Proximus Hide-and-Seek

Problem

As smartphones become increasingly addictive, parents face a constant losing battle against their teenagers’ screen time. With schools across Belgium’s Flanders region stepping in to enforce smartphone bans, the boundary between healthy digital use and obsession has reached a breaking point.

Background

Partnering with the Gezinsbond Association and AKQA, Proximus brought its ‘Smarter Online’ vision to life, redefining its role in fostering healthier, more mindful relationships with technology.

Ambition

To empower young people to build healthy digital habits through playful offline discovery, reframing disconnection as an opportunity to experience a different form of connection.

IDEA Outsmarting the screen

We challenged a hyper-connected generation to break the cycle of endless scrolling and build healthy digital habits by doing the unthinkable: go completely offline. To win, participants had to disconnect entirely and evade a trap set on purpose: an incoming text message from Proximus. Once the digital silence broke, players shared their offline experiences. The most creative entries were rewarded with real-world experiences, including theme park tickets, cinema passes and exclusive national team football match tickets.

Daring teens to play an online game you could only win by going offline, proving that the best rewards are found beyond smartphones.

Role

Concept development and campaign strategy
01

Concept development and campaign strategy

Developed the core creative idea of Digital Hide-and-Seek to turn the challenge of reducing teen screen time into a playful, gamified experience.

02

Campaign assets and media integration

Designed and produced tailored campaign assets, including DOOH, online video and social media content, to fit the visual style, language and digital habits of today's youth.

03

Digital platform and registration flow

Developed and managed the digital platform where teens can sign up, log their participation and submit their creative offline experiences.

PR and earned media strategy
04

PR and earned media strategy

Crafted and executed a national PR strategy to secure media coverage, positioning Proximus as a socially responsible company actively helping youth find a healthy digital balance.

Influencer and community engagement
05

Influencer and community engagement

Partnered with popular youth influencers and content creators to promote the challenge, encourage registrations and drive peer-to-peer reflection on what it feels like to disconnect.

Partnership and stakeholder management
06

Partnership and stakeholder management

Coordinated the collaboration between telecom provider Proximus, family advocacy organisation Gezinsbond and creative agency SILK to ensure the campaign aligned with parental concerns and educational guidelines.

Result

Driven by strong contributions from influencers, Hide-and-Seek generated massive social media interactions and engagement. The campaign successfully tracked players who stayed offline, gathering meaningful input about players' digital detoxes, which ultimately elevated Proximus's brand perception.

  • 15%

    Increased brand perception

  • 60%

    Players that stayed offline during the challenge

  • 46%

    Participants registered via our influencers

  • 40%

    Youngsters that engaged with our social content introducing the challenge

  • 1.3M

    Interactions throughout social media including Snapchat, TikTok and Meta

  • 50%

    Players claiming they reconnected with nature, family and friends, and became more productive

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IDEA Outsmarting the screen