CataCombo Sound System
Pause Home Entertainment
Issue 27 | June 2013
Agency
Akestam Holst
Creative Team
Creative Director Andreas Ullenius Art Director Lars Holthe Copywriter Joakim Labraaten Web Designer Andreas Dagman
Production Team
Account Director Henrik Adenskog Account Manager Anna Nolendorfs Digital Producer Alex Picha Motion Designer Nisse Axman Graphic Designer Oscar Gardo
Other Credits
Production Companies Goodmorning and Kodapan PR Kollektivet Livet
Date
December 2012
Background
Pause was a hi-fi and ‘custom sound systems’ store in Stockholm owned by Fredrik Helmquist.
His brief to the agency was to attract new customers to the shop for its products and expertise.
Idea
Pause had a mantra which was that in the world of sound, anything was possible.
In answer to the question, was it possible to be able to listen to music in the afterlife, the answer was why not?
A coffin was built with its own hi-fi system. As Helmquist said, rather than bring flowers to his grave when he died, now well-wishers could choose to play him music through his CataCombo Sound System.
Tombstone, coffin and an online app were linked. On the Pause website, visitors could add a song to Helmquist’s ‘Pause 4-ever’ playlist
Results
The promotional video became Sweden’s most shared advert. The CataCombo Sound System was sold to customers in Scandanavia and North America. After only six weeks, enquiries for Pause Custom sound systems had increased by 300% compared to last year’s total.
Our Thoughts
If you Google “Pause CataCombo” there are 430 results specific to the story. So this is an idea that attracted a lot of attention.
Going to the website itself, there have been some witty suggestions for Helmquist’s playlist – “Cemetery Gates” from The Smiths, plus “Stairway to Heaven”, “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door”, of course, and, my favourite, “I’m not dead” from Pink.
What I love about advertising these days is that in response to a brief the creative people don’t say, what sort of ad can we do? They say what can we do?
The best statement a brand can make about itself is in how the product performs. Akestam Holst seems to understand this simple truism and has allowed Pause’s products (as well as its CEO) to do all the talking.
This is the latest in a string of innovative ideas for the store. Frankly, I’m rather surprised Helmquist hasn’t opened new Pauses in other cities on the back of the sales his marketing has helped him achieve.