Taiwan Star Telecom: The Black Spot Campaign

Source: Dragons of Asia, Best in Taiwan, Best Cause, Charity Marketing

Or Public Sector Campaign, Bronze, 2018
Downloaded from WARC

Taiwan Star Telecom, a telecommunications brand, increased brand preference in Taiwan by

launching a campaign that raised awareness of Macular degeneration due to cell phone overuse.

Taiwan Star Telecom needed to increase its market share and brand preference.
Macular degeneration (MD) has become the third main cause of adult blindness after the rise in
popularity of mobile internet, so Taiwan Star wanted to raise awareness of how using a cell phone
too much could lead to serious eye damage.
The brand used MD's key symptom, the ‘black spot’, as the vision for the campaign by making its
audience experience the black spot through computers, smartphones and OOH.
The campaign increased brand preference from 15% to 25% and has helped influence legislators
in Taiwan to make MD examinations a compulsory part of health check-ups.

Agency: X-Line Co., Ltd. (Dentsu group), Taiwan

The Summary Statement

Taiwan Star only took up 5% of market share and had only 15% of brand preference. Almost half of the
consumers have low concern towards the brand. We combined "eye-caring issue" with "2017 World Sight Day"
and successfully initiate main stream media to report the campaign. It not only raised the brand preference to
25% and reached the peak of people caring macular degeneration (MD) in Taiwan history. It has really affected
Taiwan's legislation.

Campaign Strategy
Marketing situation

a. The time Taiwanese spend surfing on the Internet every day ranks World No.l. WTO points out that
macular degeneration (MD) has become the third main cause of adult blindness after mobile internet has
become popular. According to an estimate, in the next decade, 1 out of 3 Taiwanese will be suffering from
MD.
b. MD's clinic research has only started a decade ago. According to the survey, only 30% of Taiwanese know
about MD and only 20% know that MD would cause blindness. Most people thought that MD is a disease
of old age.

Brand History

a. Taiwan Star was established in 2014 and it is the youngest telecom operators in Taiwan. Total user
number in 2017 is 1.7 million.
b. There are total 5 telecom operators in Taiwan, 3 of them are more than 20 years old and take up 88%
market share. Market share Taiwan Star takes up is 5%.
c. Brand awareness in 2017 is 95% and brand preference is 15%.

Campaign Strategy
Purpose of the campaign

a. Raised people's awareness towards MD: It might cause serious eye damage if you use cellphone too much
every day.
b. Give health awareness to Taiwanese: Less cellphone, more rest.
c. Raise brand preference: from 15% to 20%.

Campaign Strategy

a. We have observed that the percentage of 30 to 40-year-old people going to doctors for MD has increased
30% since unlimited data plan for mobile phone internet.
b. Users of Taiwan Star are mainly 20 to 40 years old. Since its market share and the user numbers are low,
almost half of Taiwanese care less about Taiwan Star.
c. Therefore, we combine 2 points above, we proposed the eye-caring campaign "less cellphone, more rest"
to TA during "2017 World Sight Day". We tried to raise brand preference since Taiwan Star care more
about people's health more than brand's benefit.

Campaign Concept
Most Taiwanese don't know about MD and would think this campaign is none of their business and ignore it.
Therefore, we use MD's symptom, the "black spot" as the key vision of the campaign. We use the experience of
the symptom of MD, patient's testimony and children's talk to make TA understand that too much use of
cellphone would cause MD. MD is an important new information that phubbers should know. Through news and
people's spreading, it has become a hot issue.

Campaign Execution

We integrated 3 layers of creativity to do gradual communication to reach the effect of recognition, experience,
and action.

Also let TA know that MD is a problem that would also happen to them.

1. True Experience
Make TA experience "black spot" through computers, smartphones, and OOH to make TA experience black
spots. Furthermore, inspire discussion because of their fear.

2. Patient Testimony
Through young patient's testimony online, we want everyone to know that MD would happen to anyone,
especially the young ones that use cellphone a lot.
 3. Emotional Appeal
We have entered school and found the lobbyists who the parents would like to listen to the most, their
children, through children's worry, to make them willing to start taking care of their eyes.

Campaign Results

Result of eye-care promotion

a. It has become a social issue and influenced legislators in Taiwan to promote the legislation of making "MD
examination" as a compulsory part of labor health check-ups.
b. MD has made the hottest Google keyword for this decade.
c. Many mainstream media reported the campaign spontaneously, and over 98% of public respondents said
they'd rest their eyes more often.
Result of brand promotion

a. Brand preference raised from 15% to 25%, achieving rate is 125% ; User number grew to 2 million and 50
thousand in 2018, went up by 21%. (source: Taiwan star)
b. In only 13 days, it has generated 4.2 million views and exceeded client's KPI 200%.
c. A total of 28 brands joined this meaningful event by placing "experience black spot effect" on their official
and social media sites.
d. The film was selected top 10 AD Film of APAC YouTube October, 2017.

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