Ten ordinary men and women with extraordinary jobs (airtraffic controller, lighthouse-keeper, chimney sweep etc) invited people to pop in for a cup of coffee. They did it on billboards, ads, banners, social media posts, online films etc, which directed people to Bookatable. In collaboration with Bookatable we changed their format. Instead of restaurant descriptions we used personal portraits, which made people even more interested in having a ”fika” with one of our ten men and women.

Through ”An unexpected fika” we let ten ordinary people with extraordinary everyday lives host their own ”fikas” (coffee breaks) and invite the public to join them. We used broad media (billboards, Facebook, etc) to spread the word about each person’s venue. At the center of the campaign we put Bookatable, Sweden’s most popular restaurant booking service. But we replaced the the restaurant offers with in-depth stories from each fika-host. The booking procedure was simple – and free of charge. The availables fika dates filled up fast, bringing total strangers from all over Sweden together for coffee.

It’s critical to our business that people stay curious and continue to meet others to get new impressions and maybe even new friends. And do it over a cup of coffee. Curiosity about others drives our business and this activity encouraged curiosity. This is long haul approach doesn’t convert instantly to business impact.

The response to our fika invites was immediate and all dates were booked within hours. The waiting list grew long and the project managers received calls from people begging to get on the list.

With Bookatable as our platform and a carefully orchestrated combination of digital and social channels we managed to make an impression and share the fika experience with more than 4 out of 10 million Swedes.

We celebrated and encouraged curiosity that made people overcome their shyness and passiveness.

Almost half of all Swedes were touched by our “unexpected fika”.