The nearest town to the North Pole is Longyearbyen, Svalbard (78°N). In winter, the sun doesn’t rise here for 4 long dark months. This lack of light makes it the toughest town in the world to wake up in.We gave the town the Philips Wake Up Light, which simulates the sunrise. Waking up the natural way makes it easier to get up and leaves you feeling refreshed. But could it work in the extremes of the Arctic dark season?The biggest field study of its kind ever, documented in a series of amazing online mini-docs and by the town itself, in social media. The townsfolk’s honest reactions were not edited by Philips at any time.

A SOCIAL EXPERIMENT IN THE ARCTIC. To capture minds and change them, we took the Wake-up Light to the nearest town to the North Pole. Why this town? The people live in total darkness for 4 months in winter, making it the hardest town in the world to wake up in. The townsfolk tested the product through the dark season.

FOLLOWING ONLINE. People followed the experiment on YouTube, Facebook and an interactive campaign site, designed to reflect life in this dark Arctic town. The townsfolk’s honest reactions were not edited by Philips at any time. Amazing mini-doc films brought attention to the experiment, and seeding started the online conversation.

OBJECTIVES SURPASSED Achieved client goals for number of video views in the first 4 weeks. 1in 5 consumers in key markets now know what the light is, and does.PEOPLE WERE INSPIRED High level of unprompted interaction on Facebook, with fans talking directly to town residents. Unseeded blog reactions very positive.SALES UP ACROSS EUROPE Examples: purchase consideration grew in Sweden by 17%. In Holland, Philips grew the market by 17% in value and reached 93.8% market share.

PHILIPS BRAND IMAGE reinforced. The campaign has been effective on consumers’ knowledge, attitude and behaviour towards Philips and Philips Wake-up Light.