Oceanview: Between the Waves of Five by Five’s Secret Weapon

Predicting the future is, of course, a risky business. This year - perhaps more than any other - has shown how even the very best-laid plans can be upended by unpredictable forces outside of our control.

All the more impressive, then, that Oceanview was first conceived 12 years ago. The bespoke asset management and delivery software, developed by independent creative agency Five by Five, allows for seamless delivery across an array of different channels both digital and print, as well as providing a comprehensive library for asset management. If such an ability seems perfectly-placed to rise to the challenges of the modern multi-channel industry, that speaks only to the prescience of the team behind the idea. 

Needless to say, the ability to build a delivery strategy into a creative campaign from the very outset is something of an advantage for Five by Five and its clients. On top of that, the platform provides a built-in asset management system to ensure all work is organised and streamlined. To find out more about Oceanview, and how it’s being used to take the agency’s work to the next level, we spoke to operations director, Linda Pengelly.

Calmer Waters

It doesn’t take long to understand the appeal of Oceanview. At a time where there is a seemingly endless procession of channels and campaigns, delivery has become just another headache for brands, marketers, and creatives alike. Oceanview, on the other hand, ensures smooth waters.

“One of the funny things about Oceanview is that it was originally built purely for digital assets”, notes Linda Pengelly. “But over the years we’ve built on it and adapted so that it can be used for more traditional forms of media. PDFs for print, radio scripts, you name it - we have a platform that can accommodate everything under one roof”.

QC - Another boon for Five by Five is the software’s built-in quality control. “Because of the way in which permissions are set up on the platform”, says Linda, “there are three layers of quality control that each and every asset has to go through before it can even be sent to the client for final approval. So that level of assured quality control is built-in to everything we do”. 

Five by Five’s clients, for their part, notice the difference. Ben Collis, media director at Activision (a long-term partner of Five by Five) explains that: "Quite simply, we just wouldn't be able to get our campaigns live without Oceanview. Our market managers need to see and approve every asset we create for Call of Duty, and Oceanview allows them to do it so easily and quickly that it streamlines a very arduous process and eliminates any incorrect ads going out - even when we're dealing with over 5,000 ad units, across 29 different markets.”

DLA Piper, a law firm with offices in five continents, have been working alongside Five by Five for a number of years. Boko Inyundo, the firm’s senior marketing manager for the technology sector, notes that ‘The Oceanview platform promotes more effective communication and collaboration not only between the agency and us as the client, but also within our globally dispersed client team. That is something of particular value where one is seeking to drive more integrated and coherent outcomes across several markets."

For Boko, the platform’s reliability is a major asset. “It helps ensure a consistency in, and quality of, branding across all assets and channels which - more importantly - enhances our own customers’ experience of our brand”, he says. ‘It is easy to use as a storage facility and is key to establishing a more seamless approval process for creative campaigns that involve multiple assets and stakeholders and, in so doing, saves us time and budget."

Perhaps the best expression of Oceanview’s advantages for Five by Five’s clients is to consider the likely alternatives. “One of the things we do often hear”, explains Linda, “is that it’s a million miles away from permissions and versions which get lost in a never-ending email chain. It’s a much more satisfying way of working!”.

Versioning, in particular, provides a substantial benefit in the context of the modern industry. “Out of all the feedback we’ve had on Oceanview”, says Linda, “one of the most common things you hear is how appreciative people are of the program’s versioning features. Because of the way Oceanview is set up, it’s actually impossible to send an old asset to the client. You can be assured that you’re always working on the most up-to-date version of any project, which is gold dust for creatives used to trawling through email after email to be sure they’re up to date”. 

Charting a Creative Course

For an agency which prides itself on its independent creativity, Oceanview can play a vital role when it comes to fleshing out ideas at Five by Five. 

“One thing to make absolutely clear is that there is no substitute for creativity, and no amount of technical wizardry can truly replace it”, confirms Linda. “But I would say that Oceanview alleviates the pressure on creatives in terms of knowing exactly where their ideas will end up. It strips away all of the boring questions about precisely how we need to ensure an asset is made in order to be delivered, and allows them to focus simply on being creative”. 

Additionally, creatives at Five by Five benefit from more in-the-moment applications from Oceanview. “It allows both clients and creatives to see their ideas in-situ, as it were”, says Linda. “So if you’re building a digital asset, you can visualise how it’s going to look once it’s live and public. That might be on a news website, a digital billboard, whatever - you can visualise it and it gives such a good sense of where you’re at with any given project”.

Staying Fresh

A key part of Oceanview’s value for Five by Five has been its constant iteration. By never standing still, the platform has been able to re-invent itself and be able to cater for ever-changing needs in the industry.

“One of the things we’re really excited about building into the programme is a more sophisticated tracking software, one which can build up a set of actionable data for clients”, reveals Linda. “Of course, we have all the assets right there, from existing and past campaigns combined. If we can bring that together with a system of reporting and metrics, that’s one way in which we’re looking to provide even more value for clients”.

On top of that, plans are being drawn up to fine-tune the collaborative way in which Oceanview brings out the best creativity. “There’s obviously an awful lot of task management solutions out there”, acknowledges Linda, “but you find they tend to be very list-based. We find that creatives like to work with something a little more visual, more expressive. There’s a lot Oceanview can do to provide that already, but that’s something else we’re looking at building on and developing into the future”.

A Port in the Storm

The Oceanview platform, then, looks set to remain a powerful and unique asset for Five by Five’s clients well into the future. Whilst in the immediate term the weather appears stormy and unpredictable, Oceanview is well-placed to provide a smoother, clearer, and more assured journey from campaign to delivery.