Why is this work relevant for PR?

We, as a shared office platform for creators, provides workspace, community, and services that support forward-thinking companies around the world. As the nature of work changes, more and more people are pursuing careers with intention. Our goal was to become a platform for creators, giving Koreans the opportunity to express their ideas and follow their dreams. Hoping that our campaign can influence opinions and drive social and cultural changes, we created the concept, “K- Creator” which conveys that Koreans have an inherent nature of creativity and innovation.

Background

With the increasing global awareness of K-Pop, K-Beauty, and K-Drama, the world may perceive Korea as a hub for creativity. However, according to the 2019 World Happiness Report, Korea ranked 114th for social freedom. This is due to the copious amount of obligations set by society, discouraging individuals from feeling free to express their ideas and pursue their dreams. This is why we launch K-Creator campaign : we believe Koreans are inherently creative and innovative, carrying the “Creator DNA” - and we set out to unlock it through a local campaign. The K-Creator Campaign was the perfect opportunity to celebrate history-making Korean Creators and celebrate the future generation of Creators.

Describe the creative idea (20% of vote)

We felt inspired to unlock the “Creator DNA” in Korea through its global competition, The Creator Awards. This was the birth of the local K-Creator Campaign - a campaign to elicit passion and excitement for great ideas that can change the world. We selected King Sejong as the face of the K-Creator Campaign, as he represents a period of advancement in the arts, sciences, and culture in Korea. He was also the creator of “Hangul”, the Korean alphabet - which made him the ultimate K-Creator. Drawing inspiration from his pioneer mindset, we designed our campaign as a platform for anyone to freely express ideas that could create an impact. The K-Creator Campaign creates a place in our society where ideas become reality - and at last, where King Sejong’s dreams of creating a nation of Creators come true.

Describe the strategy (30% of vote)

We needed to let people understand our key message: "Any Korean creators and entrepreneurs with ideas that could create impact were given chances to change the world." To increase awareness of our campaign, we partnered up with the Seoul Metropolitan Government(SMG). We could attain public confidence in our campaign and were able to leverage PR opportunities by being exposed to SMG's official on-offline channels. On the other hands, in order to encourage people for event participation, 30-seconds long videos were aired on TV, particularly on channels with 2045 young and creative audiences, while several press releases were raising people’s expectations for the event. Additional influencer videos followed—featuring rising figures from startup industry were released and spread via online channels to boost entries.

Describe the execution (20% of vote)

PHASE 1 (Educate & Drive Applications) : we educated our key stakeholders about the awards with the aim to create awareness and drive applications. We implemented diverse publicity activities - including press releases, executive interviews and bylined articles - and a media engagement event "K-Creator Night." PHASE 2 (Boost Awareness & Build Excitement) : In the weeks leading up to the event, we proceeded with a series of publicity activities - including press releases and executive interviews - to boost awareness and build excitement around the event. In addition, we leveraged on/offline channels to reach out to the public. While creating buzz through publicity, we continued to work closely with the Seoul Metropolitan Government. PHASE 3 (Launch) Applicants submitted ideas through a 90-second pitch video, and finalists were selected to pitch for 60 seconds on stage at the awards event where we awarded a total of USD630,000 in funding.

List the results (30% of vote) – must include at least two of the following tiers:

Tier 1: Media Outputs - 301+ media coverage - 910+ social mentions across Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram during the event period - 300,122+ social engagement was created within a month after the awards show boosted by celebrities social media posts. Tier 2: Target Audience Outcomes - 1,066 applications by the target audience - 2,700 event guests - On the Seoul Creator Awards event day, more than 40 companies participated job fair and pop-up market, which served as a platform to connect local businesses to the bigger community. The K-Creator Campaign was the perfect opportunity to celebrate history-making Korean Creators and celebrate the future generation of Creators. Through the campaign, we created a place in our society where ideas become reality.