How Dagens industri attracted 17,000+ players with Fantasy Funds

The stock market game helped Di attract new audiences, increase participation and make investing more accessible

Case study

Founded in 1976, Dagens industri – also known as Di – is Sweden’s leading financial newspaper and part of  Bonnier. Its readers have a strong interest in the stock market, investing and personal finance.

Di wanted to build on that interest with an interactive format that could reach both experienced investors and people who were still learning about the markets.

The challenge: Attracting and engaging new audiences

Di was looking for new ways to attract potential customers, engage existing readers and create additional opportunities for subscriptions and commercial partnerships.

The team wanted to offer something more participatory than traditional financial content: an experience that would allow users to explore the stock market, test different strategies and build confidence without putting real money at risk.

The solution also needed to reflect Di’s brand and give people a compelling reason to return throughout the competition.

Dagens industri fantasy funds investment game

The solution: A branded stock market game

Di partnered with Norkon to launch Drömportföljen, a seasonal investment competition powered by Fantasy Funds, Norkon’s branded stock market game and a Pulse engagement module.

Using real-world market data, participants created virtual portfolios, selected stocks and competed to achieve the strongest returns. The risk-free format made it possible for players to test their investment instincts, learn how markets behave and compete with friends and other Di readers.

Di launched its first Fantasy Funds game in April 2022. Following the strong response, a more seasons followed for a number of years.

17,000+ registered players // 21,000+ portfolios created

“We have known for a long time that our readers are deeply interested in the stock market. We wanted to capitalize on this interest to engage with users and potentially gain new subscribers as well as advertisers.”
– Johan Östberg, Business Developer and Fantasy Funds Project Manager at Dagens industri

Strong participation from the first season

Despite launching during a volatile period marked by falling stock markets and the outbreak of war in Ukraine, Drömportföljen attracted more than 17,000 registered players.

Together, participants created more than 21,000 virtual portfolios.

For Di, the game created a new interactive destination for current and prospective readers. It also provided a format that could be repeated across multiple seasons and developed further through sponsorships, subscriptions and other commercial opportunities.

Helping people learn through participation

Drömportföljen was not only about competition.

It gave participants a practical and accessible way to learn about investing by making their own decisions and observing the results.

Survey results indicated that:

  • 69% said they participated to learn more about investing
  • 42% wanted to improve their investment skills
  • 36% wanted to experiment and learn more about individual stocks

The results showed that a stock market game can appeal to several types of users, from confident investors testing new strategies to beginners looking for an approachable introduction to the markets.

“People compete in games like this to enter a new world and expand their horizons, not to play it safe as in daily life. After all, the game is called dream portfolio for a reason, and players should be given a reason to dream.”

– Johan Östberg

Why Choose Gamification in Media?

A game changer for user interaction and audience growth

Integrating gamification in media is a recipe for success to drive engagement, strengthen your brand, and increase subscribers over time.

 

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