The "Living with Lag" campaign by ume.net leverages a compelling experiential insight to position the brand as a superior fiber broadband provider delivering ultra-fast, reliable internet speeds up to 1000 Mbit/s. The campaign’s core promise centers on eliminating online lag, a common frustration for internet users, by making the invisible disruption tangibly felt in real life. By translating digital lag into a physical, momentary obstacle through an Oculus Rift experiment, ume.net highlights the value of a seamless online experience and implicitly contrasts itself with slower, less reliable internet services.
Strategically, the campaign taps into a widespread consumer pain point—the annoyance and productivity loss caused by internet latency—transforming it into an immersive VFX-driven narrative that resonates on an emotional level. Targeting tech-savvy Swedish internet users familiar with streaming, gaming, or other latency-sensitive online activities, the creative approach employs virtual reality technology to simulate lag in a real-world setting. This experiential methodology not only educates but also engages the audience by dramatizing the tangible impact of lag, reinforcing the brand’s technological prowess and customer-centric promise of uninterrupted connectivity.
The campaign’s distribution via digital channels and its viral traction, with over six million YouTube views and thousands of positive engagements, demonstrate its effectiveness in sparking conversation around broadband quality. By making lag physically perceptible, ume.net successfully underscores the importance of high-performance internet infrastructure and positions itself as a forward-thinking leader in Sweden’s electronics and technology market.
FORMAT#1 DEMONSTRATION — Directly shows how a product works and highlights its benefits.
This campaign, "Living with lag," employs a live experiment where volunteers experience "lag" in real life using an Oculus Rift, mirroring the frustrating delay faced during slow internet. The setup dramatizes the key problem fiber broadband solves—network lag—by making it tangible and directly observable, allowing viewers to see its negative impact. Rather than telling a traditional story, using testimonials, or relying on symbolism, the campaign visibly demonstrates, via VFX and experiment, the superior, lag-free user experience provided by ume.net's high-speed fiber broadband.
ADVERTISING FORMATS EXPLAINED: https://www.clapboard.com/blog/branding-and-advertising/brand-strategy/12-advertising-creative-formats
1. Telia Company – Sweden’s leading telecommunications provider, Telia focuses on extensive network coverage, reliability, and innovative digital solutions. It positions itself as a customer-centric technology partner, driving connectivity through advanced 5G infrastructure and comprehensive internet services for both consumers and businesses.
2. Telenor Sverige – A major player in the Swedish telecom market, Telenor emphasizes affordable pricing combined with high-quality service. It differentiates through simplified user experiences, flexible plans, and a strong commitment to sustainability and digital innovation aimed at enhancing everyday connectivity.
3. Tele2 – Known for competitive pricing and flexible packages, Tele2 targets cost-conscious consumers who want quality internet and mobile services. Their strategic angle includes disruptive marketing and a focus on digital transformation to offer fast, reliable broadband and mobile data solutions.
4. Bahnhof – As a smaller, independent ISP, Bahnhof positions itself on privacy, security, and net neutrality. Catering to tech-savvy customers, it differentiates by offering high-speed internet with strong commitments to freedom of information and data protection, appealing to a niche, quality-focused market segment.
5. Com Hem (now part of Tele2) – Specializing in bundled telecom services, Com Hem focused on delivering integrated internet, TV, and telephony products. Their market positioning relied on convenience and entertainment, appealing to households seeking comprehensive digital media solutions in one package.
Q: What is Living with lag about?
A: Living with lag is a professional digital campaign launched in Sweden in 2014 for ume.net, a fiber broadband provider, and created by the agency BBDO. The campaign centers on a live experiment where four volunteers experienced the effects of internet lag in real life using an Oculus Rift headset. By making the frustration of online latency physically tangible, the campaign dramatizes the core issue that ume.net’s high-speed broadband solves. With its single media asset hosted at livingwithlag.com, Living with lag achieved significant engagement, amassing over 6.3 million views and sparking widespread conversation about internet quality.
Q: What creative device does Living with lag use?
A: Living with lag employs the Demonstration format, classified as FORMAT#1 in Clapboard’s 12-format taxonomy. This approach directly shows how ume.net’s product works by highlighting its benefits through a vivid, real-world experiment. Rather than relying on testimonials or abstract storytelling, the campaign uses virtual reality technology and VFX to make the invisible problem of digital lag visible and relatable. By translating a technical issue into an experiential demonstration, the campaign allows viewers to witness the negative impact of lag and the value of lag-free, high-speed broadband.
Q: What is the campaign proposition for Living with lag?
A: The campaign proposition for Living with lag positions ume.net as Sweden’s superior fiber broadband provider, promising ultra-fast, reliable internet speeds up to 1000 Mbit/s. By making the frustration of online lag physically perceptible, the campaign targets tech-savvy internet users who value seamless connectivity for streaming, gaming, and productivity. The strategic message is clear: ume.net eliminates the productivity loss and annoyance caused by latency, setting a new standard for what consumers should expect from their internet service. This proposition is especially relevant in a market where digital performance is a key differentiator.
Q: How does Living with lag rank in Clapboard's archive?
A: Living with lag holds a Clapboard Campaign Score of 86/100. This score reflects the campaign’s creative ambition, execution quality, and cultural relevance as assessed by Clapboard’s global ad archive.
Q: Who are the competitors in ume.net's category?
A: In Sweden’s internet and technology sector, ume.net competes with several major players. Telia Company leads with extensive network coverage and a focus on advanced 5G infrastructure, positioning itself as a customer-centric technology partner. Telenor Sverige emphasizes affordable pricing, flexible plans, and digital innovation to enhance everyday connectivity. Tele2 targets cost-conscious consumers with competitive pricing and a disruptive approach to broadband and mobile services. Bahnhof appeals to tech-savvy users with a strong stance on privacy, security, and net neutrality, while Com Hem, now part of Tele2, built its reputation on bundled digital media and convenience for households seeking integrated solutions.