The Campaign

Housing 2,600 residents in 58 four-story buildings, the Ankang low-income housing community is one of Taipei’s oldest projects, and after 40 years it needed help. The Taipei City Government allocated annual budgets to renovate the community year after year, yet its deteriorating facilities had brought down the living standard. Rundown and poorly lit, its entrance and stairway lighting equipment was often broken. With crime on the rise, Ankang was no longer safe for kids and the elderly at night. Enter Philips Taiwan. Philips decided to donate its energy-saving lighting equipment to improve the residents’ quality of life and community safety. It played a key role in a campaign to provide Ankang with 500 new Philips energy-saving T5 light tubes, and mobilize 50 Philips employees and their families to join other volunteers to help repaint public areas and replace broken light fixtures. The good deeds were rewarded under the media spotlight. Business and consumer reporters from almost all of Taiwan’s major dailies reported on the Philips public service initiative, resulting in 13 TV stories, 8 newspaper articles, and 18 online news stories. Today, the story continues, and the lives of Ankang residents look just a little brighter.

The Brief

Make a positive connection to the community • To stress Philips’ ongoing commitment to giving back to the community, especially to the society in need • To foster Philips’ corporate reputation as a socially responsible company and form strong relationships with credible social welfare associations and the public sector via meaningful and high value corporate service. • To highlight that the T5 light tubes donated by Philips can help make Ankang a safer community, while helping its residents save on electricity bills. • To create widespread awareness of Philips as a leading solutions provider of desirable energy-efficient lighting.

Results

Putting the initiative in a positive light The Ankang Low-Income Community CSR campaign generated both quantity and quality media exposure, despite its inconvenient weekend timing. The campaign proved to be an excellent fit for delivering positive social messages about Philips’ longstanding commitment to community improvement, and resulted in comprehensive stories in three of Taiwan’s four major daily newspapers. Taiwan’s two major business daily newspapers also covered the event, branding Philips’ involvement prominently in the headlines. Philips was also visible in most TV news coverage. The transformation of the Ankang community continues, and the new lighting offers the community a ray of hope. “Our community used to look dark and spooky. Thanks for the new lights, our neighborhood now looks brighter and prettier, ” said a resident. “This project sets a paradigm of uniting civilian resources with ongoing government plans to renovate low-income housing communities,” offered a government official.

Execution

Deliver a compelling vision A variety of newsworthy photo opportunities were created for the Ankang event. A creative LED array was installed in the window frames and community VIPs were invited to a special lighting ceremony. After the ceremony, Philips’ Taiwan’s Country Manger met with the head of Taipei’s Department of Social Welfare in an Ankang stairway, where they joined hands and replaced a broken light with new Philips T5 tube. The PR team was on hand at the event site all day to escort and facilitate journalists wishing to do interviews or take photos. A video news release was later sent to non-attending TV stations to generate more TV clips, promoting a “before-and-after” storyline.

The Situation

An inspiring story needed a bright idea The Happy Gift of Social Service Association had called for 500 volunteers from 12 NPOs around Taiwan, including 50 employees from Philips Taiwan, to repaint the walls and install new lights at Ankang. The PR team was in charge of the “Light-up the Ankang Community” launch ceremony, intended to serve as the main driver for publicity coverage. But with the renovation project scheduled for a number of weekends, the team faced a challenge. CSR activities held over weekends -- without celebrity presence – rarely receive Taiwanese press attendance and exposure. A creative and flexible media plan was needed to maximize coverage.

The Strategy

Shine a light on the solution A volunteer event held over the weekend required ingenuity to attract a significant and relevant media pool – and overcome the disadvantages of a one-time “photo opp.” The team made media-friendly tweaks on the rundown so coverage could be as flexible as possible. If the press couldn’t make it on time, friendly arrangements were made to facilitate their coverage. If a TV camera crew couldn’t make it, we hired a crew to provide same-day footage as video news release for nighttime newscasts. The program targeted Philips’ important stakeholders, including government officials, NPOs, and media and local community influencers, informing them how something as simple as proper lighting can dramatically improve life quality and community safety. The message was designed to showcase Philips Taiwan’s most innovative lighting products and demonstrate its deep company and employee commitment to improving community welfare.