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.
Photo from Bishop & Sewel
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…
Photo from Mad Over Marketing
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.
Photo from Mad Over Marketing
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.
Photo from Mad Over Marketing
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:
- The campaign received 14 million media impressions.
- The Hope Tape garnered KRW 2.1 billion in earned media value.
- The design rights of the Hope Tape were made open for anyone to participate in the campaign.
- The campaign was shortlisted at the 2021 D&AD Awards and won a Bronze Pencil at the 2021 The One Club Awards.
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.
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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!
About The Dynamic Marketing Communiqué’s
“Fridays: Gorillas of Guerrilla Marketing”
Jay Conrad Levinson (1984) said that Guerrilla Marketing “works because it’s simple to appreciate, easy to execute, and inexpensive.”
Guerrilla Marketing is unconventional.
Looking beyond the traditional ways of advertising, marketers and advertisers need to spice things up in order for their brand to have campaigns that not only make an impact but also stick to their target market’s mind.
Guerrilla Marketing usually aims to have direct contact with consumers.
This type of direct contact should spark an emotional reaction that leads to consumers effectively remembering the brand.
It’s about making a big impression and making that impression last a long time (if not forever).
Guerrilla Marketing can be inexpensive.
The effect of this is being able to create a buzz around the brand, and the strategy used to market it. Almost everything is passed around through word-of-mouth.
Word-of-mouth is one of the greatest outcomes and it usually doesn’t cost anything.
This is every business’ or brand’s dream!
Every Friday, we publish tips, examples, and other useful content on unconventional ways of marketing and promotion.
Learn more about how to grab your target market’s attention and make an amazing first and lasting impression without having to spend a lot of money.
Businesses don’t really need to spend much for a guerrilla campaign. You do not need a big budget to be successful. You just need creativity and a good imagination
Hope you find this week’s guerrilla marketing insight interesting and helpful.
Stay tuned for next Friday’s “Gorillas of Guerrilla Marketing!”
Cheers,
Dyane Diasanta
Senior Content Writer
Valens Dynamic Marketing Capabilities
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