WCRS reveals oceans' biggest danger with high-tech outdoor screens

The interactive ad, "The Ocean’s Biggest Threat", was a winner in the digital creative competition run by Ocean Outdoor, in partnership with Campaign. The contest judges concepts which Ocean then helps to bring to life.

It breaks at Westfield London with a domination of Ocean’s large format full motion digital out of home screen in Eat Street.

Passers-by are encouraged to discover what is the biggest danger lurking in the oceans that fills the Ocean screen with the silhouette of a menacing, deep sea creature. Participants are invited to use their mobile phones to connect with the screen via its free wifi and "Discover the ocean’s biggest threat".

A combination of 3D technology, video and streamed data will then turn their phones into virtual torches which can be used to detect what is really casting the shadow on the screen. At this point, the torches reveal that the biggest threat to our oceans is not sharks or sea-monsters, but single-use plastic. By 2050, the plastic polluting the world’s oceans will outweigh the marine life.

"The campaign has allowed us to mix creativity, technology and data to push the boundaries of what is achievable in modern billboards, using live high definition 3D rendering, layered video and streaming data connections that send the phone’s movements to the billboard in real-time," said Dino Burbidge, WCRS’s director of innovation and technology. "The fight against plastic is an issue particularly close to WCRS and Engine Group’s heart. We are immensely proud to join the single-use plastic-free crusade alongside Ocean, Sky Ocean Rescue and Westfield."

The initiative is supported by Westfield London which is planning a plastic bag amnesty, encouraging visitors to say no to single use plastic bags for the day by accepting reusable, non-plastic Sky Ocean Rescue totes instead.

Fiona Morgan, head of inspiring action at Sky Ocean Rescue, said: "We’ve all become plastic addicts - it’s all over our food, drinks, clothes and a normalised part of the shopping experience. We hope that with this interactive display we will capture the attention of shoppers this International Plastic Bag Free Day and inspire them to pass on plastic. From using reusable shopping bags, coffee cups and water bottles, to simply choosing not to buy single-use plastic packaged items in the first place, we can all make simple changes to stop our oceans drowning in plastic."

Ocean head of marketing Helen Haines said: ""This clever campaign harnesses the scale and technology of spectacular digital out of home to tackle one of the biggest causes of ocean pollution: the plastic bag. Its powerful, imaginative message bowled the judges over, making WCRS and Sky Ocean Rescue deserving winners of our competition."

The London activity is mirrored in Manchester (at The Printworks) and Glasgow (at St Enoch). The creative will also feature on several screens throughout Westfield London on Saturday, July 7. The campaign is amplified by social media.