We have created something innovative, in one of the world’s oldest media channels. By turning out of home displays into a state-of-the-art emergency system, based on real-time data. Helping homeless people find emergency shelters during cold winter nights. The digital screens are the key media channel and component of the campaign.

Our mission was to show the possibilities that digital screens have to offer. Furthermore, Clear Channel is an active player in the cities where they are present through developing their screens in many different ways.

Our starting point was the great amount of homeless people that are increasing in Sweden every year. This year, the question was more relevant than ever before. We chose to take advantage of the fact that winter was approaching, and that there are more and more vulnerable people in need of extra help. The City of Stockholm has also given directives that more shelters need to open up when temperatures reach -7 degrees. The problem was that few found their way to the shelters. Therefore, we wanted to showcase the digital possibilities through creating something that truly contributes to social benefit.

Our starting point was the rising number of homeless people in Sweden. The City of Stockholm has given directives that emergency shelters need to open up when temperatures reach -7 degrees. Therefore, we wanted to showcase the digital possibilities in the out-of-home media.

The winters in Sweden can be cold – and at extreme temperatures the risk for fatal frostbites increases. Therefore, temporary shelters open up all around Stockholm when temperatures drop below -7 degrees. The problem is that too few know that they exist and where they are located, which results in that too few find their way to the shelters.

So, we turned Clear Channel’s network of digital billboards into an emergency system. When the temperature dropped to negative 7 degrees or colder, the screens directed homeless people to their closest emergency shelter. By using real-time data and GPS coordinates, collected from a number of organizations and institutions.

To ensure that we were going to solve an actual problem, we teamed up with partners within the area early on. Organizations like Stockholms Stadsmission (a Swedish charity tackling homelessness through social care, work integration and education) and Ny Gemenskap (a non-profit organization offering food and shelter to homeless).

We collected data from the organizations and paired it with data sourced from open APIs such as weather, GPS coordinates and time, and the system built became state-of-the-art for outdoor screens.

During the winter, more organizations showed interest in contributing, and we were able to connect them to the system, displaying their information in real-time.

The emergency system was running throughout the winter period of 2018-19 on 53 digital out of home displays around Stockholm, Sweden.

We used digital out of home displays in areas with a high concentration of homeless people. The screens directed homeless people towards emergency shelters during cold temperatures, and where they could find a hot meal and other useful real-time information.

The number of screens changed depending on the temperature in the city and was raised when the temperatures dropped.

The initiative has created attention for an important matter, but more importantly, the ones who have been in need of warmth and care the most, have received it. Many of the related organizations have witnessed new faces that have appeared. From all over Sweden, people joined the conversation on social media and engaged. And they took to action; donating necessities or signing up to be a volunteer.

78% have become more positive towards Clear Channel after having seen the campaign, with a benchmark of 30%. Furthermore 4 out of 10 became interested in buying a product or service from the sender, which is higher than the benchmark of 2,5.

Communication wise, the project has reached over 78 million people in earned organic media, thanks to 120+ Swedish and international news articles. A month after the project started, more cities within Clear Channels network now wants to use the emergency