A campaign in the making

Their magic added a little color to the Almost too easy campaign

We want even more people to discover how easy and fun it is to create photo books with our app. So we needed to figure out a way to stand out. So, who do you call when you want to create a creative and attention-grabbing campaign? The photo artist Lisalove Bäckman of course. Here she and Once Upon's Nicola Hood and Lina Öberg talk about how the "Almost too easy" campaign came to be.

With the campaign, we want to convey how easy it is to create a photo book with Once Upon. That you can even do it while doing something else. Like fighting an octopus, angry giant bees or carnivorous plants for example.

- We wanted to try something new, something that stands out a little. Venture outside our safety zone and challenge ourselves as a team. We also wanted to challenge Once Upon as a brand and explore how creative we can get while still capturing the essence of Once Upon as a brand, says Nicola.

The concept work began in October 2022 and continued until Christmas. Then the work shifted to designing the campaign.

- Just like in many other projects, the conditions changed over time. There were a few bumps in the road and we needed to tweak our ideas along the way. But in January, three photo shoots were carried out, one a week, and in between new scenes were taken down and re-built, says Lina and continues:

- The most challenging thing was to build environments that fit our vision, with a tight budget. That and finding the balance between the image and the message. To say just enough to help our people understand, without being too obvious and taking the fun out of the picture.

What was the most fun?

- Seeing our vision come to life, that they actually turned out as we imagined - these fantastic fairytale images filled with magic. We also wanted to allow Once Upon as a brand to stand out, instead of just the product, which we otherwise often focus on, says Nicola.

- I am happy that we were able to take it all the way from idea to finished product ourselves. And getting to work together with Lisalove was of course also a highlight. We had her in mind from the get-go. As soon as we began developing the concept we realized she was the person we needed to help bring out vision to life! Lina says she would be the perfect photographer for this type of images.

Lisalove says that she immediately became curious about the assignment when she was contacted.

- It felt exciting because there was an ambition to create a new expression for Once Upon and a campaign that stands out from what is usually associated with the photo book service, she says.

What role did you have in the creation of the campaign?

- I was involved early on in the process, brainstorming ideas and acting as a someone to bounce ideas off. Lina and Nicola then put together all the threads from the workshop into three concrete concepts that we could jointly start planning and looking for materials for. It took a lot of work to prepare the set and the whole process was a team effort. I contributed, among other things, by finding models and premises, hunting down decor, furniture, costumes and props as well as building the actual "room" together with the others involved. We wallpapered, cleaned, demolished and decorated the environments. Then of course I had the role of photographer and image editor as well.

Lisalove states that the most fun was working within the framework of Once Upon and making Nicolas and Lina's visions a reality.

- And I want to highlight my teammates who have been so nice to work with. We had fun together during the time we were laying the puzzle to create the finished product and it was a great learning process, she says.

The most challenging part was getting everything to work before each photo session.

- We had some bumps along the way and we had to go through a few turns, but we managed to drive on and meet the finish line within the timeframe and budget that was available, says Lisalove.

The campaign was launched in Once Upon's own channels, in around 30 subway stations in Stockholm and through digital advertising. Lina and Nicola are pleased with the result.

- The pictures are absolutely fantastic. They look so good and we are super proud of what we have accomplished. What’s left is to get the campaign out there and then we'll see where our next idea takes us, says Nicola.