This document provides an overview of Holler, a creative digital agency, through a series of case studies and projects they have worked on. It highlights how Holler creates innovative digital experiences and marketing campaigns across multiple platforms for clients in industries such as television, music, and travel. Examples include developing interactive games, websites, videos, and applications to engage audiences for shows, brands, and social issues. The document demonstrates Holler's expertise in blurring the line between content and marketing to immerse users and build communities.
1. Hello
This is a book about Holler.
It’s a book about our history,
our work, our people and
our culture.
Enjoy.
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3. The Dog on Wheel’s humble abode.
Shot from the Holler Film.
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5. Holler Film
For ourselves
Take a journey through the studio
In 2007 we rebranded. Our business had evolved over
the years, from what was initially a very small creative
studio to a respected and established (and still creative)
digital agency that worked for big, sexy brands. As part
of the rebrand we wanted to create a Holler film that
showcased our work and expressed the personality of
the company and of the people that make it all happen.
The result was a magical flight through the Holler
creative studio, with views of our most celebrated work
displayed on different devices.
10. Movie Rush
Film4
Multiplatform movie snacks
Channel 4 wanted to create a groundbreaking We believed that traditional production values and
digital-only film programme to support their expensive presenters wouldn’t be right for conveying
dedicated film channel, Film4, and their soon to a show on a user’s mobile, for example. We wanted
launch Channel 4 online movie player. We created a to tap into the way a modern user snacks on content
short-form programme featuring a range of content by producing a show specifically for the small
punctuated by bold, branded, snappy typographic screen, aimed at a digital savvy and content hungry
commentary. The text sits adjacent to the clips so audience who want their content either at their desk
you are not forced to read it nor does it replace or on the move. By creating it for the net, mobiles
film footage. and ipods, the show would perfectly and seamlessly
run between different mediums, reflecting precisely
We wanted to create a show which was perfectly the sort of lifestyle choices the modern consumer
fitting for how users consumed content at the time. now makes.
17. Year Dot
Channel 4 Education
Naked online for all to see
Arguably one of our most ambitious projects ever
undertaken, Year Dot followed the lives of 15 teenagers
during what they hoped would be their life-changing year.
Each was prepared to put their lives online, naked for all
to see, with the aim of harnessing the power of social
networks to find out how far they could use them to help
achieve their goals.
The teens were regularly filmed, recorded video diaries
and posted blogs. Our online audience were able to
follow their progress through these blogs and videos and
then engaged with them directly, exactly as they would
their own MySpace friends, to offer advice and support.
A wonderfully transparent and uninhibited online
experiment into social media.
21. Mind ‘n’ Seek
Department of Health
Invisible learning through gaming
Despite the continually rising number of cases of mental
illness in the UK, young people see discussion around
the topic as taboo. The Department of Health wanted to
start to combat this growing trend and so created the
‘Mind out for Mental Health’ initiative. They asked us to
help drive awareness of the campaign online amongst
the target audience. We set about creating a tool to
engage and educate teenagers about mental health
and unravel the unfounded stigmas attached to it.
We created two websites so that we could measure
how successful our engagement approach would be
against the use of a traditional, HTML, text information
site. Both sites held exactly the same information about
mental health, the difference being the way it was
delivered. The game site was a ten level exploratory
game that asked users to answer questions on
mental health to progress. Completion of levels was
incentivised by free weekly music downloads and the
game was supported by a local offline sticker campaign.
The site achieved an average user time of 41 minutes as
well as recognition in the House of Commons. Perhaps
proof that ‘invisible learning’ as a concept can be hugely
successful and that the presentation of traditionally
‘boring’ information can be innovative.
29. Bring it On
Channel 4
Swashbuckling viral game fun
In the summer of 2005 Channel 4 pulled off a major We created a comedic online game that played on
coup by winning the rights to broadcast the Ashes the ‘Pom vs Convict’ rivalry. England cricket legend
Cricket tour from Sky. It was 20 years since England WG Grace would ‘knock’ opponents back to Australia
had won the Ashes on home soil. An exciting young through a series of obstacles. After the second test
England team was emerging and bets were being taken England victory, the game would quickly become an
that they might oust the ageing Aussie competition. essential pre-match ritual for all desk-bound fans that
would ensure an on pitch victory! The game had over
3.5 million plays.
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34. The Loose Cannons music video: ‘Out for the Night’
Holler puts Fader and Sauce through their paces during a fairly filthy video shoot.
38. Oxford St. Window Display
Selfridges & Co
Fantastical window display
Holler were approached by Selfridges to help drive
awareness of their scheduled monthly in-store
promotions through digital means, to an audience on
the move. We proposed a compelling installation to
engage passers by, encouraging them to go inside.
We created a motion graphics piece, which described
a fantastical journey through the store. The animated
movie depicted scenes familiar to any audience whilst
arranging them in a narrative that was exciting and
contemporary. This ‘attractor movie’ was created with
the sole intention of stopping people in their tracks and
looking stunning when engaged.
As well as just great looking content, we also split the
movie into component parts meaning the client would
be able to control everything from a simple back-end
and decide how to deliver the content each month.
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40. Sky Vegas Idents Sky Vegas is an interactive entertainment channel idents that would capture the spirit and glamour of
from BSkyB that broadcasts gambling programming, Las Vegas. Referencing gambling imagery from the
BSkyB allowing users to interact and play along at home. We casino world, the idents set out to induce a feeling of
Slick arse TV idents were commissioned to create a series of channel excitement prior to beginning game-play.
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43. Eurostar Ski
Eurostar
Snow-based desktop app
The Eurostar Ski train service takes people to the heart
of the French Alps. Our brief was to increase awareness
and fill the trains for the winter season. We created a
truly immersive experience for the Eurostar Ski brand.
Using the tagline ‘Your skiing starts here’, the site used
an exploratory environment to allow you to access
the Alps from your PC through beautiful animated
sequences. It stirred the snow in your soul and got you
in the mood for skiing. We established a copywriting
tone which gave users the true inside track; every
recommendation had been carefully researched and
each cunning resort-based tip was vetted by a group of
selected ski industry insiders and enthusiasts.
Our desktop application was designed to sit on your
desktop and alert you when snow had fallen in your
favoured resort. It even had a ten day live weather feed
and allowed you to navigate your way across the Alps,
spying on all the landmarks as though for real. Priceless.
51. Break the Drought
RSVP
Online dating, the green way
In the summer of 2007, Australia’s largest dating site
RSVP approached us to create a promotion that
highlighted the country’s 12 year long drought. In
an effort to get people to change their daily habits in
order to preserve water supplies, we created an RSVP
branded website that allowed users to create their own
pledge raindrop. As well as educating on how to take
water-saving measures, the site featured a live flickr feed
as part of each personalised rain drop.
56. Tom & Ron
For ourselves
Long live vandalism
We like to celebrate our talent. Animated short film
‘Tom & Ron’ showcases the awesome pairing of long
standing Holler designers Tom Haswell and Ron Jonzo.
This animated urban jungle romp demonstrates the
wealth of talent in the Holler creative team, mixing Ron’s
illustration skills with Tom’s animation techniques. Tom &
Ron is part of a series of ongoing self-initiated projects
that feature on the Holler website.
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62. Virgin Shoot Off anyone? Shoot ‘em up for Virgin Holidays. Opposite: Award winning games by Holler.
73. Skins
E4
Award smashing teen marketing
Channel 4 approached Holler with the task of turning Traditionally, a TV show is advertised just two weeks
the launch of Skins into an entertainment event for an before it’s broadcast. With Skins, we identified an
audience increasingly spending time away from the TV. opportunity to build a community of fans to help drive
Instead of trying to interrupt what our audience were positive word of mouth around the show well before
interested in, we wanted to become what they were it launched.
interested in. Our ambition was to blur the distinction
between the show and how it was marketed. We On the day of launch Skins received 1.6 million viewers
approached everything as an opportunity to extend the making it the largest ever audience for an E4 drama.
show experience by investing in interesting ways for fans To put this into context, this is a larger audience than
to meet and get to know the characters before a single Lost or 24 received at launch. Our work on Skins was
episode had aired. We wanted to involve the audience, celebrated with numerous awards including three
we invited their opinion and creativity and gave them the Gold IPAs.
tools to spread their enthusiasm.
84. All my heroes are size zeros. Animated blog from The Insiders.
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87. The Insiders
Channel 4 Education
Twisted cross-platform comedy
Teenage careers advice has never been this funny. We exploded the storyline into multiple parts,
The Insiders lifted the lid on six real working lives in a fragmenting content across the net and encouraged
transparent and hilarious warts and all comedy drama. our audience to seek, find and follow. As part of our
With writer Roger Drew (The Mighty Boosh, Moving marketing, we negotiated placement with MySpace who
Wallpaper, 11 O’Clock Show) and in collaboration with housed much of the content in return for promotional
Twenty Twenty Television, we set out to do something space across their home page, video communities and
different with a familiar format. After casting six comedy areas. We grew the community from a standing
whistleblowers from different ends of the career start and completed our offering with podcasts,
spectrum (Actress, Musician, Policeman, Fashion workplace guides and all manner of inventive and
Assistant, Doctor, Teacher) we took ten weeks worth of involving partnerships. Truly cross platform.
real blogs and wove them into a fictional comedy plot.
The result appealed to teenagers who’re more used
to playing Grand Theft Auto (jumping between 1000+
alternate plot lines) than following Hill Street Blues
(two stories in two seasons).