Crafting a winning entry for the Look Ahead competition 2025 /

On 5 March, Contagious and Global Media & Entertainment Group hosted the How to Win webinar, offering expert insights into crafting a winning entry for the Look Ahead Competition in partnership with Transport for London (TfL).

Industry leaders, including Anto Chioccarelli (creative solutions and partnerships director, Global), Sophie Taylor (sustainability manager, Global), and Dan Cole (executive creative director, Havas and co-founder of The Wayback), shared what’s needed to create an unforgettable out-of-home (OOH) campaign. Hosted by Paul Kemp-Robertson, chief content officer at LIONS, the session unpacked how to grab this year’s judges’ attention and make the most of the competition’s digital formats.

Now in its third year, the Look Ahead Competition pushes creative boundaries in OOH advertising. Winning entries will be showcased for two weeks across high-footfall London stations — Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road and Farringdon on the Elizabeth line TfL network, reaching over 4 million commuters. That’s major exposure to a massive audience.

This year’s categories include:

Creativity for Good – A new category celebrating brands that use OOH to tell impactful sustainability stories

Look Ahead (OOH) – For big, inventive, boundary-pushing ideas that harness the full potential of OOH technology

If you missed the webinar, don’t worry — we’ve distilled the key lessons to help you craft a standout submission:

1. Be creative and think beyond a standard ad: Great OOH campaigns don’t just exist to take up space; they command attention. Whether it’s digital gateways stopping commuters in their tracks, ribbons delivering a striking visual journey, or runways immersing people in a full-HD storytelling experience, the most effective ideas use these formats strategically. Think immersive, imaginative and innovative.

2. Stay relevant by tapping into real human insights: Your campaign should connect with commuters’ daily experiences. What makes them stop and take notice? What emotions or insights can your brand tap into? Past winners, such as Innocent’s We Love the Underground campaign, succeeded by transforming an unexpected topic into an eye-catching and thought-provoking OOH experience.

3. Align with sustainability — but avoid greenwashing: With the new Creativity for Good category, sustainability is in the spotlight. But vague claims won’t cut it. Our judges want real impact backed by data. If your idea involves environmental messaging, ensure it aligns with the competition market authorities’ Green Claims Code. Transparency, measurable change and authenticity are fundamental.

4. Keep it simple: You have about 10 seconds to capture attention in OOH, so less is more. Overcomplicated messaging gets lost, while clear, punchy storytelling wins. The best campaigns distill their message into a single, striking idea. Panelist Dan Cole emphasised that simplicity makes stories stick, referencing the winning 1960s-inspired Alzheimer’s awareness campaign for The Wayback (created with Havas).

5. Make an impact: Go beyond awareness. When representing a brand or a social cause, your entry should do more than just get noticed, it should inspire action. The best OOH campaigns create a lasting impression and drive conversation, engagement, and real-world change.

Ready to showcase your standout entry? The Look Ahead Competition is open now, with entries closing on 19 March. This is your chance to display your work in one of the UK’s most high-profile advertising spaces.

Missed any insights? Watch the full recording here for tips from past winners and industry leaders on how to win. Now it’s over to you — bring your big ideas to life and enter the Look Ahead competition today.