Title	SL DEAR HATERS
Brand	SL (STOCKHOLM PUBLIC TRANSPORT)
Product/Service	PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
Category	B03. Crisis Communication & Issue Management
Entrant	GARBERGS Stockholm, SWEDEN
Idea Creation	GARBERGS Stockholm, SWEDEN
PR	GARBERGS Stockholm, SWEDEN
Production	GARBERGS Stockholm, SWEDEN

Name	Company	Position
Lina Bergman	Garbergs Reklambyrå AB	Copywriter
John Lundquist Coey	Garbergs Reklambyrå AB	Art Director
Rebecca Lundin	Garbergs Reklambyrå AB	Planner
Mehrnaz Bejne	Garbergs Reklambyrå AB	Account Director
Ewa Staël von Holstein	Garbergs Reklambyrå AB	Account Executive
Rasmus Asp	Garbergs Reklambyrå AB	Graphic Designer
Emad Kurdie	Garbergs Reklambyrå AB	Motion designer
Danielle Miltenberger	Garbergs Reklambyrå AB	Motion Designer
Anders Thessing	Photographer	Photographer
Thomas Hansen	SL	Client
Linda Davidson	SL	Client
Karolina Wichman	SL	Client
Johanna Lindström	SL	Client

Why is this work relevant for PR?

We don’t really think about public transport when it works, however when it’s the other way around, people react strongly. SL’s (Stockholm public transport) SoMe channels were already filled with complaints, often signed off with the sophisticated hashtag ”#fuckSL”. And the situation was about to get worse, due to the most extensive renovation since the 60s. By using real complaints from our SoMe channels we were able to create a mouth to mouth effect of people talking about the campaign, taking pictures and sharing our message on their SoMe channel. Turning the existing storm of complaints into a buzzing conversation.

Background

For SL, summer times mean renovations and restorations for the years to come. And the summer of 2019 were certainly not an exception. This meant closing down entire subway lines while reducing the number of trains and busses for months, affecting nearly a million people every day - in favour of the most extensive renovation of Stockholm’s public transport system since the 1960s. Our task was to inform commuters of the impending renovation, why it must be done, and if possible, break the news in such a way as to keep their spirits up.

Describe the creative idea (20% of vote)

What if we could create sympathy for SL by showing commuters some of the funniest complaints in order to deflect their anger with humour, while taking ownership of the “FuckSL” hashtag? This resulted in “Dear haters”, a campaign, where previous complaints where displayed and replied to directly by saying:” We understand you’re upset, but you haven’t heard the worst of it…” informing them of the upcoming renovation. Even ”Death” from the famous Ingmar Bergman movie ”The Seventh Seal” made an appearance as a MEME.

Describe the PR strategy (30% of vote)

Reading complaints ranging from bad cellphone reception, to pigeons acting suspicious, it was easy to have sympathy for SL. A lot of things were out of their control and the amount of complaints they received on a given day was staggering. We wanted to show the commuters of Stockholm some of the most funny and creative complaints as a way to deflect their anger with a healthy dose of tongue in cheek humour. By showing the amounts and quality of the complaints they received we would also build sympathy for SL, perceiving them as more genuine and sincere. It would also give SL ownership of the #FuckSL hashtag and giving them a way to respond proudly while showing people that they were listening.

Describe the PR execution (20% of vote)

We fine-combed all of SLs Social media channels in search for the funniest and most absurd complaints. We found complaints regarding different parts of the subway lines being affected from a wide spread of people. We then plastered these complaints all around the affected areas with a heads up of the renovation to come, why it must be done, and a website where they could read more about it. We also used the same SoMe platforms where we found the complaints and posted them again, this time with our specific responses, giving people all the information they needed in a funny and fresh way.

List the results (30% of vote)

Despite the negative message, 63% of the commuters who saw the campaign had a positive reaction. 39% loved the campaign and the majority of commuters who saw the message remembered these key parts ”It will get better”, ”We’re rebuilding” and ”We hear you”, which was the objective of the campaign. The campaign got 44% of commuters to act, that is visiting Sl.se to read more, reach out to other channels, taken part of information and talked to people they know about the campaign and SL in whole. Interestingly, it felt like the results were superb, even though the subway felt as if it were falling apart, despite the large target audience, everyone who travels with SL, the message seems to have reached all ages in a clear and entertaining was that helped SL not only rebuild their subway, but also their brand. The amount of complaints was dramatically lower than anticipated, and the extra helplines were barely used. Even people in SLs SoMe channels stood up for SL when new complaints were posted. In the end, the tonality of the campaign got the message across in a new, inspiring way that helped SL to build a stronger and more likable brand, despite the massive renovation that plagued commuters during the summer months. And the campaign might have earned SL’s first “loveSL” hashtag ever.