THE PENGUIN AND THE WHALE

TitleTHE PENGUIN AND THE WHALE
BrandUNITED NATIONS
Product / ServiceCHINESE YOUTH DIALOGUE ON THE FUTURE
CategoryA07. Not-for-profit / Charity / Government
EntrantTENCENT Shenzhen, CHINA
Idea Creation TENCENT Shenzhen, CHINA
Media Placement TENCENT Shenzhen, CHINA
PR TENCENT Shenzhen, CHINA
Production STINK STUDIOS Shanghai, CHINA
Production 2 RUDO COMPANY Buenos Aires, ARGENTINA

Credits

Name Company Position
Vincent Li Tencent General Manager
Akae Wang Tencent Executive Creative Director
Akae Wang Tencent Executive Creative Director
Zita Zou Tencent Copywriter
Ken Lin Tencent Art Director
Sonja Xu Tencent Assistant Art Director
Ahjan Huang Tencent Agency Producer
Derek Song Tencent Project Director
Nina Lin Tencent Project Manager
Susieshan Li Tencent Project Manager
Katherine Lee Stink Studios Executive Producer
Roy Zhang Stink Studios Producer
Ivan Faerman Stink Studios Head of Delivery
Nando Correa Freelance Creative Director
Addie Hao Stink Studios Creative Technologist
Ezequiel Torres Rudo Director
Pablo Roldán Rudo Director
Ruby Valls Rudo Producer
Dong Xie Tencent Art Director

Why is this work relevant for PR?

It’s a classic case of a PR partner sponsoring a media event. As the UN wanted to dialogue with Chinese youth on 2030 SDGs, and the post-covid era communication relies more on technology, social media and big data, they naturally partnered with WeChat, a platform with one billion users. The campaign kicked off with a tragic animation that went viral during the summer vocation among students, and raised their parents’ awareness on the importance of environmental protection. Within one week, the campaign had 83 media coverages and 40 million participants, with 7 million students joining the online dialogue.

Background

The UN wanted to reach out to Chinese youth and spark dialogues with them on its 2030 SDGs. Given that the UN has no funding for this campaign, it needed to work with the most resourceful partner. Covid-19 added an extra layer of difficulty to making this dialogue possible. Tencent, with its extensive prowess in technology, big data, social-networking, live-streaming and performance-based advertising, proactively approached the UN.

Describe the creative idea (20% of vote)

Firstly, we invested the entire $80,000 budget in content production. We created an animated film that tells a story about a whale searching for an iceberg home for its friend, a penguin. This seemingly heartwarming film has a tragic ending. Once released, it immediately went viral, attracting a large number of students during the summer holidays. The film was launched as a native WeChat ad with a direct reply function. Users could click to join the live stream after watching the film, share it on their social networks, and go to the UN website to join the campaign.

Describe the PR strategy (30% of vote)

Once you have good content, the next thing you need is a capable PR media partner who is willing to sponsor it for free. WeChat, a super app with one billion users and integrates resources of live social post and on real time, Tencent Meeting and big data, is best positioned to channel resources for the campaign. They soon found 7 million young people kicked-off a conversation about climate and ocean issues. Post-covid era, Tencent, an internet technology firm, could maximize the marketing outcomes for both sides. Tencent, who is also a great PR company, which eventually brought in around 10 million RMB worth of earned media for the campaign.

Describe the PR execution (20% of vote)

Given the social responsibility the campaign highly adovated, Tencent, with its PR capabilities, successfully secured national media coverage, which was a significant resource in China. The official endorsement meant that the campaign was promoted as one with strategic value. The following four media forms - social platforms, live streaming, online offices and advertising -are usually owned by different parties in countries other than China. However, Tencent has them all under one roof, thus capable of integrating all forms and centrally manage them in one place. Meanwhile, WeChat, the super app, could effectively help channel high traffic and convert high intent users for the campaign.

List the results (30% of vote)

The animated short received over 40 million views online and was recommended by the UN on the front page of its official site. Thanks to the film’s widespread promotion, 7 million viewers joined the live streaming platform through the H5 page on WeChat, more than 700,000 young participants signed up for the series activities of "Chinese Youth Dialogue on the Future". The support and acknowledgment from the government brought it further into the limelight and sparked hotter discussion among youth. 1.Generated 2.47 million+ online discussions 2. 500,000 viral communications 3. 83 media coverages 4. With 10361 proposals initiated.

Links

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