In case of an emergency, knowing CPR can be crucial to save lives. If someone gets a heart attack, the chance of survival is reduced by 10% for every minute that goes without cardiovascular rescue. Sadly, only 4 out of 10 Norwegians know enough first aid to help in a life-threatening situation. The Norwegian Red Cross wanted an idea that could remind as many Norwegians as possible about the importance of learning CPR. KPI: Visits to Red Cross first-aid website.

We decided to show people the importance of learning first aid, by demonstrating how long they actually have to wait for an ambulance in case of an emergency. The idea: We created 422 unique Facebook films, geo-targeted across the country. In each film, a family man suffers from a heart attack, and we follow his wife’s desperate fight to keep him alive while waiting for the ambulance. To engage each viewer in a direct and relevant way, the waiting time in the film match the actual response time for an ambulance - where they are, when they see it. So if a person watched the film in Herøy, the ambulance in the film arrived after 32 minutes – the same as the actual response time.

We wanted to show people the importance of learning first aid, by demonstrating how long they actually have to wait for an ambulance in case of an emergency. The underlaying data, containing information about ambulance response time, was used to create customized video assets and ad copies – tailored and targeted to each target group. On Facebook, we defined 422 target groups based on postal codes for each district. By combining real response time data with Facebook’s geographical targeting options, we could reach and engage citizens across our rural and widespread country in a direct and very relevant way.

Facebook was chosen as our preferred platform, due to its ability to target extremely narrow audiences, as well as being compatible with longer videos. On Facebook, we defined 422 target groups based on each district. Both the video itself, as well as the ad copies in each of 422 Facebook posts, was customized. To match the film with the correct response time, each video consisted of five parts; a fixed intro, the action shot, two loopable shots and an outro. A special built program generated 422 unique films, and the finished videos was automatically uploaded to Facebook’s ad library. Then we used Facebook feed as placement, and the campaign structure enabled us to continuously monitor how each video performed in each district across Norway.

By applying a granular approach to our targeting, we managed to increase our relevance in the different target groups. 422 different target groups meant that the average audience size consisted of less than 10 000 Facebook users, with some target groups even being below <1 000. Despite this, we manage to get significant reach across the target groups, as well as seeing the overall performance of the ads deliver very effective and cost-efficient. The campaign reached 1/3 of the Norwegian population. 1.000.000 organic views. 80.000 visits to Red Cross’ first aid website (Population: 5 million)