Title	FIND THE NUMBER
Brand	FREE
Product/Service	FREE
Category	C04. Competitions & Promotional Games
Entrant	HEREZIE Paris, FRANCE
Idea Creation	HEREZIE Paris, FRANCE

Name	Company	Position
Andrea Stillacci	HEREZIE GROUP	Chief Executive Officer
Paul Marty	HEREZIE GROUP	Executive Creative Director
Etienne Renaux	HEREZIE GROUP	Executive Creative Director
Jeremy Fouilloux	HEREZIE GROUP	Copywriter
Jeffrey Corlay	HEREZIE GROUP	Art Director
Natan Ritaly	HEREZIE GROUP	Art Director
Raphael Sold	HEREZIE GROUP	Art Director
Hugo Dos Santos	HEREZIE GROUP	Motion Designer
Dimitri Boudnikoff	HEREZIE GROUP	Group Account Director
Justine Roux	HEREZIE GROUP	Project Manager
Camille Perrin	FREE	Chief Marketing Officer

Why is this work relevant for Brand Experience & Activation?

The aim of this brand operation was to promote the opening of Free’s brand-new store in Paris. By placing a tactical display unit in the window, something that would directly catch the attention of passers-by, Free sent a message to everyone concerned…who in turn forward it to as many people as possible…all free of charge. This is the magic of #FindTheNumber – it’s a brand initiative where Free don’t do anything…they just let people activate the operation on their behalf and all that with a simple window display, the promotional incentive of a telephone and an SMS.

Background

Free, the second largest telecommunications company in France, continues its expansion throughout the country by opening more physical stores. One of which being a boutique on the Rue de Rennes in Paris, one of the busiest shopping streets in the capital. The problem? It’s not really the sort of news the general public are remotely interested in… The main aim was to generate impact and awareness locally via a strategically placed display unit to catch people’s attention. The secondary objective was to generate brand engagement and conversations on social media to generate impact and awareness on a national level.

Describe the creative idea (20% of vote)

A week before the opening of their new store, Free placed a promotional display unit in the window, offering passers-by the chance to win an iPhone 11. To take part, they just had to send a text message saying: “Free is opening a new store in the Rue de Rennes” to make the phone in front of them ring. The problem was that Free didn’t tell anyone the number of the phone in question! So in the end, it was the passers-by themselves, who massively promoted the opening of the new store by sending the text to other random people in France…and all for free.

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

The double target, both local (passers-by and local residents) and national (anybody on social media) led us to a strategic, customized plan that would provide the simplest and most problem-free circulation of the text message, and would enable it to reach as many people as possible. With #FindTheNumber and its promotional window display, we went back to the SMS, a very simple means of communication between individuals and, most importantly, one that is free of charge and unlimited. The hidden clues that were given out throughout the week of the operation were also designed for optimal widespread sharing and conversations on social media. Certain influencers assisted in amplifying the message, on Twitter and Instagram in particular.

Describe the execution (30% of vote)

The display unit in the store’s window played an essential role in the success of this operation. Choosing LED neon signs and a big screen, Free made sure the initiative was highly visible in the Rue de Rennes, especially at night, therefore optimizing the stopping power. The iPhone, the prize, was set on a pedestal in the window display, providing a direct, but simple, call-to-action: make it ring and win it. The week before the operation, thousands of people outside the shop (and on social media) tried to win the telephone and in doing so, they shared the most important piece of information: the upcoming opening of the future Free physical store. We also sent out a series of clues on social media to help participants find the number. Various influencers took part on Twitter and Instagram in particular.

List the results (30% of vote)

With the #FindTheNumber initiative, Free pulled off a great stunt: thousands of text messages were sent throughout France and the opening of their Parisian store became a much talked about event. The operation received extensive media coverage, both on Twitter and by influencers, all for an unbeatable production cost of less than 3000€. And last, but not least, the brand recorded 117% more visits than were expected in the first week.