Elgiganten's 'Art Bait' Turns Stolen Ads into Smart Security Message

'The campaign was so good it got stolen' is something many brands and agencies in Sweden have bragged about throughout the years. When art shows and museums advertise in the public space it usually means that the ad posters disappear – the ads get stolen and become wall decorations in people’s homes. Now Sweden’s biggest electronics retailer Elgiganten, The National Museum for Art & Design and NORD DDB make the most out of this behaviour in an unexpected campaign that combines art, surveillance cameras and humour.

For the unconventional collaboration, Elgiganten and security brand Arlo offer up their ad spaces to Nationalmuseum and let the museum market their most sought-after objects. But there’s a hidden agenda. The ads act as bait, because behind every stolen art poster there’s a message telling you to protect your art and any other valuable property with Arlo’s smart security solutions, available at Elgiganten.

"We know that advertising posters that contain art usually disappear, and that’s precisely the behaviour that we build this campaign on. By letting Nationalmuseum take space in our actual advertising space, we can talk about security in a smart way while also showing how Arlo’s products protect your valuables in the home," said Mikaela Bäckius, marketing operation manager at Elgiganten.

“The campaign plays with the feeling and insight that many people don’t get until after a theft has occurred. And that’s the feeling that you should have used Arlo’s Erly Warning System from the start”, said Lovisa Tjernström, head of marketing at Arlo.

"That the museum’s well-known pieces can take part of peoples’ daily life this way is fantastic. Imagine meeting the iconic The Lady with the Veil by Alexander Roslin while on the escalator! Through this campaign we reach people in the public space in a surprising way," said Anna Janson, responsible for collaborations and PR at Sweden’s National Museum for Art & Design.