Philips kicked off a cute campaign to promote its useful gadget, Wake-Up Light, which is an innovative alarm-clock using mild light and sounds to wake the person up. The home appliances maker has previously released a bunch of commercials dedicated to the product, but the new project, «Wake up the Town,» definitely stands out. Philips is taking the challenge of improving the life of a whole Arctic town during the tough period of polar night, when noon is no different than midnight and there is no sunrise and morning light during almost 4 months.
The initiative is rolling out in the most northern town on Earth, Longyearbyen, Norway, with 2,000+ residents. On the first day of the project, which kicks off on October 26 after the sun sets to appear in March, Philips will be giving out a Wake-up Light, which gradually emits light to simulate the rising sun in the bedroom and prepare the body for a gentle wake up. Will this gadget help make this winter with its totally dark days be less challenging for Longyearbyen people? When spring comes, they will tell us if it really did.
Internet users from all around the world are encouraged to follow the project by communicating with the residents of the town through the recently launched a Facebook page and the dedicated website. The producer is also collaborating with filmmaker Doug Pray, director of Art & Copy and Surfwise, who developed the first video and will be shooting new short films about people living in perpetual darkness for longs weeks. The spots will be available on the brand’s website in the coming months.
“Residents of Longyearbyen are acutely aware of the challenges darkness poses to waking up in the morning, which makes them perfect candidates to trial Wake-up Light. What will be fascinating about the Wake up the Town campaign is to witness the evolution of residents’ morning routines throughout the winter as a result of using Wake-up Light. We believe that it will have an overwhelmingly positive impact and are looking forward to seeing the results of the town trial in the New Year,” commented Daniel Adams, light therapy expert and Senior Application Scientist at Philips.