What it had to solve
A new automotive dual-brand wanted to announce itself in UK culture and remind city audiences that adventure is within reach; Uncommon's first campaign was still months away.
How it works
A compass was projected from an adjacent rooftop onto the BFI IMAX, spanning 1,256.6 square metres, pointing to destinations with real distances and bearings under the line "This time tomorrow you could have no idea where you are." Uncommon created; Wavemaker planned media; Ocean Outdoor handled installation.
What it did
No commercial results given. The installation was reported as the first advertising ever to appear on the BFI IMAX site, visible across London, and set the tone for the Uncommon partnership ahead of the February 2026 campaign.
Background
To mark the beginning of its project-based partnership with Uncommon Creative Studio, automotive dual-brand OMODA JAECOO transformed London's BFI IMAX into a navigational experience: a functioning compass spanning 1,256.6 square metres, projected from an adjacent rooftop — the first advertising ever to appear on the site. It pointed Londoners toward UK destinations such as Seaford, 91 miles and 160° South, or Snowdonia, 228 miles and 302° North West, and each side of the building carried the provocation "This time tomorrow you could have no idea where you are."
The work positioned JAECOO vehicles as versatile companions, equally at home in the city or on the road to nature, for an audience with "an appetite for adventure and a readiness to seize the moment." Three teams delivered it: creative strategy and ideas by Uncommon, media planning and strategic insight by Wavemaker, and execution and installation by Ocean Outdoor.
Uncommon co-founder Lucy Jameson said putting a compass on the rooftop "wasn't just about grabbing attention — it was about creating something meaningful, directional and optimistic... JAECOO isn't here to follow the category, but to carve its own path." OMODA JAECOO UK CEO Gary Lan called the takeover "an iconic statement of intent, reflecting the mindset of our customers: people who don't wait for permission to explore."
The takeover set the tone for the project-based relationship and preceded Uncommon's first campaign for OMODA, scheduled to launch in February 2026 (LBB reported the takeover on January 14, 2026).
Why it lands
The partnership's opening brief was a statement of intent, and a functioning compass made the brand literally directional.
First-ever advertising on the BFI IMAX gave the moment built-in news value and unmatched scale in London.
Real destinations, distances and bearings tied the spectacle to the product promise of spontaneous escapes.
What you can take
A landmark takeover earns attention when it does something, not just says something: a compass that actually points turns an ad into a useful, directional object.
Since then
Uncommon's first campaign for OMODA — the OMODA 7 'Everything is Essential' launch — followed as a separate work in early 2026. No commercial results for the installation were reported.
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