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 enticed visitors to slide their coins in, and enjoy the process of giving. It conveyed the message that donating your change is a beautiful thing to do.

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, the piano toured around Taiwan. Consumers could donate their coins when they went into 7-Eleven every day,so giving to charity became an integral part of daily life. Some people put on their own concerts, and there was even an 8-hand virtuoso performance of the classical piece “Liebestraum.” We captured this impressive event in a documentary, which went viral on the Internet, generating fervent discussion both in Taiwan and overseas, and inspiring an upsurge in customer donations.

Describe the success of the promotion with both client and consumer including some quantifiable 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.

Explain why the method of promotion was most relevant to the product or service

The “Piano Coin Donation Box” drew fresh public attention to the widely neglected donation boxes sitting in 7-Eleven stores. Every time anyone dropped a coin in a slot, it played an enchanting note, successfully inspiring people to actively drop their coins in donation boxes, to feel the magical experience that comes from giving a coin.

People in Taiwan were simply ignoring the donation boxes in 7-Eleven stores. So we created a “Piano Coin Donation Box” – to grab the public’s eye, and pluck their heartstrings, motivating them to part with their change. We generated content highlighting the donation process, and effectively distributed it across the internet and social media, where it went viral. This encouraged more people to step forward to give, and from that point on the humble 7-Eleven coin donation box was no longer overlooked, but became the focus of attention.