T he Cancer Campaign That Hits You Right in the Gut — And Then Moves You to Act Imagine this. Two children. Both fighting cancer. Both need a place to stay to complete their treatment. But there’s only one bed left. You’re asked to choose: Deepa or Sunil ? Now pause. Feel that. That knot in your stomach? That uncomfortable tension? That’s exactly what Ogilvy wanted you to feel. Welcome to “ The Impossible Choice ,” a gut-wrenching campaign created for St. Jude India Childcare Centres — an NGO that provides free-of-cost accommodation and holistic care to families of children battling cancer. The Ad That Makes You the Villain (And Then the Hero) The ad opens innocently enough — two adorable kids, smiling. You're told both are undergoing treatment. Then comes the twist: only one bed is available. You have to pick who stays and who goes. There’s a QR code. Scanning it lets you donate so both can stay. You’re offered a way out. A way to not play God. It’s brilliant. ...
Imagine this. You're lounging at home, aimlessly scrolling through your phone, coffee gone cold, thumb twitching on autopilot. Suddenly, you see this: +46 771 793 336 No caption. No context. Just a line that says: “Call this number and talk to a random Swede.” Uhhh… what? Wait — Is This a Joke? A Scam? A Glitch in the Matrix? Nope. It was real. And it was one of the boldest, most delightfully absurd marketing campaigns ever run—not by a brand, but by a nation . In 2016, Sweden became the first country in the world to launch its own phone number. A real, working phone number. Anyone from anywhere could dial in and be connected to a random Swedish citizen — not a call center, not a government spokesperson, not a PR-trained tourism officer. Just… a Swede. Chosen by chance. Willing to talk. No script. No agenda. No filter. And the best part? You could talk about anything . The weather (probably cold). IKEA and those meatballs. The mystery of Midsummer. Why ...