We’re proud to share that iProspect UK has been shortlisted for three categories at this year’s Drum Marketing Awards EMEA, recognising our stand out work with IKEA and Netflix.
The Drum Awards (TDA) celebrates the brands and agencies demonstrating exceptional marketing innovation and effectiveness across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa—so, it’s an honour to see our campaigns featured among the best in the industry. With TDA attracting thousands of entries, to be shortlisted among such an array of talent is a significant achievement for iProspect UK.
iProspect's Award-Nominated Campaigns
Ikea: Driving double-digit mattress growth by getting the nation off their screens and into bed
In an already crowded market, Ikea faced a clear challenge: grow its share of the beds and mattresses market, and overcome misconceptions of its position as a generalist vs. specialist competitors.
To shift perception and boost consideration, iProspect took a bold and unconventional approach - encouraging people to switch off their screens and go to bed. By transforming media from a distraction to a sleep aid, IKEA positioned itself as the brand that genuinely wanted consumers to rest. Rather than adding to the media noise, iProspect used media to quiet it.
Partnering with major media owners to subvert high-attention environments with bedtime messaging, the campaign encouraged viewers to choose sleep over TV. From ITV continuity announcements around prime-time shows such as The Voice and The Pride of Britain Awards, to Acast podcasts featuring segments designed to lull listeners to sleep (including Jessie Ware’s list of 200 vegetables and Sam Thompson’s unread text messages to Pete Wicks) and contextual social placements on TikTok, Meta, and Reddit to reinforce the message - the campaign was a huge success.
Driving significant improvements in IKEA's mattress consideration and quality perceptions across key media channels, the campaign delivered outstanding results. A notable increase in mattress sales, strengthened by a boost in organic search interest and traffic, all compounded in IKEA contributing to 75 million additional nights of quality sleep in UK homes - reinforcing the brand's position as a leading mattress retailer.
This innovative approach has already earned recognition within the industry, having won the Retail - Online & Offline category at last month's Campaign Media Awards 2025. The judges praised the campaign's strategic ingenuity in leveraging media channels to encourage disengagement—a refreshing counterpoint in an attention economy that typically demands more, not less, from consumers.
Netflix: Pink Guards Everywhere: How Netflix Dominated Christmas with Immersive OOH
Categories: OOH
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Launching a global phenomenon like Squid Game Season 2 is no small task—especially in the middle of the festive season, when consumers are bombarded with Christmas campaigns and attention is at its most fragmented.
iProspect worked with Netflix to meet this challenge head-on with a disruptive OOH campaign that brought the show's tension-filled world into real life - placing its iconic Pink Guards at the heart of the Christmas rush.
Turning London into a living extension of the Squid Game universe, Oxford Circus station was transformed into a 360° Squid Game takeover, where Pink Guards silently tracked commuters, shadowed them up escalators and filled the space with the show's signature unease. But the impact didn't stop underground. On the streets of London, Pink Guards appeared on London's iconic buses, dominated the Flannels building with anamorphic 3D displays and even showed up pitch side during Premier League matches.
The message was clear: the Pink Guards were everywhere. This campaign went beyond advertising; it was a physical manifestation of the show's psychological tension - impossible to ignore and designed to build anticipation that culminated in record-breaking viewership numbers.
As audiences moved indoors for the festive activities, the campaign evolved across complementary channels—ensuring the same sense of inescapability carried through to Squid Game’s Boxing Day release.
Squid Game Season 2 became the third most-watched show over Christmas and helped Netflix achieve its highest-ever reach, overtaking BBC's Q4 viewership. This was a campaign built on creative bravery, precise timing, and the power of OOH to lead a multi-channel moment that couldn’t be ignored.
A Network Achievement
The triple shortlisting at The Drum Marketing Awards EMEA reflects iProspect UK's commitment to pushing boundaries in media strategy and execution. These nominations highlight our team's ability to develop innovative solutions that drive measurable business impact while creating culturally resonant experiences, truly exemplifying our mission of "Brands Accelerated" through performance-driven creativity.
The success extends across the dentsu network, with sister agency Carat also securing three shortlist nominations and Merkle adding one of their own. This collective achievement demonstrates dentsu's comprehensive expertise across the full spectrum of marketing disciplines.
These nominations follow a strong performance at other industry awards, reinforcing iProspect's reputation for excellence in digital performance, media innovation, and integrated marketing solutions.
A big thank you to our brilliant clients at IKEA and Netflix, our teams at iProspect, and our colleagues across the dentsu network for making this work possible.
Winners will be announced on 4 June 2025, at The Drum Awards ceremony in London next month. The ceremony will bring together the region's top marketing talent to celebrate exceptional work that advances the industry.
The complete shortlist can be viewed here.
