2015 Branded Content & Entertainment

THE WORLD’S FASTEST 70-YEAR-OLD

TitleTHE WORLD’S FASTEST 70-YEAR-OLD
BrandÅHLÉNS
Product/ServiceDEPARTMENT STORE.
Category A02. Non-Fiction: series or film
Entrant Company FORSMAN & BODENFORS Gothenburg, SWEDEN
Contributing Company FORSMAN & BODENFORS Gothenburg, SWEDEN
Media Agency MINDSHARE Gothenburg, SWEDEN
Production Company ACNE PRODUCTION Stockholm, SWEDEN
Credits
Name Company Position
Susanna Glenndahl Thorslund Forsman/Bodenfors Advertiser Supervisor
Sara Kling Forsman/Bodenfors Account Manager
Silla Levin Forsman/Bodenfors Art Director
Marcus Hägglöf Forsman/Bodenfors Copywriter
Håkan Larsson Forsman/Bodenfors Designer
My Troedsson Forsman/Bodenfors Planner
Helena Wård/Andreas Johansson Forsman/Bodenfors Digital Agency Producer
Chimney Pot - Post Production
Anders Jedenfors Acne Production Director
Kalle Wettre - Agency Producer
Philip Ekström - Music
Pia-Maria Falk Åhléns Project Manager

The Campaign

Åhléns are positioning themselves as ”the conscious department store”, so when they opened their new sports section for women, we chose to challenge the norm within sports advertising. Instead of using the typical super fit 20-yar-old, our campaign was fronted by a true inspiration. Barbro Bobäck started running at age 68, and today she is World Champion on 100 and 200 meters. We photographed her like any other sports star, and put her on billboards, ads and display windows. In a big event you could run 60 meters, and try to beat Barbro’s record. We also told her inspiring story in this online film. The reactions were overwhelming. Åhléns were applauded for highlighting a group that is seldom seen in media, and never in this particular context. And Barbro was praised for inspiring people to work out, or to do anything that they ”aren’t supposed to do”.

This was a small campaign, with a tiny budget. But thanks to Barbro, it still got a lot of exposure. Barbro’s story, and the fact that she was fronting Åhléns new sports section, was picked up by Sweden’s biggest news sites like Aftonbladet and Expressen, and other popular websites like Vardagspuls, Damernasvarld and Uppskattat. The film was Åhléns most liked and shared post ever on Instagram and Facebook. Actually, papers and TV-stations are still contacting Barbro to do a story about her. But what’s really uplifting is reading people’s comments in social media. People got inspired to pick up a sport, start jogging, or just try something new – whatever it might be. Because thanks to Barbro, they now know it’s never too late. And they know Åhléns is the place to go to gear up.

This is a short portrait of Barbro Bobäck – the world’s fastest 70-year-old and the star when Åhléns launched their new sports section. In the film we tell Barbro’s inspirational story, and we see her working out in the gym and on the track. The message is that exercising is for everyone and that it’s never too late to start working out. In the film, of course, Barbro is wearing clothes from Åhléns sports section.