Background

Youngchemical is no.1 bandage manufacturing company that represents Korea. However, the medical bandage market is primarily made of the original equipment manufacturer, leaving most general consumers unaware of Youngchemical’s products. March 2020, when WHO declared COVID-19 outbreak as a global pandemic, Korea was no exception. The number of confirmed cases and diagnostic tests was exponentially increasing. The COVID-19 healthcare workers wear extensive protective gear for a long time, leaving many scars and marks on their faces. To prevent this, the Korean COVID-19 medical staff put bandages on their faces. Numerous foreign media praised the bandages on the faces of Korean healthcare workers, referring the bandages as a badge of honor. To support the healthcare workers, Youngchemical designed the “#CheeringBandage” campaign to utilize the bandages the medical team put on their faces to directly deliver the touching messages.

Describe the strategy

Since the declaration of COVID-19 pandemic, numerous medical teams and people have lost hope due to psychological anxiety. The Korean public all needed a turning point to support each other and get through the COVID-19 crisis together. In addition to product branding, Youngchemical most importantly wanted to contribute to society as Korea’s leading bandage company. To achieve such an effect, the methods to participate in the campaign also diversified. Instead of using specific sites or applications, we utilized Instagram or Facebook hashtags, AR camera filters, GIF stickers, and direct messages. We aimed to send the citizens’ messages of gratitude to the exhausted medical staff, raise the public’s disease awareness, and encourage the practice of social distancing. Eventually, through this campaign, the Youngchemical brand awareness and preference have increased among both professional medical personnel and the public.

Describe the execution

1.Messages submission An Instagram account (@cheeringbandage) was created, and a film was released to announce the campaign and encourage participation through handwriting, direct-messages, AR-filters, and GIF-stickers. 2.Production The bandages produced complying with the safety-regulations. A custom-made printer was implemented for the campaign to place a variety of handwritings in the center of the bandage. 3.Delivery To ensure that “Cheering Bandages” were supplied to the forefront, the medical team’s working hours, environment, number of COVID-19 cases, and number of diagnostic tests were collected and analyzed comprehensively before delivery. 400,000 bandages were delivered nationwide to the 37 medical facilities treating COVID-19. Whenever medical-team put the bandages on, they were able to receive the messages of support with their own eyes and skin. 4.Production of AR Cheering Bandage Additionally, “Cheering-Bandage-AR-filter” and stickers were released on social media, allowing the public to indirectly experience and sympathize with the distress of the healthcare-workers.

List the results

400,000 #Cheeringbandages distributed to 37 nationwide medical institutions and selective care centers that treat COVID-19 [FACEBOOK Brand Lift Study] Campaign awareness: 8.5 times the APAC average (23.7%) Campaign preference: 7.5 times the APAC average (23.3%) Campaign upper prayer: 2x the global average (22.3%) Campaign Video View Count: Record 4.1 million views 10x the cost efficiency of the global average [Social Buzz Effect of Bandage Manufacturing Companies] Social media followers increased by 110,317% Social media content view increased by 2,757% Content likes increased by 432% Bandage manufacturer (Youngchemical) media coverage increased by 3,600% (as of 2020) [MEDIA HIGHLIGHT] Without spending major publicity expenses, major Korean broadcasters (KBS, JTBC, etc.) covered “Cheeringbandage” on their own Korea’s top online portal site NAVER and global magazine ELLE covered the “Cheering Bandage” campaign [SOCIAL INFLUENCER] Korean celebrities and social influencer voluntarily participated in the campaign, spreading this to about 1.7 million Instagram followers