[ 매드타임스 최영호 기자] Last year, Lee Young-hyeon, Lee Jeok, and Jung Eun-ji, who are said to have the best singing skills in Korea, sang a CM song in sign language. Why did they sing in sign language? Being different from others, we often see it as wrong. But isn’t being different rather a variety? I thought that pentacles would reinterpret differences and create a colorful harmony together. That is why the hearing-impaired also experienced the Bravocon CM song, which was even called the national CM song. These Pentacles’ thoughts resonated in our society. The general public’s evaluation of the advertisement was high, and it swept major domestic advertisement awards including the Korea Advertising Awards. Isn’t this the good influence of advertising that allows the public to sympathize and act together without exerting effort? I met Jae-wook Lim (AE), Assistant Manager Joo-Hyun Lee (AE), and Do-Young Kim (AD) of the Campaign Creative Office, who planned and produced this campaign.
What kind of campaign is ‘The World’s Quietest CM Song’?
Burabocon is Korea’s first ice cream cone, launched in 1970. In 2001, it was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest serving ice cream in Korea. The addictive Bravo Con CM song that starts with “See you at 12:00~” played a big role in gaining popularity among the public. ‘The World’s Quietest CM Song’ was designed to once again inform all citizens, including the MZ generation, of Burabo Song. However, it is characteristic that the songs in the commercial video are sung in sign language, not voice.
Please tell us about the background and concept of creating the campaign.
Bravocon’s CM song, which begins with “See you at 12:00~”, is a successful work that will go down in the history of domestic advertising. Since it was first revealed in 1976 in an advertisement featuring popular actors Jung Yoon-hee and Shin Il-ryong, many people have remembered and sang it as it has been used for over 30 years.
However, more than half of the younger generation did not know about Bravocon’s CM songs, as if the business did not exist with the passing of time. It is not easy for the younger generation, who rarely watch TV, to know CM songs. In a way, CM songs are a legacy of commercials that enjoyed the heyday of the TV era.
Binggrae wanted to publicize the brand’s representative heritage CM song once again, focusing on the MZ generation, and proceeded with a video advertisement using the YouTube channel. While setting the MZ generation as the main target group, we created an advertisement that both disabled and non-disabled people can enjoy together, and the resulting campaign is ‘The World’s Quietest CM Song’.
What did you ultimately want to talk about and what were your goals during this campaign?
“If Burabo Song is a national CM song representing Korea, shouldn’t all citizens really listen to it at least once?” As the question that started as a curiosity materialized, ‘the world’s quietest CM song’ was born. Pentacle is a national CM song that has been loved for a long time, but we paid attention to the fact that the hearing impaired have never been able to hear it. And we have planned content that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. In particular, we tried to convey the value of diversity that can be enjoyed together by narrowing the cultural gap between disabled and non-disabled people who cannot access auditory content.
How did the main copy of ‘The World’s Quietest CM Song’ come about?
First, we analyzed data on which advertisements consumers like to find some common data. It was unexpectedness, sympathy, reversal, parody, and public interest. With five keywords in mind, we decided to create an advertisement that could impress consumers with creativity instead of media volume. Added to this is the ambiguity.
The direction was set, but the ideas didn’t come easily. While contemplating, one day, a member of the creative team came up with a video that sparked an idea. It was a video that stirred up the media and public opinion. It was actress Yoon Yeo-jeong’s sign language at the Academy Awards. It was a video that warmed the hearts of people around the world at the thoughtful appearance of the great actor. We watched the video together, shared our thoughts, and asked ourselves a question. “If the Bravo Con CM song is a national CM song that represents Korea, shouldn’t all citizens really listen to it at least once?” As I elaborated on the question that started as a curiosity, a copy called ‘the world’s quietest CM song’ was naturally born.
Here, the video was completed by adding ‘unexpectedness’ where a singer with excellent singing skills does not sing, and ‘public interest’ in which a CM song is conveyed in sign language instead of voice.
Until now, Bravocon campaigns had a strong feeling of advertising the product itself, but this time it seems to have focused on storytelling. What difference did you try to make from the previous ad?
It is not uncommon for advertisements for low-involvement products such as confectionery or ice cream to deliver messages of public interest. There is a reason most of them make advertisements simple and fun. In fact, during the planning meeting, there were skeptical opinions about good advertisements. Even so, the reason Pentacle was able to gather courage was because he knew that a warm heart that is considerate of the weak works in any era. In particular, respect for diversity is an important value that determines consumption for the MZ generation, which is called the current generation.
Advertising models also became a hot topic. Lee Young-hyun, Lee Jeok, and Jung Eun-ji are top-class singers in terms of singing ability in Korea. Why did you choose them as models? Tell us the story behind model casting.
Who is the singer that everyone likes regardless of their singing ability or generation? I was worried. The singers that came to mind were Lee Jeok, Lee Young-hyun, and Apink’s Jeong Eun-ji.
The casting was all that was left, but I didn’t have enough time until the commercial shooting day. I was worried too. But rather, the singers sent their intention to participate even if they had to change their existing schedule, and even sympathized with our planning intention and wanted to join us. In fact, even on the day of the shoot, the three models worked hard to perfect the sign language. And the people involved in ‘Snail of Love’, a corporation that prepared the campaign together, also visited the filming set early in the morning to help with sign language filming. Without the help of many people, I think it would have been difficult to produce the current results.
What do you want to emphasize to the public or what was the point that you focused on the most?
The biggest goal was to increase sales. Of course, there are ads with long-term branding in mind, but most companies spend money to increase sales immediately.
In particular, since ice cream is a seasonal product, we launched the campaign targeting June before summer arrives in earnest. What we also hoped for was that consumers would think of the Bravocon ad in front of an ice cream stand and consider purchasing it. Why do you say you’re giving away money? Unlike before, consumers are interested in the small good deeds of companies. If you agree with the purpose, you respond with money (money + soul, supporting the company through purchase).
In this campaign, some of the proceeds from the sale of Bravocon are delivered to ‘Snail of Love’ to be used for a project to support hearing-impaired people find their voices. The ‘snail of love’ logo was also engraved to give meaning to the package.
Please tell us about any memorable episodes during the campaign creation process.
There aren’t many opportunities to come across ‘sign language’ in everyday life, but with this shoot, all the team members were able to perfectly learn sign language for ‘see you’, ‘I love you’, and ‘date’. Even at the actual filming site, I could see the singers and all the on-site staff copying the sign language according to the lyrics of the Bravo Con CM. And the Snail of Love officials were also present at the scene. It is memorable that I received a thank you for planning so many people to be interested in sign language.
The campaign performance was also great. Talk about your achievements. What was the consumer response like?
According to the results of a self-contracted consumer survey after the campaign ended, the brand preference for Bravocon increased by 13% compared to before the campaign, and the preference among people in their 20s in particular exceeded the overall average.
Korea Advertising Awards, YouTube Works, Seoul Video Advertising Festival, Good Advertising Award chosen by consumers, etc. We have achieved 13 crowns in domestic advertising festivals. The world’s quietest commercials are receiving good reviews that are never quiet at various advertising festivals. Between the fun and stimulating commercials, I think the positive results of ‘The World’s Quietest CM Song’ convey a great meaning. The commercial video recorded 4.2 million cumulative views, and “It is so fresh and good that it is a CM song that sings in sign language. I hope there will be more CM songs that everyone in the world can listen to”, “I saw it because it was a combination of my favorite singers, but I didn’t know that sign language would come out. More than 500 positive comments were posted, such as “I was emotional at the moment” and “I hope there will be more advertisements with good intentions like this.”
Commenting on a YouTube ad doesn’t often happen without being really moved. To leave a comment, it is accompanied by the hassle of having to search and find the ad you saw again.
What impressed me the most is that the preference of those in their 20s has risen noticeably in terms of brand preference above. What part of this campaign do you think people in their 20s particularly resonated with?
It seems that consumers in their 20s sympathized with the fact that they sang CM songs in sign language rather than voices. Advertising is inevitably commercial, but the core intention of the value of diversity contained in it seems to have been well conveyed. We also collaborated with ‘Snail of Love’ to engrave our logo on the Bravocon package and create and sell limited edition products to create synergy, rather than just temporary short advertisements. I also donated some of the proceeds generated here, and I think consumers watched more sincerely during this process. Advertisements that are packaged with believable messages without sincerity can no longer convince consumers of all generations, not just those in their 20s.
Did the reaction to the campaign actually lead to an increase in sales of Bravocon?
The positive response from consumers has also led to business growth. Sales of Bravocon as a single brand increased by 12.4% compared to the same period last year (June 1st – July 31st), and the domestic cone ice cream market share increased by 5%p to 19.4% during the same period. The packaged product in collaboration with the aforementioned ‘Snail of Love’ achieved remarkable results, selling about 130 million units in just two months. We hope that our campaign will become another good reference in the ‘value consumption’ craze that is receiving social attention.
These days, no matter how much money you spend, you may not be chosen by consumers, and if you are not chosen, you will not be able to survive. Is there a creative trend that Pentacle is focusing on within this series of flows?
Rather than following all trends, I try to stay one step ahead. If you stay ahead of the trend, it is difficult to gain sympathy from the public, and conversely, if you adjust to the current point in time, you will already be late due to the nature of your business. If the Bravo Con campaign had been carried out without the issue of Yoon Yeo-jeong’s sign language award, would it have been able to gain public sympathy like it is now?
What if Pentacle is preparing and plans?
For Pentacle, advertising is ‘finding value’. We believe that it is our job to discover hidden values in advertisers’ brands or products, and to encourage consumers to use products and services more. There are many companies that are good at creating creative advertisements, but I don’t think there are many companies that look into the service or hidden value of their products. Pentacle believes that this is the beginning of creativity. This year, we will continue to find value.
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