Background

As one of Denmark’s largest energy companies in Denmark, Norlys was in danger of being perceived as a greedy company by Danes struggling to make ends meet with historically high energy bills. To make sure that wasn't the case and live up to their position as a responsible brand, they wanted to act and help those most affected by the energy crisis.

Creative idea

Unplug Denmark was a fundraising initiative that flipped the switch on an entire country’s energy habits. The more electricity saved on January 1st, the bigger the donation from Norlys to Red Cross. Together with Denmark’s top music artists, we gathered the nation around something never seen before on primetime TV, replacing four consecutive commercial breaks with unique, unplugged performances in the dark.

Strategy

Since everybody needs energy, the target audience were incredibly broad, including Danes in all ages and demographics. Our strategy was to create a nationwide campaign that would reach as many Danes as possible across all media channels. Most importantly, we collaborated with the national TV station, TV2, on the night of January 1, where most people are to be found in front of the television. 

Execution

Together with Denmark’s top music artists, we gathered the nation around something never seen before on primetime TV. We replaced four consecutive commercial breaks with unique, unplugged performances by Denmark’s top musical talents, who spoke directly to the audience, asking them to turn off the lights at home to generate a larger donation to Red Cross. To encourage the behaviour change, we let people track exactly how much electricity was collectively saved – and the size of the donation – in real time on our campaign website.

The work ran on print, social, digital, and Danish primetime TV from 26 December to 2 January. 

Results

In one day, the Danish population had cut their total electricity consumption by an impressive 17%, raising 45 million DKK or roughly 6 million Euros. The largest donation in The Danish Red Cross' history. A donation that has already helped 16.000 families. And while Denmark went dark, the conversation lit up. The campaign reached 97% of the Danish population across all media, gathered 75 million impressions and increased brand consideration by +13pp. And so, our national experiment not only empowered people to help those in those in need, but it also triggered massive green behaviour change, with just the flick of a switch.

Cultural context

The energy crisis had a profound impact on the poorest Danes during the winter. As one of Denmark’s largest energy companies, Norlys was in danger of being perceived as a greedy company by Danes struggling to make ends meet with historically high energy bills. To make sure that wasn't the case and live up to their position as a responsible brand, they wanted to act and help those most affected by the energy crisis.