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.
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.
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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.
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