Try’s campaign for Nordic telco, Telia, must be the simplest execution ever. It’s a recycled cardboard box. The Pause Box encourages customers to disconnect from screens rather than and it has been extremely successful. It has already topped Norway’s Advertising Exchange (Reklamebørsen) – twice.
“This is a campaign completely out of the ordinary for Telia. We’re going from talking about the possibilities with 5G to encouraging people to take a break. For many, it’s no longer about connecting. The challenge is to disconnect, stated Ingvild Stubhaug Steg, marketing director at Telia Norway. “The Pause Box, made from recycled cardboard and designed to hold up to 12 mobile phones, has been available free in Telia stores across Norway, with many locations reporting they’ve run out of stock.”
The Pause Box was launched in Norway after research revealed 75% of parents with children under 16 experience that their children spend too much time on screens, with four out of ten finding it difficult to balance children’s screen use with other activities, and almost half saying they themselves spend too much time on their mobile phones.
“The campaign resonates with a feeling that most people have been experiencing. With the Pause Box on the kitchen table, it becomes easier to prioritise time together and to talk about screen use,” commented Egil Pay, creative director at Try.
Try developed the creative concept, with commercials produced by Pravda.
After its success in Norway, Telia is now using AI technology to extend the campaign to Lithuania. Rather than recreating the advertisements from scratch, the agency employed AI to adapt the original Norwegian content – enabling the Norwegian actors to appear as if speaking fluent Lithuanian through voice and lip-sync technology.
“We considered producing new material based on the core idea, but instead chose to adapt the Norwegian content using AI. For a company like Telia, AI technology opens many possibilities when it comes to sharing content across countries,” stated Jurgita Kojenets, brand manager at Telia Lithuania.
