The encyclopedia · Advertising & PR · Marketing decision · 2022–2023
Storytel sold Orwell's 1984 by arguing 2022 already sounds like it
Storytel argued 2022 already sounds like 1984 to launch its audio drama of Orwell's classic; the campaign drew One Show and Webby shortlists.
Storytel
the move
Storytel, the Swedish audiobook streaming service, launched an original audio drama of George Orwell's 1984 in August 2022 — a classic most people already 'know'. The marketing challenge was making people want to experience it again.
B-Reel's campaign, '2022 sounds like 1984', made the case that Orwell's warnings — mass surveillance, fake news, cancel culture, media censorship — are now ambient reality. The film and audio design drew the parallels directly, down to the detail that 1+9+8+4=22.
Launched first in Sweden on 15 August 2022 and then across nine more markets, the campaign repositioned a century-old novel as commentary on the present, driving the audio experience as the way to hear it.
The work was shortlisted at the One Show 2023 in two categories and at the Webby Awards 2023 in two more, took silver at the Shots Awards EMEA, and the audio drama itself earned an Audie nomination — recognition that the launch landed culturally.
why it works
- Connecting a classic to today's headlines gives people a reason to re-engage with a known story.
- 'Hearing' the parallels suits a sound-first product, making the medium part of the message.
- Launching across markets with one provocative idea made the campaign a news story itself.
what transfers
To sell a classic, translate it into the audience's present: when its warnings now appear in daily life, the 'old book' becomes breaking news and the launch becomes a cultural argument.
what came after
The 1984 audio drama became a flagship Storytel original, and the campaign's recognition helped establish audio-drama as a category for the service.
references
- Storytel and B-Reel shortlisted for the One Show and the Webby Awards
- B-Reel & Storytel: Has George Orwell's 1984 foretold 2022?
- Storytel's audio drama 1984 nominated for an Audie
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