Two Canadian advertising agencies were among the winners when the Outdoor Advertising Association of America (OAAA) handed out its 71^st annual Obie awards on May 21, honouring the best in out-of-home (OOH) campaigns, including signage and other applications.

OAAA presented 42 Obie Awards in total, including such top honours as best billboard, best multi-format campaign and best street furniture, transit or alternative campaign. The winners were announced at a ceremony on the closing night of the OAAA and Traffic Audit Bureau for Media Measurement (TAB) National Convention & Trade Show in Los Angeles, Calif.

“The awards honour the best of the best in OOH advertising design,” says Stephen Freitas, chief marketing officer for OAAA. “We look for executions and campaigns that deliver a ‘wow’ factor to engage consumers. This year’s winners have demonstrated what it takes to go above and beyond good creative content to achieve exceptional OOH campaigns.”

Toronto-based Taxi won a silver-level Obie Award in the international category for its ‘Get Snuggled’ campaign for Sun Products Canada’s Snuggle fabric softener. To demonstrate the product’s qualities, OOH posters were printed on soft, Snuggle-washed fabrics and installed in shopping centres, public walkways and commuter trains (pictured above). Passersby were encouraged to touch the posters to check the effect for themselves, then visit a Get Snuggled website.

Zulu Alpha Kilo—another Toronto-based agency, founded by former Taxi creative director Zak Mroueh—also won silver in the international category for its ‘experiential’ campaign on behalf of Audi (pictured above). The Audi Quattro Experience was an interactive exhibit that allowed participants to ‘test drive’ the vehicle in the form of a 1:32 scale slot car, using an Apple iPad with live in-car camera feed and digital accelerator. The custom-fabricated cars raced around a 13-m² (140-sf) track in a temporary showroom in Royal Bank Plaza in Toronto’s financial district.

“Each of the top campaigns made headlines by incorporating striking creative elements that prompted consumers to visit websites, share photos and help the brands to ‘trend,’ which is where OOH is heading in today’s new-media landscape,” says Freitas.