included in our IMPACT research programme each year. Media effectiveness, in terms of recall, and creative impact, measured by design rating, are the metrics used to establish the winning campaigns. Research fieldwork is carried out independently by Ipsos MRBI.

The IMPACT programme has, over many years, shown how effective celebrities and personalities can be when used in OOH marketing.  Valeo Food’s association with Paul McGrath was brilliantly brought to life on billboards and bus shelters, with his likeability factor driving impact and awareness among the Dublin audience. The campaign for Chef Sauces took the Food category. Similarly, Bank of Ireland’s campaign, fronted by Baz Ashmawy, took the honours in the Finance category. A famous face alone is, of course, not sufficient to make an OOH campaign successful but when integrated well and is of relevance to the audience, the results can be compelling.

The theme of summer and outdoor living was also present in the Chef campaign. And since its launch, weather, the outdoors and location have been key strategic themes in the advertising for Rockshore – ideal lines for OOH. The simple summer message and attractive photography was perfect for a high impact billboard and helped the brand win the Alcohol category. A mix of well-known faces and a summer message also took Disney+ to the Media category award, for its summer streaming campaign.

Out of Home is the ideal channel to leverage events and to engage consumers in that crucial last window of influence. No event or season is more competitive for brands than Christmas. Brands invest heavily across media to drive footfall or increase consideration so kudos to Cadbury and Dunnes Stores, whose OOH campaigns caught the public imagination and delivered them success in the Confectionery and Supermarket  categories, respectively.

Sustainability is high on the agenda of consumers and brands alike and Outdoor, with a tangible presence in the physical world, can really help brands communicate their values and initiatives in this area. Pepsi Max did just that in 2021, highlighting its 100% recycled bottle and including a call to action on recycling – all important for a product that can be consumed on the go and so often in outdoor environments. Pepsi Max wins the Soft Drinks category.

One central message works in advertising. It’s especially true of OOH and it comes through so clearly in this year’s winners. Virgin Media highlighted Ireland’s FASTEST broadband network, Curry’s emphasised FREE delivery as part of their mega sale, and for McDonald’s, a picture paints a thousand words as they called on DOUBLE Big Mac fans.

OOH works when impactful creative, based around a central message, is delivered in relevant environments and on relevant formats. From a media effectiveness point of view, the winners share a significant thread – a multi-format approach, and in the vast majority of cases, a mix of classic OOH and digital, allowing them to communicate at multiple key touchpoints and at moments that matter in the real world.

Advertising is in the business of attention, an industry that builds real-world emotional responses between brands and people and powerful OOH creative can move minds. Congratulations to all this year’s IMPACT Award winning brands and agencies, from us all at PML Group.