While SBI Savings Bank is the top company in the South Korean savings bank industry, its unique name "SBI" posed a challenge in terms of memorability compared to the easy and straightforward names of its competitors.
In a market where the company that comes to mind first at the moment of need is more likely to be chosen by consumers, the challenge was to make SBI the first choice for consumers when they needed a savings bank, even though it was not the most recognized brand.
Despite being the top savings bank in South Korea, SBI Savings Bank was not the top in terms of brand awareness. Therefore, there was a need for a campaign to elevate the brand's first recall and awareness.
To overcome the structural limitations of SBI Savings Bank's challenging name, we planned a campaign with a new approach. Instead of a push-type strategy, we aimed for a campaign where consumers would voluntarily recall SBI and remember it with a meaningful name.
We drew inspiration from acrostic poems, a method used in mnemonics, where creating a story using the spelling of a word enhances memorization. Similar to the Korean three-line acrostic poems involved in creating three sentences based on the initial letters of a word that fit a theme. To better remember SBI, we decided to use the popular Korean method enjoyed by people of all ages.
Simply informing consumers of SBI's corporate name might be challenging for them to remember. However, by encouraging consumers to create this poem using SBI's initials (S=xx, B=xx, I=xx), we believed that consumers would naturally recall SBI and imprint the company name in their minds. Moreover, as the three letters of SBI transformed into a three-line poem about their own stories, we expected an increase in brand affinity.
1 Establishment of a PC/mobile platform with a simple UI
The campaign kicked off with a impactful launch featuring actor Park Sung-woong, known as the "Master of three-line acrostic poem," announcing the SBI Centennial Celebration. To make participation easy for everyone, we created a PC/mobile platform with a simple UI. Consumers could freely write and share their three-line poems about their endless stories starting with S.B.I over six weeks. Submitted works were automatically uploaded to the site, allowing users to appreciate each other's creations. The witty three-line acrostic poems could be voluntarily shared on social media, creating a structure for secondary diffusion.
2 Selection of outstanding works, site posting, and ad video production
Every week, a judging panel, including model Park Sung-woong, selected three outstanding works (first place/excellent/encouragement) and awarded prizes. These works were posted on the site’s "Hall of Fame," maintaining continuous consumer interest and response. Additionally, we carefully selected three three-line poems with high empathy and wit from user submissions and produced them into actual advertising videos. This formed the basis for an integrated campaign relying on consumer participation.
The "SBI Centennial Celebration" campaign captivated interest by encouraging Koreans to create three-line poems with the incentive of cash prizes. The campaign's success was attributed to allowing participants to share their own stories rather than writing about the brand. This approach allowed the brand to naturally infiltrate the lives of consumers without forcibly imposing the corporate name.
The campaign attracted explosive attention, with over 144,000 people visiting the site in just six weeks, and over 100,000 three-line poem entries received. Portal site searches for the "SBI" keyword increased by 113%, and the campaign garnered over 4.4 million ad video views.
The interest extended to social media, with hundreds of voluntary postings on blogs and communities sharing information and tips about the centennial celebration. Remarkably, even an inmate from a correctional facility participated in the campaign by sending a letter, confirming nationwide interest.
Ultimately, the critical goal of achieving the first recall for SBI Savings Bank increased by 49% compared to the previous year. The brand ranked as the top choice for consumers' preferred savings bank, leaving a positive impression.
This essay campaign was Season 2 of SBI's campaign. Season 1 was a campaign called <SBI Finds SBI>, which involved finding everything and anything that had to do with SBI's initials. The campaign's Season 1 was rewarded with two awards at the global advertising festival Spikes Asia, and Season 2, the "SBI’s essay campaign”, also received widespread acclaim.
