STORYTEL: Innovative mobile campaign

The authors of the short story 'Zona', published on Storytel, return to the events of 2021, when immigrants from Africa and the Middle East began crossing the Polish-Belarusian border. How did this change the lives of the borderland's residents?

They were born here and lived here all their lives. They felt at home. Until the government in Warsaw said that they could not walk freely, visit their neighbours and, above all, they could not go into the forest. Border guards, police officers and soldiers drawn from all over the country started shining into the windows of their homes at night. They pulled out of cars, checked documents, searched. Who was the enemy? Who had a right to life and who was deprived of it? Where did the boundary end and begin? The boundary of humanity! These questions are boldly posed by the authors of the short story "Zona".

In order to make users aware of how the drama of those times affected the daily lives of the residents of the hitherto peaceful Usnarz Górny, the choices they had to make and how it reshaped neighbourly relations, we decided to... hack the phone of Anka, the character in the story "Zona". All you have to do is install an app on your phone and you will get inside her private world. Be warned, it's like snooping in people's souls!

Participants in the campaign were able to turn their smartphone into the phone of Anka, a resident of Usnarz Górny. On the phone's wallpaper they saw two smiling girls. When they opened WhatsApp, they could find out that they are friends with each other, talk about work and their partners, and sometimes meet for a glass of wine. In their call history they could see how often they call each other and how long they talk.

The messages are worth going through carefully, preferably chronologically. This will allow you to get to know those who want to help refugees and those who forbid it.

In the Maps app you can see where Anka has been. In Translate, you can see what phrases she translated and into which language. In the browser history, find out the addresses of the websites she visited. Many of the recorded materials are authentic files from the private archives of people involved in helping at the Polish-Belarusian border. Every message is a lead. Every photo is a lead. Reminiscent of tracking game? Well, it is not a coincidence!

In the online version, we combined a thoughtful UX, forcing full screen or PWA (for iOS) and in the offline version, anti-dating and editing backup of phone calls and text messages, and some scripts that allowed us to edit encrypted messages in the Signal app. Combining these solutions with more than two thousand messages, photos and videos allowed us to tell a moving and intimate story in a unique, engaging and fresh way. We created a new, non-linear and interactive publishing format that was also intuitive for the viewer because it was inspired by the familiar way they consume content on their smartphone. This project demonstrates how cleverly the mobile side can be used to build an engaging and unique consumer experience with a brand.

KTR 2023 Awards

• Gold in the Branded Apps&Games category
• Gold in the Branded Content&Entertainment category
• Gold in the Web Storytelling category 
• Silver in the Use of Mobile category
• Silver in the UX/UI category
• Nomination in the Technology in Communication - Mobile category

Innovation 2023 Awards

• Innovation of The Year Award
• Gold in the Innovation in Business - Customer Experience category
• Gold in the Innovation in Media - Media & Publishing Formats category
• Silver in the Innovation in Media - Touch Point category 
• Silver in the Innovation in Communication - Digital Interactive category
• Silver in the Innovation in Communication - Tech category
• Silver in the Innovation in Communication - Content&Entertainment category 

KTR 2023 awards
Gold in the Branded Apps&Games category
Gold in the category Branded Content&Entertainment
Gold in the category Web Storytelling
Silver in the category Use of Mobile
Silver in the UX/UI category
Nomination in the category Technology in Communication - Mobile

Innovation 2023 Awards
Innovation of The Year Award
Silver in the category Innovation in Communication - Content&Entertainment
Gold in the category Innovation in Business - Customer Experience
Gold in the category Innovation in Media - Media & Publishing Formats
Silver in the Innovation in Communication category - Digital Interactive
Silver in the Innovation in Communication category - Tech
Silver in the Innovation in Media category - Touch Point