• by Staff Writers , September 1, 2006

Outdoor typically gets just a second or two to make an impression; these innovative campaigns made the grade.

Crispin Porter + Bogusky

Virgin Atlantic Airways

Jim Poh, VP, Director of Creative Content Distribution; Missy Jaffe, Associate Media Director; Vanessa Hertz, Media Planner

The "luggage tag" campaign was deployed to reacquaint consumers with the maverick quality of the Virgin brand. The campaign focused on Virgin's Upper Class service  tickets go for about $7,500  to revive the cachet of the airline as a whole.

The agency dreamed up impossible-to-miss outdoor billboards that looked like actual luggage tags. Fifteen boards in New York, New Jersey, and Los Angeles delivered more than 124 million impressions and reached an average of 41 percent of the target demographic. Brand awareness rose 43 percent.

Click here to see the original entry.

RPA

Honda/Element

Sharon Enright, VP, Associate Media Director; Kae Shoji, Media Supervisor

Posterscope USA: Kristy Best, VP, Managing Director

RPA got drivers' attention with audio-enabled digital billboards in its campaign "A Different Kind of Animal." The billboards show the Honda Element in conversation with animal friends and invite drivers to tune in to an AM frequency to hear what's being said.

On freeways and surface streets, consumers saw Element billboards that asked, "What would an Element and a Crab talk about?" or "What do an Element and a Platypus have in common?"

The Element ads initially launched online, but RPA boosted awareness with 160 billboards in 15 markets. The strategy garnered tons of media attention  broadcast, print, and online.

Click here to see the original entry.

The Richards Group

Greyhound Lines, Inc.

Jennifer Cooke and Heath Griffith, Brand Media Team Members

The greyhound outdoor "go" campaign engaged a young urban target at a very local level. The company enlisted local graffiti artists to spray-paint murals on popular, highly visible buildings in nine cities, incorporating recognizable landmarks. As the artists worked, Greyhound ambassadors handed out brochures to onlookers and answered questions.

The murals and other campaign elements drove users to LetsGoDog.com, which reinforced Greyhound's new attitude and look with modern graphics, cool colors, and a sense of community. Site users could watch footage of the artists at work and upload videos of their own Greyhound trips. Greyhound buses, pimped out with plasma screen TVs, updated seats, and wraps featuring DJ Funkmaster Flex, traveled to six colleges to spread the word.

The summer 2006 campaign, which targeted hip young African-Americans and Hispanics, increased brand awareness and intent to buy.

Click here to see the original entry.

For more information about the Creative Media Awards ceremony go here.