Australian telco Belong saw last year’s iPhone 13 announcement as an opportunity to talk to a new audience and get SIM cards into their phones.

So, rather than advertising the iPhone’s features like every other competitor, we focused on solving a problem apple fans were about to experience. Phone limbo. That sudden period of disconnection that happens when your new device starts transferring all your data from your old one. A time without memes, factoids and other internet wonders.

The Book of Limbo is the world’s first offline online wormhole, designed to keep you entertained while stranded between phones.

Available to preorder alongside the iPhone 13, it channels the wonder of the internet into 120 pages of original art – brought to life with 3D, illustration, photography and GAN technology. Just like a real internet wormhole, each page links to the next – covering such topics as reverse centaurs, royal conspiracies and whale poop facts. It even includes the entirety of Alice in Wonderland.

On the last page is a free $80 Belong SIM card, designed to help you explore real, internet wormholes just as your phone lights up again.

Belong’s brand platform is ‘It Feels Good to Belong’ - a joyful celebration of fun, whimsy and internet- fueled wonder.

As such, in a world that was all about digitizing the physical world, the Book of Limbo stood out by doing exactly the opposite – solving a first world problem in a playful way. Our target audience was anyone buying or considering a new phone (ages 18-45).

In order to connect with them, we launched a targeted campaign a week before the iPhone 13 drop that hijacked Apple’s coverage. We showed up on tech blogs that were announcing new features, on eCommerce sites that were selling the phone and even in the middle of influencer unboxing videos – inviting fans to pre-order the Book of Limbo so it would arrive alongside their new phones.

The Book of Limbo was printed locally and made with full sustainable materials. In line with Belong’s ethos, every step of the production was carbon offset.

We first launched with a targeted online and point of sale campaign a week before the iPhone 13 drop on September 24th, speaking directly to those pre-ordering the new iPhone 13 – ensuring they would have a book ready to go when they received their new phone.

It was so popular, we quickly targeted a wider audience of Apple fans (in early October) with our audiobook version, designed for smart speakers, making sure everyone who didn’t get a physical copy could still enjoy the ride while their new phone sets up.

We finished up our official campaign on October 25th, although we still get book requests every week.

This campaign earned 23+ million impressions, a 400% uplift in site traffic and heaps more brand consideration, with +50% purchase intent for those who saw the campaign.