Piccadilly Lights strengthens its DOOH offering for brands

The reconfiguration is designed to support global launches, theatrical trailers, 3D effects, mixed reality and live interactive campaigns.

Piccadilly Lights is set to change its digital out-of-home (DOOH) format in January 2027, giving brands longer periods of full-screen exposure on the curved display at Piccadilly Circus.

The 783.5-square-metre screen will retain its distinctive patchwork format outside large-scale productions, with flexibility to accommodate five or six brands. Coca-Cola, which has been present at the site since 1954, and Samsung, which joined in 1994, are among the long-term advertisers.

Piccadilly Lights to offer longer full-screen brand takeovers

The format change comes 10 years after Piccadilly Lights relaunched following a nine-month renovation that included the installation of its curved LED screen.

Landsec added The Venue beneath Piccadilly Lights in 2023, providing brands with a physical space for events and experiences. Activity at The Venue can be live streamed onto the screen, linking physical activations with DOOH, public relations, earned media and social channels.

Brands including L’Oréal, Fatal Fury and HBO Max have used the screen and The Venue together. For its UK launch, HBO Max combined a two-day immersive pop-up with the screen, generating more than 9.5 million impressions, 900 social posts and media coverage across 33 countries.

The Venue and DOOH screen extend campaign reach

Derek Manns, Head of Commercialisation, Landsec: “Piccadilly Lights is where the world meets London – and where culture and brands meet. What happens here is not simply seen; it is noticed, valued and shared around the world.

“Together, the screen and The Venue create something no other place can: a connected digital and physical stage where brands can stop the world in its tracks. Our continued investment will give brands even greater freedom to create moments that travel far beyond Piccadilly Circus, turning attention into cultural impact and global reach.”

Nick Shaw, CEO, Ocean Outdoor UK: “Piccadilly Lights combines heritage with cultural currency, spectacle and prestige, delivering what we call the brand halo effect. Piccadilly has been at the forefront of advertising for 118 years. This latest evolution reinforces Piccadilly’s place as the cultural heart of modern London.”

Study highlights Piccadilly Lights’ social amplification

Piccadilly Lights recently worked with the BBC on a tribute to Sir David Attenborough for his 100th birthday. The display generated 1.35 billion views, according to Landsec and Ocean Outdoor.

An independent study commissioned by Ocean Outdoor and Landsec has also examined the social amplification potential of Piccadilly Lights and The Venue. The research found that more than one in three organic digital impressions from a campaign can be driven by Piccadilly Lights alone.

The study also found that Piccadilly Lights can generate 139 million organic social impressions in a single month, while a single DOOH campaign can reach audiences across up to 107 countries.

Study points to longer-term brand impact

The research identified what it describes as a longevity dividend, with Coca-Cola recording twice the brand halo of an average standard campaign.

The format changes to Piccadilly Lights will take effect from January 2027, expanding the options available to brands using the screen alongside The Venue.

www.oceanoutdoor.com

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