The way we see it, the ultimate brand experience of a lottery that calls up its winners by phone, is to experience a phone call yourself. Of course, winning the grand prize is for the very few – but having a shot at your dreams is for all. This campaign gave people the chance to experience the thrill of a lottery, every morning for a week. Activating 12% of Norways population.

Located in a small town called Hamar, the national lottery is a big thing in Norway. They have held a draw every Saturday on national tv since the start in 1986, and they call you if you win. Making the phone call from Hamar the most desired phone call in Norway. Actually, «The phone call from Hamar» has turned in to a cultural saying, meaning suddenly becoming a millionaire. Over the last years they have struggled to attract new players, though. With falling broadcast ratings, and aggressive competition from foreign online casinos, they needed to engage those under 40 in a new way.

The wake up call from Hamar Set the alarm – Dream sweet dreams – And wake-up a milionaire. We invited everyone in Norway to schedule a wake-up call from the famous Hamar phone, every morning for five days, with the chance to wake up to a million kroner. By taking our tradition for calling people, and making it into a wake-up service, we demonstrated what our lotteries are about, and made the brand experience accessible for everyone. The idea also cemented our slogan: Give your dream a shot.

So, how do you get 12% of Norways population (18+) to wake up to an ad? The thrilling sensation of waiting for a phone call from Hamar is hard to describe to those who have never bought a ticket, or have forgotten how it feels. And the feeling you get when your mobile calls and the number (or name and logo) of the lottery turns up in your display, has been reserved for the very few. With the wake-up call from Hamar we aimed to engage the younger generations, by making this accessible. After experiencing wake-up calls from Hamar for a week, people probably wants Hamar to call them again. And the only way to make that happen, is by getting a ticket in the lottery.

The idea is developed for, and based around, the mobile phone. The site are made with the functions of a standard digital alarm clock, designed with easy steps for ordering wake-up calls for the following week. The site also let people add the National Lottery’s contact card to their cell phones, facing the name and new logo everytime we made a call. We got the emloyee knowned for making the Hamar calls, to record five different wake ups, one for each day, sounding as natural as possible. Of course all winners (1 mill on Friday, 50k other days) got their live wake up calls from the same employee. To make all the calls, the back end system was developed manage up to 100 calls pr. second. People got invited to set their alarms through a promotional campaign in various channels. Please watch the added videos for site tutorial and promos

492 679 people signed up for wake-up calls, leaving us their name and phone number. Over 50% of them downloaded the contact card, facing our name and new logo every time we made a call. We made over 2 million uniqe wake-up calls in 5 days. The promo reached 552 000 organic views on Facebook. 77% of all visitors on the site ordered alarms. The campaign led to a 360% increase in new customers, compared to the weeks before launching.