Ogilvy

Client: Motorola
Product: Mobile
Title: Hello Real People
Media: OOH
Country: USA
Date Of Campaign: 6 November 2017

Background: The smartphone just turned 10 years old. It has enriched our lives in many ways. Yet while the smartphone can bring us closer to those who are far away, it sometimes separates us from those who are right in front of us. People are beginning to talk about it. In fact, according to a Deloitte survey, 72% of 18 to 24-year-olds reported they "definitely" or "probably" use their phones too much.None of the major smartphone brands were addressing the issues that smartphone proliferation has created. They continue to tout features, capabilities and scenarios where their smartphones can be used more and more.This presented a clear opportunity for Motorola – the company that invented the cell phone – to counter category norms and stand out from the competition. Maybe it’s time a phone company thought about the people that use its phones. Maybe it’s time for a little phone-life balance.

Idea: The average person spends 4 hours a day staring at their phones. To make people rethink phone-life balance, we created hyperrealistic figures. And placed them all over NYC. By building a replica of an average human being staring at his own phone, we made people recognize their own behavior in those statues –and ask themselves: is this what we’ve become as society? And most importantly: we made them think of more conscious ways to interact with technology.

Results: “Hello Real People – The Phone-Life Balance Experiment” made people see hyperrealistic figures glued to their phones and ask themselves: is this what we’ve become? The stunt took place at the most iconic spots of NYC, and invited the world to take the quiz on the campaign’s website. Our website also provided tips and an app for a “healthier” life with your phone. The Phone-Life Balance platform got 1.065.870 impressions, helping the world realize how absurd this behavior has become and come up with more conscious ways to interact with them. Ultimately, this project is a brave move from the company that invented the smartphone. For Motorola, and hopefully for all of us, it’s time for a little phone-life balance.