We’re thrilled to announce that iProspect UK has been shortlisted at the Newsworks Awards 2025 for two standout campaigns that demonstrate how powerful ideas and performance-driven planning work hand in hand.
The Newsworks Awards celebrate the very best use of news brands in advertising. They recognise the campaigns that cut through noise, capture attention and deliver results.
In a world where audiences are constantly being bombarded with content, news brands remain one of the few spaces where people actively choose to engage. Their trust, attention and authority make them uniquely powerful for advertisers. That is what makes this recognition so meaningful.
Best Display Campaign: Netflix, The Diamond Heist
Netflix was gearing up to launch The Diamond Heist, Guy Ritchie’s first-ever documentary feature. This wasn’t just any true crime story. It was the retelling of one of Britain’s most daring attempted robberies: the Millennium Dome Diamond Heist. Told from both sides of the law – the gangsters who tried to pull it off and the police who stopped them – it had all the makings of a gripping watch.
But there was a catch. According to bespoke Dentsu research, only 41% of the UK remembered the original event. Unlike the Great Train Robbery, this heist hadn’t stuck in the cultural memory. And with the crime dating back to 2000, anyone under 35 simply wouldn’t have been old enough to recall it. So, while the content was explosive, the challenge was clear: how do you get people excited about a story they might not even know happened?
Luckily, Guy Ritchie’s fanbase skewed 35+, and they were the ones most likely to remember the heist. That gave us a golden opportunity to tap into millennial nostalgia and bring back the swagger of the early 00s.
Our idea was to recreate the media frenzy that surrounded the event itself, using news brands as the heartbeat of the campaign. We brought back one of the UK’s most famous tabloid headlines – “I’m Only Here for De Beers” – with a striking front-page takeover in The Sun.
News brands were central to our strategy. They gave us the credibility, reach and nostalgic punch we needed to make this campaign land with impact.
From there, we rolled out a cross-channel strategy that made the most of every touchpoint. Whether you saw it online, in print or on social, you were immersed in the outrageousness of both the crime and the time. The campaign oozed Guy Ritchie’s signature style – cheeky, bold and audacious – and made The Diamond Heist feel like the crime of the millennium.
The results?
The results spoke for themselves: The Diamond Heist shot to the top of the Netflix charts and stayed there for weeks, proving that when storytelling, data and creativity collide, you get pure impact.
We didn’t just launch a documentary, we pulled off a media heist of our own, stealing headlines, sparking nostalgia, and making Guy Ritchie’s crime of the millennium unmissable.and the effectiveness of our nostalgic, cheeky, and proper naughty media strategy.
Ad of the Year: Next
Our second shortlist is for Ad of the Year, following our work with Next, which was voted April’s Ad of the Month by Newsworks earlier this year.
The cover wrap, which launched the retailer’s summer fashion campaign, was praised for its eye-catching creative and elegant use of the news brand format. Newsworks described it as “turning heads before turning pages” – a perfect example of how a simple idea, executed beautifully, can stop readers in their tracks.
This monthly win automatically put Next in the running for Newsworks’ coveted Ad of the Year, a reflection of the quality and consistency of creative work produced by our teams.
A moment to celebrate
Being shortlisted at the Newsworks Awards is a proud moment for us. It reflects not only the craft and strategy behind our campaigns but also the strength of collaboration between our clients, partners and teams.
We believe that when you combine the credibility of news brands with audience insight and innovative creative, you can drive measurable performance and cultural impact at the same time.
A huge thank you to everyone involved. And congratulations to our sister agency Carat UK for their own shortlist successes.
We can’t wait to celebrate with the industry at the awards in December.
If you'd like to chat about award winning campaigns, get in touch.
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