‘Executed with thought, care and style’
Lime Pictures for E4
Hollyoaks reached more than 650 million views and 1 billion impressions on social media in 2021. Multi-platform documentary series Hollyoaks IRL, launched during Men’s Mental Health Week, showcased the real-life stories behind the drama’s biggest storylines. The series covered topics such as suicide prevention, anorexia, disability awareness, gay conversion therapy and county lines.
Digital support included #HollyoaksOutOfTime, a fan-engagement initiative where fans tried to work out which characters were going to be ‘Out of Time’. A daily interactive game on Instagram stories showed video snippets from the wreckage of the minibus crash featured in the show and fans had to guess who these clues referred to. A watchalong was also organised with cast from the episode, which resulted in #HollyoaksOutOfTime trending at number two in the UK.
To support Channel 4’s Black to Front campaign, Hollyoaks aired a special episode around the Deveraux family, written and directed by black talent (Thabo Mhlatshwa and Patrick Robinson respectively). The digital team shot exclusive content and interviewed talent to give viewers a unique insight into the episode and its mission.
Our judges were impressed with how the digital support spoke of real-world issues in a meaningful way, describing the work as “important”. One judge said the online strategies had been “executed with thought, care and style”, while another thought the work would have “a real effect on audiences”.
SHORTLISTED
Doctor Who: Flux
BBC Studios for BBC
An epic six-hour mystery blurring the boundary between the Doctor’s universe and ours pushed Instagram reach up 143%. As part of the treasure hunt, the Doctor’s Sonic screwdriver trapped in amber turned up at the Natural History Museum. In a world first for an entertainment brand, the Doctor Who social media accounts disappeared and then reappeared with a new look across all channels.
Eurovision Song Contest 2021
BBC Studios for BBC
Looking to attract younger audiences to Eurovision, Mobo Award-winning rapper Lady Leshurr and the Ru Paul Drag Race team got on board the digital campaign. A group of funny kids were also employed to react to Eurovision while watching it for the first time, a device used as a way in for a wider audience.
The Daily Climate Show
Sky News for Sky News
Issues such as Bitcoin mining, sex work in Bangladesh and nuisance elephants in Gabon are some of the highlights from the news-first service. There was a weekly climate show for Snapchat, IGTV, Twitter and Facebook, and in a partnership with the Met Office, a special TikTok programme on how weather systems are impacted by climate change.
Strictly Come Dancing
BBC Studios for BBC
In what turned out to be a ground-breaking series in terms of representation, the playful side of Strictly 2021 was covered online through dance charades, lip syncs, TikToks and Instragram Reels. TikTok showed choreography for the first all-male couple and an Instagram post on how British Sign Language (BSL) was used on the show attracted 2.8 million viewers.
The Masked Singer UK
Bandicoot/StoryHunter for ITV
Routinely hitting the top spot on Twitter, the hype for the show began a month before TX with the release of the ITV promo and the Christmas Special, which got fans used to using the hashtag #MaskedSingerUK. Each week, the team published more than 120 pieces of content, ranging from picture quotes and memorable gifs to lyric sheets and green-screen backgrounds for fans to create their own content.
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