Why is this work relevant for Direct?

Maxim espresso T.O.P, a leading Ready to Drink coffee brand in Korea, has been ‘Passion.’ However, for young Korean millennials, the word ‘Passion’ is just one of those good words that sound lame and doesn’t accurately reflect their busy lives. To address this consumer insight, we observed the real-life of millennials and tried to find the right moment when they need ‘Passion.’ By reminding and emphasizing the real value of Passion that target consumers can relate to, we wanted to strengthen the emotional relationship between the brand and the consumers.

Background

Since 2014, the core brand identity of Maxim espresso T.O.P, a leading Ready to Drink coffee brand in Korea, has been ‘Passion.’ However, for young Korean millennials, the word ‘Passion’ is just one of those good words that sound lame and doesn’t accurately reflect their busy lives. To address this consumer insight, we observed the real-life of millennials and tried to find the right moment when they need ‘Passion.’ By reminding and emphasizing the real value of Passion that target consumers can relate to, we wanted to strengthen the emotional relationship between the brand and the consumers.

Describe the creative idea (30% of vote)

To make this campaign more meaningful, we thought there must be the participation of the real consumers, and they must be the owners of this campaign. So we collected their insights on a promotional mobile site, where they can list their everyday goals. Then we turned them into real ads or "WILLBOARDS" and then covered the city with them, such as subway stations, bus stops, buildings, and more around Seoul. Not only that, to promote this campaign, we made a video about a girl who achieved her goals thanks to the "WILLBOARDS."

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

"I'm going on a diet!!" Millennials are passionate when they go on a diet, and yet, they often find themselves ordering a pizza late at night. We thought this could be the real moment when people need Passion. Passion not only to be used to achieve their ultimate dream but something to help them to achieve the little goals in their everyday lives. To help people to achieve their goals with Passion, we got the idea from a theory known as the 'Profess Effect,' which says that the more you let people know your goals, the more likely you are to achieve those goals. Based on this theory, we created a campaign to motivate them to stick to their everyday goals with Passion.

Describe the execution (20% of vote)

To make this campaign more meaningful, we thought there must be the participation of the real consumers, and they must be the owners of this campaign. So we collected their insights on a promotional mobile site, where they can list their everyday goals. Then we turned them into real ads or "WILLBOARDS" and then covered the city with them, such as subway stations, bus stops, buildings, and more around Seoul. We executed each "WILLBOARDS" based on the area that consumers live in, such as office districts or university districts, to motivate them and their colleagues every day. Not only that, to promote this campaign, we made a video about a girl who achieved her goals thanks to the "WILLBOARDS."

List the results (30% of vote)

The campaign video collectively earned over 23 million views, and soon fans were taking to social media with their wills. Throughout the 27 day campaign period, more than 23,000 people participated in the promotion and made their Willboards online. You can see some of the fan-generated contents posted on Instagram with a hashtag #열정광고, which means WILLBOARDS in Korean. Hundreds of goals were selected and executed on real advertising spaces, including such as bus shelters, subway stations, and buildings in Seoul, which led to a sharp rise in sales and a number of brand search keywords on portals of Maxim espresso T.O.P. With the explosive growth of T.O.P, the total sales of Ready to Drink section of Dongsuh reached 160 billion won this year, which is 8.8% more compared to the last year. That also widely-awarded in Korea and recognized as one of the most effective advertising campaigns in 2019.