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The WayBack, an initiative designed to help those living with dementia and Alzheimer's and their carers through virtual reality film, has launched an award-winning outdoor campaign with Havas London. 

Spanning 13 London Underground and Elizabeth line stations, the campaign takes over fifteen ‘ribbons’ - the digital displays that run the length of the escalators at London Underground stations. The screens serve as windows into the past, making it seem as though the commuters of today, are riding escalators alongside commuters and travellers from the 1960s (who are dressed in the fashion from the period and reading newspapers of the era).

The campaign looks to drive greater awareness of the virtual reality film series and The WayBack initiative, whilst entertaining and engaging commuters.

In December 2022, the campaign concept won ‘The Look Ahead competition’ - created by Global, the Media and Entertainment Group, in partnership with Contagious and Transport for London. Following this, the campaign was awarded media space by Global in the form of fifteen ribbon screens across London’s transport network to bring it to life.

Chief Creative Officer at Havas London, Vicki Maguire said: ‘’When creativity is used as a force for good, the outcome is something to shout about. Proud of Dan, Andy and everyone involved in this award-winning campaign. They’ve turned an everyday OOH space into something magic – that’s bloody genius.’’

One of the judges, Anto Chioccarelli Global’s creative solutions director, described Havas London’s entry as a “powerful, optimistic, evocative idea, taking people with dementia, and carers, back to scenes from decades ago.” She went on to say that the campaign “raises the bar for creativity in outdoor and is a perfect case study to showcase the creative potential of the digital ribbon screens on the London Underground.”

Rebecca Canham, Senior Contract Manager at Transport for London (TfL), said: “Our advertising estate is one of the most iconic in the UK, not least London, with the digital ribbons one of our newest assets. The winning idea is an excellent example of a campaign that uses these assets impactfully to capture the imagination and attention of its audience, while communicating in a meaningful way about a sensitive topic. Looking forward, I hope this entry illustrates how other brands can also think creatively about how they can use our transport network too.”

The campaign was executed by Havas London and Havas Studios, with its creative execution led by co-founders of The WayBackand Executive Creative Directors at Havas London, Andy Garnett and Dan Cole. Production and post-production was handled by Absolute post, supported by Global and in collaboration with FLIPT. The outdoor campaign runs for two weeks.

The Wayback immersive app was developed by Will Yoxall at thisisuntapped.com.