I wouldn’t come here to be honest…

…is the opening line of by far the most viewed video on Visit OSLO’s TikTok right now. 

What follows is a monologue from star of the show Halfdan (31), an Oslo resident who goes on to list all the things he doesn’t like about the city from the perspective of someone who “temporarily lives here, unfortunately”. 

It doesn’t take you long to realise the things he doesn’t like about Oslo are, in fact, the very things that make the Norwegian capital a beautiful, unique and inspiring place. A must-see for the adventurous. But it’s not just Halfdan’s blatant attempt at reverse psychology that makes this video, and campaign that surrounds it, great – it’s its own little communications masterclass.

Here’s why: 

Clean creative

The video is shot in a beautiful, almost Wes Anderson style during sunset in the city – widely regarded as one of the best times for photography. Video presenter, Halfdan, himself is fashionable and there’s a naivety in the fonts used that makes you instantly forget this is an advert.

Good timing

By now, it’s fair to assume everyone in the UK has planned, booked or already been on their ‘big holiday’ this year already. But Visit OSLO knows it’s not a city you book to go to for a week or two. It’s a city break city. Visit OSLO knows its audience (affluent, honest, working Londoners is our educated guess) will likely have one or two days left to take off work, burning a hole in their pocket before the year is out and will be looking to use it.

Integrated campaigning

We often talk about the benefits of integrated campaigns here at firstlight and in future, I’ll use this as an example.

Website:
The Visit OSLO landing page is like a social platform unto itself. Those enticed to find out more from the TikTok video are treated to beautiful imagery used to populate guides of what people can do in the city – much akin to Halfdan’s video.

Content:
The website also makes a point of highlighting its “open and lively queer scene” a topic close to the heart of many of its millenial/Gen Z target demographic. There’s no doubt they understand their audience.

Press:
Recent Oslo-related coverage includes a City AM article highlighting the beauty of Oslo’s architecture – something Halfdan talks about in his video.

It all adds up. 

I’d love to see the impact this one video has on the city’s visitor numbers in the next few months. I know for a fact it’s increased by at least one… 

TikTok video: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZGep8QRSP/