The Swedish Number + 46 771 793 336

I'm serious, give it a call.

This is maybe the best thing since sliced bread. Kudos to you, Sweden.

The press alone is enough to constitute this as a successful campaign. Sweden's tourism association launched, "The Swedish Number," a project that connects anyone in the world with a phone to a random (volunteered) Swede.

I'm very intrigued and plan to call the number. I will follow up in the comments how my interaction goes, but I also encourage everyone to give it a try.

To me, not only is this genius marketing, it also is a success on a humanitarian level. We can all benefit from learning about different cultures and what life is like in Sweden.

Via AdWeek:

The campaign was dreamed up by Ingo Stockholm, a WPP agency, for the Swedish Tourist Association—a different group than VisitSweden. The point is to offer a completely unfiltered view of Swedish life—regardless of the obvious risks of doing so. (The campaign also marks the 250th anniversary of the abolishment of censorship in Sweden.) 

"In troubled times, many countries try to limit communication between people, but we want to do just the opposite," Magnus Ling, general secretary and CEO of the Swedish Tourist Association, said in a statement. "We are making Sweden the first country in the world with its own phone number and giving our fellow Swedes the opportunity to answer the calls, express themselves and share their views, whatever they might be."

The point, Ling added, is "to show the real Sweden—a unique country worth visiting with the right of public access, sustainable tourism and a rich cultural heritage. With 'The Swedish Number,' our goal is to create more pride and knowledge about Sweden, both nationally and internationally."