2019 Brand Experience & Activation

MEMORIALS OF AMSTERDAM

Short List
TitleMEMORIALS OF AMSTERDAM
BrandAMSTERDAM COMITÉ 4 EN 5 MEI
Product/ServiceAMSTERDAM COMITÉ 4 EN 5 MEI
Category B04. Use of Print or Outdoor
Entrant N=5 Amsterdam, THE NETHERLANDS
Idea Creation N=5 Amsterdam, THE NETHERLANDS
Media Placement JCDECAUX Amsterdam, THE NETHERLANDS
Media Placement 2 KINETIC WORLDWIDE NETHERLANDS Amsterdam, THE NETHERLANDS
PR KOOLHOVEN & PARTNERS Amsterdam, THE NETHERLANDS
Production N=5 Amsterdam, THE NETHERLANDS
Production 2 EGOTRIBE Amsterdam, THE NETHERLANDS
Production 3 BIG ORANGE Amsterdam, THE NETHERLANDS
Credits
Name Company Position
Olaf van der Geld N=5 Art Director
Renoud Netjes N=5 Art Director
Tom Rentmeester N=5 Copywriter
Marlou Wirken N=5 Art Director
Jesse Moes N=5 Copywriter
Noortje Hulshof N=5 Designer
Nando Vos N=5 Designer
Tisha Hoppenbrouwers N=5 Agency Producer
Casper Reus N=5 Production Manager
Vincent de Koning Big Orange Partner & Creative Director

background

On every Amsterdam street corner there are stories from the Second World War. The streets bear silent witness to acts of heroism and resistance, large and small. These stories are too important to forget, yet are threatened with extinction. On Remembrance Day, May 4th, Memorials of Amsterdam turned outdoor adverts into temporary interactive memorials to tell these stories and honour the fallen. True to the city-wide atmosphere of quiet commemoration, the ads were also silent.

Describe the creative idea (20% of vote)

Every year the national World War 2 Remembrance takes place all over the Netherlands but all eyes and cameras are on the main service in Amsterdam. That’s actually how the idea was conceived. We specifically researched for war stories from Amsterdam, so we could use the exact location and bring people as close as possible to reliving the stories. On every Amsterdam street corner there are stories from the Second World War. The streets bear silent witness to acts of heroism and resistance, large and small. These stories are too important to forget, yet are threatened with extinction. On Remembrance Day, May 4th, Memorials of Amsterdam turned outdoor adverts into temporary interactive memorials to tell these stories and honour the fallen. True to the city-wide atmosphere of quiet commemoration, the ads were also silent.

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

Since we were telling stories based on specific locations, we had to exactly match them with a map of Digital Out Of Homes. Because the subject matter is so sensitive we had to talk to descendants, research all the stories and portray them respectfully based on facts. For this data gathering we worked closely with renowned Dutch historian Bianca Stigter. The memorials were visible for every Dutch person walking by. Usually people just walk straight past outdoor advertising. Our objective was to make them stop and take notice of the memorial. To give them goosebumps. Passers-by actually stood still in front of Digital Out Of Homes and interacted with the medium. On the mobile site we created a walking route, so people could walk from the first Digital Out Of Home they found to the other memorials. A new way of telling stories on the streets.

Describe the execution (30% of vote)

We turned all Digital Out Of Homes into memorials, displaying ten different stories. The stories came alive as 3-D sound experiences told from an eye-witness point of view. When you pointed your mobile’s camera at the ad, let it scan the QR-code, you could listen to the story come to life as an immersive 3D sound experience. Told from a first person perspective at that exact GPS location. For instance: nowadays Amsterdam Central Station is a gateway for thousands of travellers, but back in 1945 it was a warzone where soldiers lost their lives and citizens feared to tread. On the 4th of May, the Memorials of Amsterdam took over the Digital Out Of Homes in the city centre of Amsterdam. Where the national World War 2 Remembrance service takes place. You can watch the whole case at http://memorialsofamsterdam.com/2

List the results (30% of vote)

Every year there’s a silent march through Amsterdam to the National Remembrance Monument. Our mayor quietly leads thousands of children and their parents. This year the march passed by our memorials. And even though our project wasn’t in the original schedule, the mayor, several politicians and other participants stopped to quietly contemplate them. This of course was a great honour. The day after Remembrance Day, several other big cities such as Den Haag, Rotterdam and Utrecht expressed a serious interest in our idea.