Time-Free Zone
Renowned the world over for the Northern Lights, few travellers consider Northern Norway as a summer destination. Our challenge was to put the region on the map and to raise awareness of the midnight sun, shining a light on all the possibilities this natural phenomenon brings.
Featured in more than 3,000 web articles, as well an array of TV and radio reports across more than 80 countries, our campaign achieved a total reach of 2.5bn, amounting to a media value of $20m. All from a media spend of zero.
It's true to say that the midnight sun has a profound impact on the way lives are conducted in Northern Norway. It liberates communities all across the region as if to free people from the constraints of time itself; if you want to go for a swim at 4am, what's to stop you?
Inspired by this mindset, we developed an idea to create the world’s first time-free zone and identified the small island of Sommarøy (literally translated as ‘Summer Island’) as the perfect place to base our initiative. Working closely with members of the 321-strong community, we grew a grassroots campaign which the islanders could take ownership of.
Co-ordinated by a charismatic local, the community held meetings, contributed films to the Facebook campaign page and even gathered signatures for a petition to take to the Norwegian parliament. Some even fastened their watches to the island's bridge like love locks. It's fair to say, the islanders fully embraced the idea.
News of our mission soon spread. Neighbouring communities pledged their support, national press scrambled to cover the story and an ever-growing number of people followed events online.
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Within just a matter of days, the story of Sommarøy had gone global. All of the world’s major media covered the story, including the BBC, CNN, Fox News, The New York Post, Time, Vogue, Vanity Fair, Sky, The Guardian, The Sun, Bild to name but a few.
Subsequently, the island of Sommarøy continues to frequently feature in travel sections and supplements all across the world, and most recently saw itself out-rank Corsica, Ibiza and The Maldives to scoop 4th position in the Daily Mail's Top 50 Best Island Retreats.
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Featured in more than 3,000 web articles, as well an array of TV and radio reports across more than 80 countries, our campaign achieved a total reach of 2.5bn, amounting to a media value of $20m. All from a media spend of zero.
It's true to say that the midnight sun has a profound impact on the way lives are conducted in Northern Norway. It liberates communities all across the region as if to free people from the constraints of time itself; if you want to go for a swim at 4am, what's to stop you?
Inspired by this mindset, we developed an idea to create the world’s first time-free zone and identified the small island of Sommarøy (literally translated as ‘Summer Island’) as the perfect place to base our initiative. Working closely with members of the 321-strong community, we grew a grassroots campaign which the islanders could take ownership of.
Co-ordinated by a charismatic local, the community held meetings, contributed films to the Facebook campaign page and even gathered signatures for a petition to take to the Norwegian parliament. Some even fastened their watches to the island's bridge like love locks. It's fair to say, the islanders fully embraced the idea.
News of our mission soon spread. Neighbouring communities pledged their support, national press scrambled to cover the story and an ever-growing number of people followed events online.
Within just a matter of days, the story of Sommarøy had gone global. All of the world’s major media covered the story, including the BBC, CNN, Fox News, The New York Post, Time, Vogue, Vanity Fair, Sky, The Guardian, The Sun, Bild to name but a few.
Subsequently, the island of Sommarøy continues to frequently feature in travel sections and supplements all across the world, and most recently saw itself out-rank Corsica, Ibiza and The Maldives to scoop 4th position in the Daily Mail's Top 50 Best Island Retreats.
