The Campaign

Korea’s sluggish job market resulted in an increasing number of people working part-time, recording more than one million part-time workers in 2015 and expected to increase by 20-30,000 people each year. The majority of part-time workers are teenagers or young adults between 20 and 30 years old, with the minimum wage of KRW 6,000 (USD $5) per hour. To get a better understanding, Alba Chunkuk conducted surveys on working environment and contractual obligations of part-time workers in Korea. The results were alarming: 20% of part-time workers weren’t getting paid the minimum wage; 80% were subject to overuse of power in their workplace; and 50% of part-time workers weren’t protected by an employment contract. Alba Chunkuk wanted a campaign that would support and advocate the value of part-time employees to the Korean workforce by overhauling the standards of employment that its users had come to expect from potential employers

Creative Execution

From May to December 2016, a wide range of campaigns was implemented to shift the general public’s perceptions about part-time workers. Key campaigns include: • Planning and developing campaign microsite • Securing celebrity ambassadors, actress Suzy, actor Kang Ha-neul and comedian Lee Kyung-gyu, to be featured on TV commercials on TV and social media • Constructing a 15-metre wide, 6-metre tall LED media wall titled ‘Voice of Part-Timers’ in the center of Seoul. • As part of the ‘Alba Income Index,’ analyzing and pitching three-year data on part-timers to Korea’s largest newspaper, Chosun Ilbo • Through ‘Make-a-Wish Mailbox’ series, over ten Korean celebrities visited selected part-timers at work, with the video shared through social media • Through ‘Part-time Heaven,’ sending four college students to Iceland as part-time workers to participate in a whale protection program. • Contributing to political initiatives through compensation and breakfast delivery for part-time workers on website

Through this strategic and multi-faceted campaign, the conversation about part-time workers in Korea successfully changed to one that was positive, showing the value they bring to Korea’s workforce. Difficulties that part-time workers encountered were exposed through each of the tactics which helped to shift the general public’s perception but also helped build self-confidence of the part-timer’s. The campaign microsite received more than 5.4 million visitors during the campaign and there was a 221% increase in part-time worker registrations on Alba Chunkuk. On Facebook, YouTube and other targeted social media, the campaign commercials generated 33+ million views; the Make-A-Wish Mailbox videos saw over 48 million views.

The strategy focused on driving a cultural shift within Korea surrounding part-time workers, reinforcing a new set of values, perceptions and behaviors. The campaign primarily targeted millennials in Korea, aged between 18-30 years. A 2017 Incruit survey reported that 97.3% of Koreans in their 20s have had a part-time job at least once in their lives, which enabled to leverage the experiences of nearly all 18-30 year olds. This target group also spent a substantial time online, with an average of 20% per day on their mobile phone, indicating that an online, mobile-friendly element to the campaign was essential. With celebrities playing a key role in influencing the beliefs and behaviors, it was also imperative to leverage local influencers in sharing the campaign messages across all communications channels. The campaign also targeted a secondary audience, the general public, to influence their perceptions so part-time workers were valued and appreciated more.