Comic Relief Turns Awkward Photos Into a Giant OOH Launch for Red Nose Day 2026

Meta description: Comic Relief launched Red Nose Day 2026 with “Take Yourself Funny For Money,” projecting celebrities’ “Best Worst Photos” onto Battersea Power Station and inviting the public to share awkward snaps using #BestWorstPhoto and #rnd26.

A One-Night OOH Spectacle to Start Red Nose Day Season

Comic Relief has kicked off its Red Nose Day 2026 campaign with a bold, laugh-out-loud public moment: a one-night-only projection of celebrities’ cringeworthy “Best Worst Photos” onto Battersea Power Station.

The campaign, titled “Take Yourself Funny For Money,” was developed and launched by Ogilvy UK, turning one of London’s most recognizable landmarks into a giant screen for self-deprecating humour—exactly the kind of cultural truth that travels fast in the UK.

The Creative Hook: Britain’s Love for Laughing at Ourselves

The idea is simple and instantly relatable: everyone has an awkward photo they’d rather forget. Comic Relief is flipping that universal “cringe” into a reason to participate, share, and donate.

To bring the concept to life, the projection featured celebrity images designed to feel familiar, harmless, and perfectly shareable—like Claudia Winkleman’s smudged eyeliner look from the 2013 GQ Awards and Miranda Hart’s infamous school photo—alongside other recognizable UK faces including Davina McCall, Big Zuu, and La Voix.

How the Activation Was Built: Landmark Projection Meets Immersive Production

Large-scale OOH stunts only work when the execution matches the ambition. For this one, Ogilvy UK collaborated with immersive digital experience specialist Pixel Artworks to deliver the projection experience at Battersea Power Station.

The result is exactly what a campaign launch needs: a single, unmistakable hero moment that looks great in person and even better on camera.

Manchester Extension: Printworks Adds National-Scale Visibility

To widen reach beyond London, branded content also ran at Printworks Manchester, one of the UK’s best-known entertainment complexes. This kind of secondary placement matters because it helps the campaign feel national, not local—while adding frequency and keeping the launch visible after the headline moment.

The Real Multiplier: Hashtags and User-Generated Content

The stunt is designed to be the spark, not the whole fire. The campaign invites the public to post their own awkward snaps using #BestWorstPhoto and #rnd26, creating a frictionless path from “I saw that” to “I can do that.”

That’s the smart part: the celebrity photos trigger attention, but user-generated content scales the idea. Every post becomes a mini billboard in someone’s feed, pushing awareness forward week after week.

The Strategic Brief: A “Hero Idea” That Starts the Fundraising Journey

Ogilvy UK was appointed Comic Relief’s creative and strategic partner for Red Nose Day 2026 after a competitive pitch. The brief was to create an attention-grabbing “big idea” that could serve as the hero moment launching the fundraising campaign.

This execution delivers exactly that: a single, photogenic cultural moment that also functions as an open invitation for the public to join in.