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Specsavers this week launched its new ‘Should’ve’ TV campaign with an ad called ‘Airport’ which has been directed by cult comedy director Declan Lowney, known for Ted Lasso and Father Ted. The TV spot initially runs for 8 weeks.

Declan Lowney, Director, said “Specsavers have managed to achieve that rare feat of creating their own distinctive brand of humour. Their work has a comedy voice of its own so my role was to get the best out of the script and maximise the laughs. And telling a story purely with images – along with humour and wit – was right up my runway.”

Harnessing the signature Specsavers humour, the ad introduces us to couple Greg and Ella who are about to go on holiday. Ella manages to check in serenely ahead of Greg whilst he parks the car. Greg finally skids into the airport lobby with his wheelie suitcase and is now cutting it fine to make the departure.

Checking the departure board, Greg rushes frantically to catch his flight and various tense yet amusing scenarios ensue that everyone can relate too. These include the classic cringe moment when you have to neck your bottle of water in front of an unimpressed security guard or relinquish your belt and your new espadrilles for an undignified body scan and of course try to run along a packed travelator when everyone else is walking.

It ends with Greg racing jubilantly out onto the tarmac where the aircraft is getting prepped for take off. We cut to a concerned-looking Ella who is already onboard, peering out of a porthole window as she clocks Greg down below. But will he manage to board the plane, or should he have gone to Specsavers?

The ad is crafted entirely without dialogue, with the comedic emphasis being on visual humour. Our protagonist turns into a stunt man of sorts to get around the airport as fast as possible and to his departure gate on time, which provides much hilarity.

The TV campaign is supported by Cinema, VOD, Digital video, OOH, press, social and special build. The OOH activity includes a placement at Waterloo Station’s big motion billboard which plays off the possibility that people might have mistaken the billboard for the departures board and Should’ve Gone to Specsavers. There will also be OOH gags in bus shelters, at petrol pumps, shopping centres, motorways and more – which send up how many people might be making sight fails in those places, such as putting the wrong fuel in their cars at petrol pumps or being on the wrong bus because they read the number incorrectly.

Victoria Clarke, Marketing Services Director at Specsavers, says: “It was such a treat to work with comedy genius Declan Lowney to bring the Specsavers trademark humour to life. But as with all ‘Should’ve’ campaigns it’s relatable and has that core serious message at the heart of it, that mistakes are easily made if your eyesight is failing.”

The creatives behind the work were Andrea Raanaas & Mike McCallum and Simon Bougourd & Naomi Bishop. The spot was produced through Merman. The media agency is Manning Gottlieb OMD.

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This week, on 8 February 2024 at 7:30 am CET Barco NV will publish its full year and 2H results for 2023.

The Analyst and Investor call to discuss the trading update takes place at 9:00 am CET and will be hosted by co-CEOs Charles Beauduin and An Steegen, CFO Ann Desender and Willem Fransoo, IRO.

Camel City Posters, a large format printing company that specializes in Out Of Home, Facility Signage, Point of Purchase, and Construction Signage has acquired Media Resources Inc. Irvin Hardware Division.

We are told that the addition of Irvin Hardware is a seamless complement to Camel City’s offerings and highlights the company’s focus on innovation and growth to extend beyond its print division.

Vincent Pannutti, GM of Camel City Poster Productions told us “We see this integration as an opportunity to strengthen our commitment to clients by supplying more essential tools they need for success. It speaks to our values and core belief system”.

Tom Sampson, Media Resource’s current head of the Irvin Hardware product line, will join the Camel City team to ensure a smooth transition and effective integration.

Three-time NFL football champions, the Kansas City Chiefs, refreshed their venue’s presentation technology at the start of the 2023 season, purchasing more than 600 of Sony’s professional BRAVIA BZ35J and BZ40H displays, and expanding their partnership with the company.

With options ranging in size from 43-inches to 75-inches, the Chiefs are now able to take advantage of the power of Sony’s lineup of professional displays which combine flexibility, connectivity, ease of use, and superior image quality in their premium spaces, including all suites, and in the Club Level concourse.

With an expedited timeline to execute, the Chiefs worked with Sony and AVI-SPL to complete this multi-faceted project and together we are told that they were able to secure a high volume of inventory, under budget, in time for the beginning of the season.

Aging technology made the Chiefs realize an upgrade was necessary. They chose to standardize on Sony’s professional BRAVIA displays due to their IP capabilities, the club’s familiarity with the Sony brand, and its reliable reputation. Pat Mitchell, Project Director MEP and Construction for the Kansas City Chiefs, explained, “We had some outdated screens, plus we’re trying to stay more flexible as we decide whether we’re going to keep our current SMATV distribution or move to an IPTV solution. It was important to have a product that was able to be upgraded to the IPTV.”

An added benefit of the new Sony display technology, when compared to the Chiefs’ previous generation Sony models, is its smaller footprint, lighter weight, and slimmer profile. They exude a premium feel and keep their venue fresh which aligns with the team’s desire to create an enhanced fan experience.

With several hundred displays already deployed, the Kansas City Chiefs are only in phase one of their refresh project, with plans to build out the partnership even further in the coming seasons.

OUTFRONT Media (NYSE:OUT) has just announced its extensive plans for #BlackHistoryMonth which features inspiring out of home initiatives, a renewed partnership with Ad Age for the Black Creative Excellence Campaign, and impactful collaborations with communities committed to preserving and promoting Black history.

For the second consecutive year, OUTFRONT is partnering with Ad Age for its annual Black History Month feature celebrating Black creative excellence, which debuted on February 1. The project highlights key moments in the careers of inspiring and influential creators, who are featured on OUTFRONT’s digital media across the U.S. During the campaign, billboards will showcase creatives who make an impact on the industry; the street-level & transit locations will incorporate a QR code directing commuters to learn more about the full Black Creative Excellence series on AdAge.com. OUTFRONT’s Midwest Regional Creative Director, Nicole Mapp, kicks off the campaign with an essay on AdAge.com about her work with Color Of Change.

• Color Of Change builds upon its 2021 campaign ‘Until Justice Is Real’ by expanding with transit OOH inventory, along with billboards in multiple markets across the country. The creative, designed by Fufu and Grits, a Black-owned and Black-led creative studio, merges the past and future of Black History in a simple, bold, and digestible way that speaks to the large target audience to encourage action.
• ‘Moments in Culture’ celebrates Black History Month with the series Visions of Black Masculinity. This series showcases new captivating works from talented and up-and-coming Black artists of today. This series is a continuation of the Moments by OUTFRONT partnership with Artsy, and will run throughout the month of February in major transit systems across the country, including New York’s MTA, Miami-Dade County’s MIA, and BART in SF.
• ‘Moments in Art’ invites commuters to explore identity in the photographed work “Wigs.” Pulling from MoMA’s collection,’Wigs’ was captured by the world renowned African-American Photographer, Lorna Simpson. In this work, Simpson explores the history of African American hairstyles and conventions of beauty.This series is an extension of OUTFRONT’s partnership with MoMA and will be featured in New York’s MTA for the month.
• The Sweet Auburn District and Big Bethel Church in the Historic MLK district of Atlanta has also launched an OOH campaign centered around Martin Luther King Jr. The district will be decorated with colorful billboards featuring giant lettering to welcome visitors to the Sweet Auburn District, where ‘dreams, justice, and peace start’. The campaign aims to bring awareness to the historic Martin Luther King & Sweet Auburn District, designated as a Historic Landmark area since 1906, and underscore OUTFRONT’s commitment to promoting the importance of Black History in historically significant locations.
• Other brands and organizations are using OUTFRONT Media to connect with contextually relevant messages this month. Among them is ‘Man Up’ in Memphis, TN, for an impactful OOH campaign promoting the organization’s mission. Man Up focuses on providing students in high poverty, urban, and rural communities, particularly male students of color, access to high-quality male teachers and advancing policies that promote equity in K–12 schools. The campaign is featured on digital billboards and mobile platforms, urging men of color to “be impactful, be men of color teachers.” OUTFRONT is committed to supporting initiatives that drive positive change and equity in education.
• The Philadelphia Museum of Art is also part of the celebrations this month. Billboards in the Philadelphia area will be advertising the museum’s Black History Month events, including a Family Festival on February 4 and another celebration on February 9.

OUTFRONT’s celebratory and client campaigns will run throughout February, engaging communities and fostering a deeper understanding of the cultural heritage and achievements of the Black American community.

This year for Black History Month, the Smithsonian Institution has claimed the theme, ‘African Americans and the Arts’ which lauds the many impacts Black Americans have had on visual arts, music, culinary experiences, cultural movements and more. African American creators have used their craft not only to preserve history and community memory, but to enlighten, empower and inspire a global audience that looks to Black artistry as a symbol of what’s now and next in contemporary culture.

Putting their own spin on this theme, Clear Channel Outdoor (NYSE: CCO) came up with this ‘Celebrating Creators’ campaign idea.

The vibrant digital OOH creatives shine a spotlight on influential African Americans in music, literature, film, TV, visual arts whose artistry broke barriers and helped to shape U.S. culture.

The campaign will run across Clear Channel Outdoor America’s nationwide digital inventory throughout February

Jena Rutten, art director, CCOA-DC/Baltimore lent her creative talents to help build this campaign highlighting the inspiring ‘creators’ below and their artistic pursuits.

Ava DuVernay, Filmmaker
Gordon Parks, Photographer
Harry Belafonte, Actor
Issa Rae, Producer
Jacob Lawrence, Painter
Josephine Baker, Dancer
Nikki Giovanni, Poet
Quincy Jones, Musician
Toni Morrison, Author

Dubai-based Elevision, which operates over 1,600 screens at 500+ locations, announced the launch of their latest CGI content when promoting a recent DP World campaign.

Elevision stold us that the innovative CGI content made its debut in a recent video generated by using DP World’s campaign on Elevision’s famous ticker screen, at the heart of DIFC.

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The organisers of Integrated Systems Europe say that #ISE2024 was the “most successful edition in its 20-year history” which makes you wonder how they like to define ‘success’.

For all those who exhibited and attended it was obviously a great show, well attended and with lots on offer BUT it wasn’t the largest ever in terms of attendees.

We are told that #ISE2024 attracted 73,891 unique verified attendees from 162 countries which they say is “a record since the show’s inception in Geneva in 2004” which is blatantly not true.

It’s on record that 81,268 people attended #ISE2019 (a small increase over the 2018 attendance figure of 80,923).

Anyhow, the exhibition did showcase its highest number of exhibitors with (1,408) and the largest show floor space (82,000 sqm net).

Mike Blackman, Managing Director of Integrated Systems Events was quoted as saying “In the illustrious 20-year journey of ISE, we have witnessed the transformative power of innovation and collaboration within our community. ISE 2024 not only reflects the cutting-edge technologies defining our industry but also serves as a testament to the enduring spirit of creativity and camaraderie. As we celebrate this milestone, alongside our co-owners AVIXA and CEDIA we look forward to continuing our commitment to being a global platform for industry professionals.”

ISE returns to Barcelona 4 – 7 February 2025.

Award-winning digital signage consultancy, Saturn Visual Solutions has added to its growing team of specialists with the appointment of Andrew O’Sullivan as a senior technical support engineer.

Andrew is the latest in a series of hires for UK, Manchester-based Saturn. His appointment is part of a strategic recruitment drive designed to meet increased client demand. In recent months, the company has brought in a range of experts to boost its client offering, with appointments across software development, installation project delivery, graphic design, business development and sales and marketing.

Chris Welsh, CEO at Saturn told us “We pride ourselves on being able to offer our clients the very best technical expertise in the market and Andrew’s wealth of experience will help us to deliver on this. We are delighted to welcome him to our team as we look to build our client portfolio further and help to transform audience engagement across a wide range of sectors.”

Prior to joining Saturn, Andrew worked as a support engineer for Boohoo Group where he planned and executed digital projects. In his new role, he will lead client projects for Saturn, commission new solutions, support on-site installation engineers and provide technical expertise for all departments across the business.

This latest boost to the Saturn team, comes during a new growth phase for the company. Demand for its digital signage expertise, which includes design, build, content and support services, has accelerated in the post-pandemic era and Saturn has recently added big names such as Seiko, Cupra and OOH specialists Alight Media to its roster of clients.

Carl Leaver has joined Wildstone as Non-Executive Chairman.

With a distinguished career in executive and non-executive roles, Carl brings a wealth of experience and a proven track record of driving substantial shareholder value across diverse industries.

Carl currently also serves as Chairman of Lebara, a European mobile phone operator, and TopHat, a manufacturer of modular homes. His previous role as a non-executive director at Europcar Mobility Group, concluded with the company’s sale to a consortium led by VW. Prior to that, he served as Chairman of Eircom Group in Ireland, providing strategic leadership until a successful sale in 2018.

Damian Cox, CEO and Founder of Wildstone, told us “I am delighted to welcome Carl as our Non-Executive Chairman at Wildstone. His wealth of knowledge and extensive experience is impressive, and I have no doubt that Carl’s insights will greatly assist our plans globally.”

In his last executive role, Carl served as Group Chief Executive of Gala Coral where he orchestrated a successful turnaround before merging with Ladbrokes plc in 2017 and negotiating the sale of the combined group to GVC plc as he left the company.