HISCOX Billboard Reacts in Real Time to Cyber Attacks

In a media first to demonstrate the threat cyber-crime poses to small business, Hiscox insurance has created a digital poster that uses hackers in real time to power the headline. This is part of a broader drive to assert leadership in the cyber risk marketplace.

Connected to live servers, the poster saw hacks represented as real-time exploding dots creating the word ‘Cyber attack’, the more attacks on the server, the more the poster headline visually reacted.

The poster was connected to the internet via ‘honey pot’ servers - these servers are typically the type used by small businesses and therefore seemed like fair game for hackers. On average, the server received over 23,000, and at peak, 60,000 attacks in 24 hours.

The posters, located at prime sites around the UK, graphically react in real time to attacks, with a live ticker showing passers-by the cumulative amount of attacks to have hit the honeypot that day.

The insurance company partnered with advertising agency AMV BBDO, media agency Goodstuff, and Out-of-Home specialists Talon and Grand Visual to create the Out-of-Home execution that will run for 1 week from the 19th February. The digital billboards will be seen all week across national Out-of-Home sites, including Canary Wharf, Euston, and key roadside locations in Glasgow.

The Honeypot creative aims to demonstrate the vulnerability of small businesses to cyber attacks in order to promote Hiscox’s Specialist Small Business Insurance. It came after Hiscox’s recent Cyber SME Study, conducted in December 2017, which found that 1 in 4 small businesses have been hit by a cyber attack.

Olivia Hendrick, Head of Marketing and Partnerships at Hiscox UK & Ireland commented:“Hiscox CyberLive is about making small businesses more aware of the very real threat that cyber crime poses and challenging the belief that cyber criminals only target larger organisations. We were genuinely astounded by the number of attacks, especially up to 60,000 in one day, and hope this disruptive campaign serves as a reminder to all of the importance of cyber security.” 

Roy Shepherd, Head of Out-of-Home at Goodstuff said: "We made full use of the dynamic capabilities of Digital Out-of-Home, representing real-time cyber attacks on our purpose built server in a way never before attempted. It’s a showcase of what can be achieved when we push the boundaries of inventiveness."

AMV’s Creative Directors, Clark Edwards and Andre Hull said: "We live in a technologically connected world. And for all the benefits it brings us, it also provides cyber criminals with new opportunities to exploit us - in both the home and in business. Our new campaign highlights the dangers of our new connected world and reinforces that we all need to be vigilant, Hiscox’s wealth of experience in cyber security can help businesses stay one step ahead of the cyber criminals."