The Times ad recreates history through DOOH

The Times and The Sunday Times have launched a digital out-of-home campaign using AI and mixed reality technology to recreate historical moments in Birmingham and Manchester.

Created with T&P and MOSAIC, the campaign, titled For Our Changing Times, transforms outdoor screens into historical recreations linked to the locations where the ads appear. The work won Gold in the commercial category at Ocean Outdoor’s annual Digital Creative Competition.

Campaign combines live footage with historical recreations

Running for two weeks from 18 May, the campaign appears on screens at Corporation Street in Birmingham and Deansgate in Manchester.

The executions begin with a live camera feed of each modern-day street scene before transitioning into mixed reality recreations of significant 20th-century events associated with the locations.

In Birmingham, the campaign depicts firefighters responding during the Birmingham Blitz. In Manchester, it recreates a march connected to the city’s role in the women’s suffrage movement.

The campaign also incorporates archived reporting from The Times alongside the visuals. Each execution ends with the line: “We’ve covered it all over the last 240 years.”

T&P uses mixed reality on D6 screens

According to T&P, the project is among the first uses of mixed reality on D6 outdoor screens, blending live street footage with historically researched recreations to create an immersive effect in public spaces.

Additional campaign messages will appear across Ocean Outdoor’s smaller-format network, including The Loop in Canary Wharf, Battersea Power Station and sites across Birmingham, alongside a large-format screen at New Street.

The campaign is based on research suggesting audiences are experiencing uncertainty and declining trust in news. The Times cited PwC research showing that 45 per cent of UK adults feel too much change is happening at once, alongside findings from the Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Study indicating rising anxiety levels.

Campaign highlights archive journalism

Matt Moreland and Chris Clarke, executive creative directors at T&P: “We couldn’t be more thrilled to see such an innovative piece of OOH go live. Since winning the Ocean Outdoor competition, the team have worked tirelessly with The Times archive and researchers to bring this fantastic idea to life. We wanted to ensure every detail feels authentic to really give people the chance to see what it was like living in Manchester and Birmingham in the early 1900s; and our brilliant creative technologists have managed to do exactly that.”

Nick Shaw, CEO, Ocean Outdoor: “T&P gives the people of Birmingham and Manchester an astonishingly accurate glimpse into their past in the very places where they walk today. The idea is remarkable because it encapsulates both the craft, and the power of DOOH. The message may be simple, but it’s delivered with immense care and precision. People will see it, appreciate it and maybe even share a photo of it.”