People treasure memories that remind them of loved ones they’ve lost – from photographs and letters to old voice messages on an answering machine. These memories can provide comfort and experts say they can even have a positive impact on coping with grief. However, a digital memory runs the risk of being lost.
So NORD DDB and telco, Telenor Sweden, have made it possible to save voice messages forever with the free service, Missed calls.
“Every day, around 60,000 voice messages are left in our network, between people, and some of these can be very meaningful. We at Telenor Sweden are proud to have developed the service Missed Calls which allows our customers to preserve memories they hold dear, and perhaps it could also help someone process their grief,” stated Robert Nygren, head of advertising and media at Telenor Sweden.
Saving a voicemail from a deceased loved one can provide comfort and a sense of security in being able to hear the voice when needed. Studies show that hearing your mothers voice increases the level of oxytocin, also known as the love hormone, meaning a voicemail from a close person can bring comfort in a difficult situation.
“Maintaining a bond with a person who has passed away is an important part of the grieving process. A common worry among loved ones can be forgetting the person’s voice, and a saved voice message can then be a way to maintain this bond, which in turn can have a positive impact on the processing of grief,” commented Josefin Sveen, professor in clinical psychology and has researched about grief and also developed an app for parents in grief.
The idea for the service emerged when Josephine Wallin Ankarstrand, creative director at NORD DDB, lost a voice message her stepdad left on her voicemail shortly before he passed away. She then suggested to Telenor that there should be a service which could save voicemails forever.
“I thought about a voicemail from my stepdad which meant so much to me and which I was so afraid to lose. And then the thought came to mind, what if someone could help save something so valuable forever? Something that could also help someone in their grief,” says Josephine Wallin Ankarstrand, creative director at NORD DDB.
Telenor and NORD DDB’s research confirmed that others had tried in various ways to ensure their voicemails would not disappear. One person carried around an old phone to keep access to a voicemail from her mother. Another hadn’t updated her phone in five years in fear that a voicemail from her daughter would be lost, something that would feel like losing her all over again.
“It’s from my mum. She passed away almost 12 years ago. It’s a constant reminder that she is still there, even though she has passed away. And in times when I feel very far away from her, it helps me feel a little bit closer. Whenever I hear it, I get to hear her voice and that is a huge gift for me, says one person about a saved voicemail from his mother and which he has approved for Telenor to include in the campaign.”
Missed Calls is a web app where Telenor customers register with their phone number. After two-step verification, users can download their voice messages as sound files to either mobile or desktop.
Credits
Client: Telenor Sweden
Head of Marketing: Teresa Hedlund
Head of Advertising & Media: Robert Nygren
PR Manager: Boel Bengtsson
Content Manager: Maria Ahnlund
Copywriter & Creative Lead: Peter Eriksson
Advertising Agency: NORD DDB
Media Agency: PHD
Front-End & Design: Digital Fans
Backend: Memory Squared
Production Company Audio: House
Production Company Film: New Land
Music: Gustav Karlström
Director: Natanael Ericsson
DoP: Niklas Johansson
Executive Producer: Sophie Tamm Christensen
Producer: Viktor Jörneryd
Set Designer: Anna Lu
Stylist: Liselotte Bramstång
Editor: Martin Zaar
Colourist: Julien Alary
Sound: Ellinor Nilsson
