The Copycat…

In February this year, to introduce a new line of shampoo a Swedish pharmacy installed digital billboards in the subway. These billboards were very different from most, as it was equipped with ultrasonic sensors that detect oncoming trains. As a train approached the station, the hair of the model of the billboard would get blown by the “wind” from the train as a person with long hair on the platform would, thus making her “hair come alive” (Apotek Youtube Video). This went quite viral beginning of the year and I am sure many have seen the video but here it is again:

In October, for two days, another copycat hit the Swedish digital billboards in the metro….

…but this time it was MUCH MUCH more impactful.

Barncancerfonden did an amazing job using a surprise element (as most people in Sweden were aware of the Apotek Shampoo ad and had an expectation of its ending) to deliver a shockingly impactful message that every day at least one child is diagnosed with cancer. Moreover, it creates a sudden change in emotional intensity- apparent from the looks of bystanders where they changed from being amused to being upset- that allowed an ad that only appeared in one subway station for two days to become a viral ad that received more than 2.5 million views on YouTube.

Creating awareness does not have to be come from a large media spend (although of course that helps); an idea that can emotionally move the audience to act can deliver a much higher ROI. Barncancerfoden use of advertising, technology, insights, and psychology successfully delivered to all ends of the world a beautiful message that everyone needs to be aware of.