‘Bold, unflinching, and socially vital’
Lime Pictures for E4 & 4Studio
To scoop its fourth consecutive win in this category, Hollyoaks created digital campaigns around the soap’s storylines on Sibling Sexual Abuse (SSA), pregnancy loss and domestic coercive control.
In what one judge described as “bold, unflinching, and socially vital” work, Lime’s digital support included a collaboration with the charity SARSAS to make content featuring real-life SSA survivors – which ultimately led to a spike in individuals coming forward.
The Here Still baby loss campaign allowed audiences to share their experiences via a TikTok Sound and led to a 421% increase in TikTok views year-on-year, and its Home Office Enough campaign highlighted abusive behaviours and shared advice from Women’s Aid, garnering over 2.7m views.
“Hollyoaks consistently elevates difficult subjects through empathetic, platform-appropriate content,” said one judge.
“The SSA campaign was courageous, while the Here Still and Home Office Enough initiatives showed a deep understanding of how to use digital to educate, support, and connect.”
Another said the “inclusive” campaigns sparked “important dialogue” on sensitive topics, with the SSA campaign featuring real-life survivors creating some of the most “authentic” conversations overall.
“They weren’t just one-off efforts,” they added.
“Hollyoaks has consistently used digital content to address important issues, maintaining a strong connection with the audience over time.”
The judges praised the way in which the casting supported the campaigns, with one saying the fact that the actor Kirsty Leigh Porter had experienced baby loss herself lent a “brilliant touch” to the campaign.
“This brand is becoming a digital powerhouse on a consistent basis,” they added.
Another said: “This went beyond supporting material by thinking deeply about who was cast to perform these roles. It felt incredibly well integrated.”
SHORTLISTED
Big Brother UK
Banijay UK Social Studio for Big Brother UK YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X & App
The digital support around the second series of Big Brother since relaunch aimed to revolutionise how fans interact with the show, creating an immersive experience that drove anticipation for nightly episodes. Digital content, including daily polls and exclusive sneak peaks, helped secure over 210,000 new followers across all platforms. On TikTok, over 60 videos surpassed 1m views each and there were 484,000 app users by the end of the show’s run.
EastEnders – Spiked
BBC Studios for BBC Studios – EastEnders
Anna Knight’s storyline shone a light on the growing issue of spiking for young people in the UK, landing in the same week that the phenomenon was mentioned in the King’s Speech. The team created a five-episode additional storyline mini-series for TikTok, Facebook and Instagram in a bid to amplify the message on platforms that directly spoke to the demographics most at risk. In total, the episodes achieved over 5.1m views.
Glow Up in Roblox
Mobile Pie for BBC
Glow Up: Britain’s Next Make-up Star contestants were challenged to create a nature-based make-up look for online gaming platform Roblox’s 77.7m daily users. In the special episode they used Roblox’s AI tool - the Texture Generator - which creates custom textures through text prompts. The winners had their look turned into a digital clothing item that any Roblox user could wear. Around 10,000 of the items were claimed in the days following the broadcast.
I Kissed a Girl
BBC for BBC3
Created to promote the series on iPlayer, the BBC’s social media campaign was designed to particularly resonate with the sapphic community and those under 35. The campaign included a partnership with creator Beth McCarthy who hosted conversations in a LGBTQ+ bar, and with the dating app HER to help launch the trailer and episodic release reminders. The team generated 20m organic video views, with more than half (54%) of its TikTok audience aged 18-24.
The Rap Game UK in Fortnite
HaZimation for BBC
The first-ever rap clash inside Fortnite, hosted by the Grammy winner MC Flowdan, featured live motion-captured rap battles with avatars of the show’s alumni. Designed to celebrate the finale of season six, the players battled it out in different environments from a basement to rooftop skyline to a space station, offering fans a new way to experience the show and making the rap battles more immersive than ever.
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