Bringing Back Britain’s Boldest Heist: Winner of Best Display Campaign at the Newsworks Awards 2025
We’re delighted to announce that iProspect UK has won Best Display Campaign at the Newsworks Awards 2025 for our work with Netflix and The Sun. The Newsworks Awards celebrate the very best advertising campaigns and recognise innovative, high-impact advertising work that drives real results.
Our winning campaign for Best Display stood out for its bold, cut-through approach that stole headlines, sparked nostalgia and creatively used newsbrand environments to capture audience attention at scale.
.jpeg)
The challenge
When Netflix prepared to launch The Diamond Heist – the gripping documentary recounting the audacious attempted robbery at the Millennium Dome back in November 2000 – they faced a critical challenge. The crime, whilst wild and headline-making at the time, was now 24 years in the past.
Netflix needed to reignite interest and make the show feel fresh, relevant and irresistible. Luckily Guy Ritchie’s fanbase skewed 35+, giving us the golden opportunity to tap into millennial nostalgia and bring back the swagger of the early 2000’s.
The approach
Our mission was simple: get the UK talking about The Diamond Heist, and drive viewership to Netflix. However, we needed to spark national conversation and create a cultural buzz around an event that had long since passed. To do this, we used the power of news brands to create a sense of urgency and authenticity, just like the original headlines did back in 2000.
Being central to our strategy, our work with The Sun gave us the reach and nostalgic punch that we needed to make this campaign land with impact. By recreating the media frenzy of November 9th back in 2000 and resurfacing the legendary tabloid headline “I’m only Here for De Beers” (ranked 9th most memorable in The Sun’s history), we immersed viewers in the outrageousness of both the crime and the time.
From there, we rolled out a cross-channel strategy that made the most of every touchpoint across online, print and social. Oozing Guy Ritche’s signature style – cheeky, bold and audacious – we successfully made The Diamond Heist feel like the crime of the millennium.
The results
The impact was sensational. Driving The Diamond Heist to the top of the Netflix charts upon release and remaining in the top 10 shows for three weeks post launch – our mission was completed. The Sun activity overdelivered 91% against plan, driving over 4 million impressions in one day. Search trends for ‘The Diamond Heist’ and the Millennium Dome spiked around launch day, further demonstrating the cut-through the campaign delivered.
.jpg)
We didn’t just launch a documentary; we pulled off a media heist of our own. Stealing headlines, sparking nostalgia and making the new Netflix show an unmissable phenomenon using a nostalgic, cheeky and proper naughty media strategy.
Judge’s view
“Surfacing a famous headline from the past combined with bold creative and a multi-channel approach resulted in cut through and outstanding performance for Netflix.”
Charlotte Turland, head of marketing, NatWest Premier
