Why is this work relevant for PR?

The reason is that the wristband was made with ultra-low budget, but the PR effect it brought was huge. And the wristband itself can act as a PR media, whenever other people saw a fisherman wearing a wristband, a lot of PR effects naturally occurred. Compared to before the campaign, the traffic of WWF Korea’s website increase by 566%, the traffic of the campaign’s Facebook page by 239%. and views of campaign-related blog posts by 216% This led to over 8,900,000 media impressions.

Background

Korea’s marine stock is on the brink of depletion, with one of the biggest causes being the overfishing of immature fish. Even in these adverse circumstances, fishing is increasingly gaining popularity in Korea. With their number mushrooming, the number of anglers is estimated at nearly 10 million. The problem is that anglers mostly don’t know about the definition and sizes of immature fish and end up capturing them inadvertently. While the Korean government issued a chart for the minimum legal size of capture to conserve immature fish, the chart was too large and information-dense to be carried around or memorized. Against such a backdrop, the campaign for the conservation of immature fish necessitated a tool that can drive changes in the behavior of anglers and be produced with small costs, rather than high-budget mass media communication that is conveyed one-sidedly to unspecified audiences.

Describe the creative idea (20% of vote)

We saw the increasing number of anglers as an opportunity. 10 million anglers can become 10 million guardians for immature fish. We decided to make design merchandise that ticks all these boxes: it is portable; it can be used instantly as a tool to protect immature fish at the moment of the capture; it makes people want to own and wear it because it is fashionable. Therefore, we extracted data for the most frequently caught species from the minimum legal size chart and created FishLove Band, a universally portable wristband that measures the size of immature fish. Coming in 7 different shades and designs, this versatile everyday fashion item can be used to measure the size of your capture when you go fishing. and let it go if it is smaller than the marked size.

Describe the PR strategy (30% of vote)

If a small idea can bring about far-reaching changes, 10 million anglers can eventually become 10 million guardians for immature fish. To promote the awareness about immature fish and elicit fundamental behavior changes from anglers who are not even familiar with the concept of immature fish, we established that the best idea would be the “merchandise for anglers.” This led to the birth of FishLove Band, a fish-measuring wristband that can be worn everyday and during fishing. We decided to distribute products through face-to-face channels, including key fishing sites and fisheries-related events, and online channels, mostly online fishing communities. Furthermore, we established the PR and viral strategy capitalizing on media outlets and social media.

Describe the PR execution (20% of vote)

To maximize the impact of the campaign, the campaign was launched in the fall, the peak season for fishing in Korea. We effectively used offline and online channels at the same time, for a wristband (which is itself a small media) can spread out to many people and cause huge media exposure effects. 22,000 FishLove Bands were distributed via both face-to-face and online channels, and at major fishing spots across the country. In addition, bands was also distributed at several fisheries related events. Celebrities posted their photos and videos with the band. Their followers reshared the posts on social media, and diverse media outlets covered the launch of the campaign on their TV, newspaper and online. To enable the campaign to be voluntarily shared among anglers, the main target of the campaign, the campaign video, news articles, and application link were shared in online fishing communities.

List the results (30% of vote)

TV exposure counts 3,634,800 Online exposure counts 4,744,233 Online posts and views 496,191 Offline exposure counts 10,650 Compared to before the campaign, the traffic of WWF Korea’s website increase by 566%, the traffic of the campaign’s Facebook page by 239%. and views of campaign-related blog posts by 216% This led to over 8,900,000 media impressions. Furthermore, scores of celebrities voluntarily joined the campaign, along with anglers and non-anglers. The biggest gleaning was that in the post-campaign survey, 89.7% of anglers responded they would not capture immature fish, as opposed to 96.6% ignorant about immature fish before the campaign, proving a significant improvement in the awareness on immature fish. Lastly, during the October parliamentary audit, the Minister of Oceans and Fisheries and parliamentarians wore FishLove and introduced the campaign. Their discussion on a policy obliging FishLove for fishermen was broadcasted live on TV.

Please tell us how the work was designed / adapted for a single country / region / market

South Korea is a peninsula country surrounded by sea from three sides, with the fisheries industry taking up a big portion of its national economy. Several factors contribute to the challenges that Korea face in the conservation of immature fish. Firstly, fish in the Korean littoral waters are smaller than the ones caught in foreign waters. The gastronomical culture of eating immature fish as delicacies still exists, and there is a prevalent ignorance about the issue of conserving immature fish. This is why overfishing immature fish is a major threat to Korea's fisheries resources and prompts their depletion. In a country where fisheries and fishing are an inseparable part of its cultural and socioeconomic realms, FishLove Band was an idea that allowed angler populations to protect marine resources while enjoying fishing.