Fortum: SWEDEN´S CRAZIEST CHRISTMAS LIGHTS

Credits & Description:

Advertiser: FORTUM
Agency: MINDSHARE, GARBERGS, SPRINGTIME
Category: Corporate Communication
Account Manager: Anna Alfonzetti (Garbergs)
Photographer: Bisse Bengtsson (Adamsky)
Art Director: Erik Dagnell (Garbergs)
Account Supervisor: Jan Lindforss (Garbergs)
Copywriter: Per Forssberg (Garbergs)
Creative Director: Petter Ödeen (Garbergs)
Grapich Design: Karin Roberts (Garbergs)
Account Manager: Malin Boustedt (Garbergs)
Digital Producer: Niclas Bergström (Garbergs)
Original: Roger Blomqvist-Ranft (Garbergs)
Agency Assistant: Wiliam Lötman (Garbergs)
Rekvisitör: Bengt Fröderberg (Magnolia)
Art Director: Lotta Mårlind (Garbergs)
Event: Minnesota Communications (Minnesota Communications)

Strategy
We wanted to create awareness and engagement during the most advertising-intensive period of the year, which also happens to be pitch black in Sweden. Sponsoring the City of Stockholm with Christmas lights provides Fortum high credibility as officials from the city confirms the fact that electricity is good, important and affordable. By relating facts about electricity use per street, fun comparisons were planned into a conversation calendar for Fortum's Facebook page. The aim was to continually update the site with witty and relevant knowledge of the electricity value during the entire promotion period (as an example “Did you know that powering all the lights on this street cost as much each day as a sub at the deli on the corner”.) With the sponsorship as a springboard we could launch the competition, making the involvement and interest greater, thus promoting dialogue with the target audience.

Relevancy
Fortum wants to change the perception that electricity is expensive, and show how electricity is an affordable product. The public opinion towards energy companies is generally critical and as one of the major energy producers, we have the challenge to accentuate price value and benefits of heat and power. Fortum is also pursuing a trademark move from the current picture of a rather impersonal and individualistic company. This project would both increase awareness in the target audience of how energy efficient lighting is inexpensive and help make Fortum be perceived as more inclusive and customer-oriented.

Client Brief Or Objective
The target audience was the public in cities and regions where Fortum have major customer groups. Overall objectives were to increase awareness for Fortum's community involvement. Campaign goal was to create the opportunity for integrated communications across all channels and a high interactivity with the target audience. Quantitative objective for the interactivity was to double the number of followers on Facebook and for the PR work a set number of articles and media distribution in the country. Christmas was the perfect opportunity to create interest in the product electricity and to create an interactive contest with high media exposure.

Effectiveness
The competition received a total of 129 quality contributions and 10,203 votes (see www.fortum.se/julbelysning). At the same time we increased presence in social media with messages of affordability. Fortum tripled its followers on Facebook and got associated with terms such as light and LED with a heavy dominance compared with competitors in the same period (94% and 92.5% of total the twitter stream) gaining tweets and blog posts commenting on Fortum's campaign and message.The campaign gave more than 60 articles with a reach of 3.21 million and an advertising value of 1.3m SEK with a spread across the country, as well as stories on local TV and Radio. After the campaign 8 out of 10 were positive to Fortum’s cooperation with the City of Stockholm and the sponsorship of the Christmas lights. The awareness of Fortum's CSR work rose by 200% compared with a benchmark measurement. (source: NOVUS Opinion.)

Campaign Description
The energy company Fortum wanted to share the Christmas spirit and tell about how modern LED-technology gets you lot of light at a low cost. The predominant image is that electricity is expensive. To show the opposite Fortum sponsored Stockholm with 600.000 lights and still the electric bill didn’t amount to more than 60 euros a day.But Fortum couldn’t decorate a whole country. So how to reach beyond the people in the capital? And how to get the message across? We arranged a competition on Facebook. Could we find Sweden’s Craziest Christmas Lights? As first prize we gave away one year of free electricity.As inspiration we decorated a balcony and a hot dog stand. The installations became Instagram blockbusters. We also decorated hot dog stands in various small towns. We promoted the competition through outdoor advertising, newspaper ads and on hot dog napkins. At the same time we kept repeating and exemplifying the message on Facebook and Twitter, how a little money gets you a lot of light. Various bloggers picked up the activity giving it an extra boost. The campaign got massive media attention reaching more than 3,2 million people.The competition got hundreds of entries and tens of thousands of votes. After the campaign 8 out of 10 were positive to the co-operation with Stockholm City. And the attention for Fortum’s CSR-work increased by 200%. Also Fortum tripled its number of followers on Facebook and made a lot of Swedes happier in the process.

Execution
We arranged the competition 'Sweden's Craziest Christmas Lights?' on Facebook, promoting interactivity and dissemination of the campaign message. We decorated a balcony and a hot dog stand in Stockholm. The installations were key visuals throughout the campaign, receiving enormous attention and spread via Instagram and other social media.It was crucial that the campaign would spread through earned media as the campaign budget was extremely limited. Bloggers got wind of the contest and the installations created massive interest. As entries in the competition came in from various parts of the country we informed local media.We appointed a jury of leading lighting experts. Interviews and DIY-tips were packaged in a press kit as PR work. In the advertising pictures of the installations were combined with the message of affordability. We run ads, lit up bus shelters, used banners on Facebook and even napkins in the hot dog stands.