Adrian J Cotterill, Editor-in-Chief
Landsec, the UK’s largest listed commercial property company and owner of Piccadilly Lights, announced this week that British brands Hunter and Stella McCartney have signed a deal to advertise in one of the six positions on the world-famous Piccadilly Lights. The brands will form part of the innovative new Piccadilly Lights screen which is switched back on this month.
Vasiliki Arvaniti, Portfolio Director at Landsec told us “Both Stella McCartney and Hunter are as iconic as Piccadilly Lights itself; we are very excited to see how the brands use this unique platform to connect with their audiences. This collaboration is an excellent reflection of the pioneering display capabilities of the screen and testament to how flexible the platform can be. It’s a privilege to also be able to fundraise for Barnardo’s through the #PiccadillyOn campaign as we deliver such a historic moment for London.”
Hunter, the progressive British heritage brand, has signed to advertise on the lights in partnership with Stella McCartney, the luxury lifestyle brand. The aspirational British brands will share one of the six advertising spots at Piccadilly Lights on rotation, individually showcasing the two brands in a unique new setting.
The signing of Hunter and Stella McCartney creates a unique setting to showcase these fashion brands in the heart of London’s shopping and entertainment district. Hunter was first introduced to the power of digital out of home in 2015 under the creative direction of Alasdhair Willis, live streaming content from its London Fashion Week Catwalk show across multiple Ocean Outdoor screens in 2015. This is the first time eponymous fashion label Stella McCartney has taken a presence in a mainstream out of home environment.
The brands join a line-up of iconic advertisers, appearing alongside Coca-Cola, Hyundai, Samsung and L’Oréal Paris for the relaunch of the lights later this month.
Piccadilly Lights have been switched off since January for major renovation work that will see the original patchwork of screens replaced with a single state-of-the-art 4K LED digital screen and live technology hub. It will be the largest screen of its kind in Europe and will have the ability to divide into six full and subtle motion segments. Advertisers will be able to stream live videos, lifestyle updates, such as weather and sports results, and real time social media feeds.
The countdown to switch on is being marked by the #PiccadillyOn campaign which invites people around the world to be part of this remarkable moment in London’s history in aid of Barnardo’s, the UK’s largest children’s charity and Landsec’s national charity partner for 2017. For a minimum donation of £2.00, people can bring colour to life by sponsoring a unique colour chip which will form part of a 3D countdown clock on the screen, before forming part of a choreographed reveal moment.
At the moment of relaunch, the screen will be powered up with a spectacular display of the sponsored colours, each of which will be shown on screen and live streamed on Facebook for fans across the globe to watch.
Anyone can own a unique piece of London’s digital history by visiting www.PiccadillyOn.London, where they can choose their colour to support Barnardo’s and be part of this historic moment. Supporters will receive their unique digital colour chip to post on their social media channels.
Tim Bleakley, Chief Executive Officer at Ocean Outdoor said “Two iconic, creative British brands have collaborated to unlock an incredible opportunity right at the heart of British and world fashion. What’s guaranteed is that both Hunter and Stella McCartney will use every opportunity to leverage the unique capabilities of digital out of home to innovate and push forward the broadcast capabilities of this live, responsive, spectacular screen.”
Hunter and Stella McCartney are signed to advertise at the lights until the end of January 2018.
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