From a Packaging Tape to a Ray of Hope: Know more about this South Korean campaign's ingenuity!
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| For today’s article, we’ll talk about a simple yet powerful guerrilla marketing tactic. Continue reading below to know how one campaign became a ray of hope for parents with missing children in South Korea. From a Packaging Tape to a Ray of Hope: Know more about this South Korean campaign's ingenuity! One of the most memorable experiences for parents is witnessing the birth of their child. The first kick… The first cry… The first laugh… What if one day, the child suddenly went missing without any information as to why or how? Uh-oh. For sure, his or her parents would turn the world upside down just to see that child again.
Back in May 2020, it was reported that there were 661 long-term missing children in South Korea. However, the longer they were missing, the more indifferent the public became. To find them, or at least have the hope that these missing children could still be found, people had to PAY ATTENTION. How could that be possible—to keep people from forgetting about or becoming indifferent towards these missing children? The Korean National Police Agency (KNPA), in partnership with advertising agency Cheil Worldwide, launched a timely campaign on May 25, 2020, which is also known as the “International Missing Children’s Day.” Introducing: The “Hope Tape” campaign …
Using AI technology, the KNPA and Cheil worked together to create imagery of 28 missing children, uncovering how these kids would look in 2020 after one to five years since they were last seen. This imagery, along with a QR code, was then printed onto parcel tape alongside key information. The tape was then made publicly available through the Korean Postal service, and anyone that had a parcel to send could use this tape to package their items.
Within a month, over 630,000 packages were delivered across the country with these tape messages. That’s equal to 100,000 flyers distributed per child. According to the KNPA: “We ask for the urgent attention and cooperation of citizens and communities around the country to help give hope and encouragement to families of children who have gone missing. By organizing the Hope Tape campaign, we seek to draw attention to this terribly sad situation.” Meanwhile, Seongphil Hwang, creative director at Cheil Worldwide, said: “With [the] Coronavirus outbreak, people tend to stay home and use more door-to-door delivery service. [In that], parcels can be a highly effective medium to spread information [about] missing children. We wish HOPE TAPE provides real help to families who would not give up on searching [for] their loved ones.” The Hope Tape was used in all Korea Post parcels from May to June 2020.
Was the KNPA’s “Hope Tape” campaign effective? Indeed, the Hope Tape became a way of delivering crucial information about missing children directly to people’s doorsteps all across South Korea. It also drew attention to the pressing issue unlike ever before, with many people not being able to unbox their parcels without reading what’s in the tape first. Here’s are the results of the campaign:
Congratulations, KNPA and Cheil! These results show that the Hope Tape campaign truly gave hope to South Korean parents whose children are missing that they are heard, and that they are never alone in such a situation. — Who would’ve thought that an object as simple as a packaging tape could go a long way in helping raise awareness about a certain issue in South Korea? This only shows that sometimes, raising awareness about a particular issue doesn’t have to be too expensive or extravagant. You just need to make good use of the things you already have and add a twist to them so that you can capture your target audience’s attention. Besides, in the KNPA’s case, how else would they be able to make their call-to-action stick to the public’s minds other than using a tape as a medium—something that also literally sticks? In the same way, think of an object that you can use to creatively market your brand or offerings. Who knows? KNPA’s playbook could also give you an idea on how to make something ordinary, EXTRAORDINARY! Hope you’ve found this week’s guerrilla marketing insight interesting and helpful. EXCITING NEWS AHEAD The world of work has shifted, and there’s no going back. The barriers to entry have never been lower for talented professionals to work independently, and today’s massive external workforce is hardly a pandemic-produced fad. Business owners can only survive in the new work landscape by partnering with this deep talent pool. With decades of experience in both small-business entrepreneurship and executive management at PwC, I truly believe that the future of work is independent. With that, I’m happy to share with you that my book, co-authored with Walter Scott Lamb, is now available on Amazon! Free Birds Revolution: The Future of Work & The Independent Mind This new bestseller is an essential read for both independent professionals and corporate executives. Here, we provide educational and practical guides to unpack the ever-growing workforce and offer you crucial ways to become a client of choice. Click on the link above to order your copy. Let this bestselling book help you future-proof your career and organization in the new world of work. Stay tuned for next Thursday’s Gorillas of Guerrilla Marketing! Do you want to know how the creative team behind this acclaimed TV series generated hype for its latest season? Hint: This stunt involved the use of a strategically-placed glass box. Find out in next week’s article! |
Miles Everson
CEO of MBO Partners and former Global Advisory and Consulting CEO at PwC, Everson has worked with many of the world's largest and most prominent organizations, specializing in executive management. He helps companies balance growth, reduce risk, maximize return, and excel in strategic business priorities.
He is a sought-after public speaker and contributor and has been a case study for success from Harvard Business School.
Everson is a Certified Public Accountant, a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and Minnesota Society of Certified Public Accountants. He graduated from St. Cloud State University with a B.S. in Accounting.
