The Campaign

To have a lasting impact on society and raise public awareness of the efforts of HOPE, we decided to organise the first and largest hair donation drive in Taiwan. We therefore recruited over 100 participants to take part in the one-day event and donate their hair for the production of 1,000 real hair wigs for cancer patients. We emphasised to the public that hair donation is similar to blood donation in that such donations can be made repeatedly unlike organ donation. We also recruited children, which can deliver benefits to the event in several ways. Apart from inculcating correct values to the next generation, children donors can easily attract the attention of the media and draw in-depth coverage, thus help spread our key messages. Moreover, the participation of children helps convey the message that persons of all ages, and even those with no financial means can lend a helping hand.

Execution

The event was held on 25th October 2015 at Taipei Expo Park. A dedicated fan page on Facebook was created two months prior to the event to preannounce the event. SPRG and HOPE utilised its own networks to recruit hair donors and hairstylists, which included hospitals and schools, as well as leveraged the internet to reach target segments of the population. We inserted a media interview session in the middle of the event, arranging two hair donors – Mr. So and Ms. Wang – to be interviewed. They both witnessed very close relatives suffer from cancer and decided to help other cancer patients by donating their hair. All members of SPRG were involved in each stage of the CSR event, from planning and event management to media relations. After the event, we produced a film for HOPE to encourage future donation activities.

Taiwan’s FIRST and LARGEST hair donation event - 300 attendees in total - 110 hair donors and 100 hairstylists took part - 50 hair donors were aged under 12 2015 results (from March to December) - Raised NTD 3,108,434 (about USD 97,000) - 16,133 hair donors - 20,620 wigs made - 1,476 wigs rented PR X traditional/digital marketing to trigger discussions - Generated 85 news items in single day - Created NT$5,833,095 (about USD 185,000) in advertising value - The stories of cancer patients and hair donors triggered intense discussion on the internet Promulgated key messages to the next generation - Kid’s participation became a highlight of the event any figure. Almost all of the media coverage focused on the stories of the hair donors, especially the 9 years old hair donor Ms. Wang. - Successfully cultivated the spirit of “giving” among the next generation.

The Situation

Unlike other anniversary celebrations, Strategic Public Relations Group (SPRG) decided to give back to society to celebrate the 10th anniversary of its Taiwan office. Correspondingly, it organised a CSR event that would also involve all staff members, thus represent a truly collective effort. As a veteran in terms of devising CSR campaigns, we decided to organise the first and largest hair donation drive ever in Taiwan, aiming to draw public awareness of the needs of cancer patients, as well as recruit long-term hair donors and relevant funds to support the wigs borrowing service of HOPE Foundation for Cancer Care (“HOPE”).

The Strategy

We tried to best utilize the respective strengths of HOPE and SPRG. While HOPE has a strong network that encompasses the medical community, including hospitals, doctors and patients, SPRG is experienced in event management and can tap a strong media network to achieve event objectives and raise public awareness. For attracting attention and encouraging discussion among the general public, we employed emotional marketing as our main strategy. Correspondingly, we invited cancer patients to share their personal stories at the pre-event stage. And during the entire promotion process, we emphasised that everyone can make a difference, and not just through financial support. To attract more potential donors, we sought sponsorships from long-term clients, i.e. P&G and Discovery Channel, to donate souvenirs for participants attending the event, and to attract media attention. Also, we utilised existing networks and social platforms, i.e. Facebook and YouTube to promote the event and maximise exposure.