THE 7-ELEVEN PIANO COIN DONATION BOX

TitleTHE 7-ELEVEN PIANO COIN DONATION BOX
BrandPRESIDENT CHAIN STORE CORP.
Product / ServiceCHAIN STORE
CategoryB04. Use of Ambient Media: Large Scale
EntrantOGILVY & MATHER Taipei, CHINESE TAIPEI
Idea Creation OGILVY & MATHER Taipei, CHINESE TAIPEI

Credits

Name Company Position
Giant Kung Ogilvy & Mather, Taipiei Executive Creative Director
Jennifer Hu Ogilvy & Mather, Taipei Chief Creative Officer
Martin Tsai Ogilvy&Mather,Taipei Creative Director
Elma Lin Ogilvy & Mather,Taipei Associate Creative Director
Ahon Liao Ogilvy & Mather,Taipei Art Director

The Campaign

“Piano” + “Coin Donation Box” = the “7-Eleven Piano Coin Donation Box.” With this invention, you’ll never ignore the existence of a donation box again. We retrofitted a real piano, cutting coin slots in every key, so whenever anyone dropped a coin in, the piano would make a euphonious note. Not only did it make the donation boxes highly visible, but it also offered direct feedback, enticing visitors to slide their coins in, and to enjoy the process of giving.

Creative Execution

We gave an abandoned piano a radical makeover: Attaching transparent exterior walls, so it resembled a donation box, we installed sensors in all 88 keys, and handconnected 1,408 wires. Every key had a coin slot in it, so dropping a coin in made the piano play a note. From October to November of 2015, we placed the “7-Eleven Piano Coin Donation Box” in 7-Eleven stores around Taiwan, bringing it into direct contact with people where they shop every day. But before sending it out on tour, 7-Eleven announced the times and places it would appear. Curious people came out in droves to directly interact with this one-of-a-kind instrument. Some even put on their own concerts. We captured footage of a challenging 8-hand performance of the classical piece “Liebestraum” and turned it into a documentary, which went viral on the Internet, generating fervent discussion both in Taiwan and overseas, and inspiring.

Results

*In a single month, donations grew by 170%. The public no longer ignored 7-Eleven’s donation boxes, but actively went out of their way to give. *A video of a live performance by ordinary people received a million views in one day. It scored 5 million views and 100,000 shares in one week. * The campaign attracted 23 reports from both Taiwanese and international media, and reaped praise on social media in 51 countries across Europe, the Americas and Asia. * The piano traveled to Singapore, where it was featured in a live performance at a charity gala, raising US$2.3 million for the Lions Club.

The “Piano Coin Donation Box” made the public pay fresh attention to the widely neglected donation boxes sitting in 7-Eleven stores. This work of ambient media directly interacted with the public. People could directly drop coins into it to produce an enchanting note, receiving direct and immediate feedback. And when they did, the act of donating spare change became a magical experience.

People in Taiwan were simply ignoring the donation boxes in 7-Eleven stores, so we created the “Piano Coin Donation Box.” It visually caught people’s eyes, but what’s more, they could directly drop coins into it. Each time they did, it would play an enchanting note, enticing them to drop in another coin, and then another. It made many people fall in love with the whole process of giving to charity.

Links

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