The inaugural OMA Creative Awards, organised by the Outdoor Media Association (OMA), have sparked lively discussions within the out-of-home (OOH) advertising industry.
Ahead of the winners being announced on Friday, the entire jury gathered to debate the winners of the seven categories, providing an opportunity for industry leaders to discuss the creativity and impact of this year’s entries, and the medium as a whole.
“I wanted the jury to be together and not voting online,” OMA CEO Elizabeth McIntyre told Mediaweek. “I’m trying to engage with the creative community and I wanted to start discussions that can continue from here.”
This approach allowed the jury to look at the entries within the wider context of the evolving role of creativity in the OOH space and the innovative ways brands are using outdoor media.
McIntyre, who took the helm at OMA in April 2023, has been the driving force behind the awards. “They were something I wanted to do since I first started at OMA,” she explained.
The inaugural OMA Creative Awards jury.
Originally planned for a 2024 launch, the awards were strategically scheduled for 2025 instead. “We looked at launching at the end of last year, but by launching it now, we can include submissions from all across last year, which has been great,” she said.
The enthusiasm surrounding the awards has exceeded expectations, with an impressive number of high-quality entries.
“In fact, we’ve been so blown away with the number of entries and their quality, we might try and start running the awards every six months to keep the work fresh,” McIntyre revealed.
Entries have been judged by a distinguished panel of senior creatives, marketers, and industry experts, highlighting the depth of talent and innovation within the OOH sector.
“On the jury there were creatives plus CMOs,” said McIntyre. “And I really wanted the marketing experts there because they give context. It’s all very well to submit a great campaign, but creativity comes at a cost and I wanted other voices in the room to know what was involved in every aspect of it.”
But while McIntyre admits the quality of the work submitted was exceptional, there was one category she felt she would have liked to see more entrants – Best Small Format Campaign.
“I thought it was under-represented,” she said. “But I think that that’s just an education piece for the next awards.”
Grand Prix winner’s prize
Along with the individual category winners, there will be one overall winner of the Grand Prix, with that creative team winning a trip to the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity in June.
As a result the jury had very lively conversations about who should win.
“It was really contested,” says McIntyre. “There was a very robust discussion with that Grand Prix winner and also the Classic Campaign, but that’s exactly how it should be – and that’s the feedback from the jury too.”
“I loved some of the comments during the judging which were things like, ‘It’s just not enough just to redo a bus shelter’ and emphasising how when an OOH campaign hits the mark, it hasn’t always been recognised and it should be. These awards are a way of doing just that.”
The winners will be announced on Friday 4 April in Sydney.
The awards come just weeks before McIntyre and the OMA present the new version of MOVE to the industry – the audience measurement platform of OOH.
Powered by millions of data points, updated MOVE technology will capture “how, why, where and when people move, season by season, 365 days a year, across all metro and regional Out of Home formats.”
2024 OMA Creative Awards Finalists
Best Classic Campaign
Campaign: Black Friday Sale
Advertiser: Kitchen Warehouse
Agency: Special Group
Campaign: From Space to Your Place
Advertiser: Telstra
Agency: +61
Campaign: Welcome to Melbourne
Advertiser: Specsavers ANZ
Creative: TBWAMelbourne
Best Digital or Programmatic Campaign
Campaign: Billboard Breakthroughs
Advertiser: NIB
Creative: Dentsu Creative
Campaign: Storm Season
Advertiser: Suncorp Insurance
Creative: ArtBot
Best Innovation or Sustainability Campaign
Campaign: The Fall Guy – Death-Defying Live Action Billboard
Advertiser: Universal Pictures
Creative: Universal Pictures
Campaign: Healthier Ways
Advertiser: Zespri Kiwifruits
Creative: Dentsu Creative
Best Small Format Campaign
Campaign: Ban the Burn
Advertiser: Ocean Spray
Creative: The Reactor
Campaign: Banana Gym Pass
Advertiser: Australian Bananas/Hort Innovation
Creative: Thinkerbell
Best Multi-Format Campaign
Campaign: Black Friday Sale
Advertiser: Kitchen Warehouse
Creative: Special Group
Campaign: Welcome to Melbourne
Advertiser: Specsavers ANZ
Creative: TBWAMelbourne
Best Special Build Campaign
Campaign: Holiday Special Builds
Advertiser: Amazon XCM
Creative: Amazon & MBCS
Campaign: Black Friday Sale
Advertiser: Kitchen Warehouse
Creative: Special Group