‘We were coughing before it went viral’: Chip Shop Awards entry becomes billboard campaign
Life may be returning to some form of normality for many people as Covid-19 restrictions ease in the UK, but for others who deal with illness every day, limitations on their daily lives will always be prevalent. To highlight this, the Cystic Fibrosis Trust has teamed up with Ogilvy Health to launch a new campaign that aims to increase the public’s understanding of the disease – a concept that originated as an entry for The Drum’s very own Chip Shop Awards.
‘Lockdown for Life’ by Ogilvy Health UK and the Cystic Fibrosis Trust
‘Lockdown for Life’ is a series of out-of-home (OOH) billboards with stark copy reading: “We’ve always had to social distance” and “We were coughing before it went viral.” Caitlin Rich, who lives with cystic fibrosis (CF) and was previously a graduate at Ogilvy Health, is the brains behind the thought-provoking project.
“It started out as just a rough idea I jotted down, but I quickly realized that it could be a very timely opportunity,” said Rich, now a research associate and patient partnership lead at VMLY&R Health, who entered it into the Chip Shop Awards in 2021.
“So many people don’t understand what it’s like to live with CF, so I drew on the stark similarities it has to Covid-19 and the pandemic restrictions to make it relatable.”
The Drum Chip Shop Awards celebrates pure, unadulterated creativity, and pretty much anything and everything is allowed, which means the possibilities are endless – with Rich being a shining example of this mentality. Her entry might not have won at the time, but Ogilvy Health took notice and the concept exists in the real world, all while drawing attention to an extremely important cause.
“As a company, we encourage our employees to create ideas that will impact the world,” added Caroline Howe, chief executive officer at Ogilvy Health UK.
“Caitlin has exemplified how drawing on personal insights and experiences can achieve this, and I’m delighted that we’ve been able to evolve her idea into this relevant and impactful campaign, in collaboration with the Cystic Fibrosis Trust.”
The campaign is being rolled out nationwide from March 9 and will be supported digitally through various social media channels.
“It is great to see this work appear as a real campaign. In many ways this is what the Chip Shop Awards is all about – identifying great new talent, as well as fresh ideas,” noted Gordon Young, co-founder of The Drum.
“We always make the point that much of the work entered could actually run, so it is always great to see this happening in practice.”
The deadline for The Drum Chip Shop Awards 2022 is March 24. Enter here.