Apotek: Blowing in the Wind
Apotek wanted Akestam Holst to launch their new hair product line, needing a campaign that cut through urban clutter. The challenge was to dynamically demonstrate product benefits - specifically hair movement and vitality - to commuters, primarily women. Apotek sought an unexpected, engaging approach to generate significant buzz, drive awareness, and make their new hair products memorable and desirable.
Creative Idea
Digital subway billboards showed models' hair blowing from passing trains.
Apotek created a hair product campaign where they installed digital billboards in subway tunnels that simulated wind blowing through a model's hair when trains passed by. The creative idea demonstrated the power and movement of their hair products through a clever, dynamic visual that caught commuters' attention in an unexpected and engaging way.
The Billboard That Sensed the Subway Wind
Ultrasonic Sensors and Precision Timing
To achieve the "magical" interaction, production company Stopp/Family installed ultrasonic sensors on the digital screens at Stockholm’s Odenplan subway station. These sensors were calibrated to monitor the physical environment rather than user input. The technical challenge was immense; the team had to account for varying train speeds to ensure the model’s hair reacted exactly when the gust of wind hit the platform. Because of the dusty, high - vibration environment of the tunnels, the agency Åkestam Holst was initially so uncertain about the tech’s reliability that they only booked the screens for a 24 - hour run.
From One Day to Global Viral Success
The immediate reaction from commuters forced an extension of the campaign for five additional days. With zero international media spend, the project became a global phenomenon through organic sharing. The case study reached over 190 countries, garnering millions of views on YouTube and Vimeo. Major outlets like CNN, the BBC, and TIME provided millions of dollars in earned media value. More importantly, Apotek Hjärtat reported that sales for the Apolosophy line exceeded all internal targets during the launch period.
A Human Touch in a Digital Space
Creative Director Magnus Jakobsson noted the goal was to see if technology could react to the environment itself rather than a person. While the model was a professional hire, her unscripted, playful laughter as she smoothed her hair back into place was cited by critics as the element that gave the ad its "human" feel. This success paved the way for a 2016 "sequel" - The Coughing Billboard - which used smoke detectors to make a digital model cough when commuters smoked nearby.
Creative Strategy Deconstructed
Company
Apotek (Apolosophy) offered a hair care line promising vitality and life. They had the technical ambition to move beyond traditional pharmacy retail displays into interactive, digital-first storytelling.
Category
The beauty category is dominated by static, over-edited imagery in magazines. These ads often feel passive and artificial, failing to demonstrate the 'movement' and health they claim to provide.
Customer
Subway commuters in Stockholm suffer from daily transit monotony. They crave small moments of wonder and surprise that break their routine while looking for products that work in the real world.
Culture
The emergence of 'Internet of Things' and responsive digital OOH allowed brands to interact with physical surroundings. Audiences were increasingly delighted by technology that bridged the gap between screen and reality.
Company
Apotek (Apolosophy) offered a hair care line promising vitality and life. They had the technical ambition to move beyond traditional pharmacy retail displays into interactive, digital-first storytelling.
Category
The beauty category is dominated by static, over-edited imagery in magazines. These ads often feel passive and artificial, failing to demonstrate the 'movement' and health they claim to provide.
Strategy:
Use environmental triggers to turn a static product promise into a reactive, magical moment of real-world proof.
Customer
Subway commuters in Stockholm suffer from daily transit monotony. They crave small moments of wonder and surprise that break their routine while looking for products that work in the real world.
Culture
The emergence of 'Internet of Things' and responsive digital OOH allowed brands to interact with physical surroundings. Audiences were increasingly delighted by technology that bridged the gap between screen and reality.
Strategy:
Use environmental triggers to turn a static product promise into a reactive, magical moment of real-world proof.
Strategy Technique
Dramatize the Invisible Benefit
The campaign made the dynamic benefit of hair movement visible and engaging. It dramatically demonstrated vitality, which is often hard to convey in static advertising.
Explore Technique
Creative Technique
Hijack the Medium
The campaign transformed subway billboards into dynamic displays. It used passing trains' wind to animate models' hair, turning the medium itself into an interactive demonstration.
Explore Technique
Craft Breakdown
This campaign's craft is exceptional for its ingenious integration of a brilliant core idea with advanced digital technology to create a surprising and contextually relevant interactive experience.
The seamless integration of ultrasonic sensors with dynamic digital screens to create a real-time, responsive visual effect triggered by external stimuli demonstrates remarkable technical ingenuity.
The fluid and lifelike animation of the hair, transforming from serene to dramatically wind-blown, effectively delivers on the product promise of making hair 'come alive'.
The campaign's magic truly shines through the synergy between the brilliant strategic idea, the advanced digital craft, and the dynamic real-world environment of the subway, making the interaction feel organic and genuinely surprising.
