This South Korean campaign redefined what it meant to take "the road less traveled" in 2021!
For those of you who aren’t familiar with this, guerrilla marketing is an unconventional strategy that is simple to appreciate, easy to execute, and sometimes, inexpensive. I personally like how this strategy provides fresh and captivating ideas on how marketers can get their target audience hooked. I believe businesses should definitely utilize this strategy! Today, allow me to talk about a breathtaking guerrilla marketing tactic in South Korea. Read on below to know exactly what I’m talking about.
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This South Korean campaign redefined what it meant to take "the road less traveled" in 2021! “Two roads diverged in a wood and I - I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” In today’s modern, busy world, many of us can’t afford to waste time. With our always-on-the-go schedules, we often take the roads that will get us to our destination faster or the things that will make us more “efficient.” If given a choice right now, what would you choose: FAST or SLOW? For those of you who answered “fast,” this guerrilla marketing campaign might make you change your mind… Taking the “Road Less Traveled” Traveling from one point to another is easier these days, especially thanks to navigation apps that usually suggest the fastest or shortest routes. The thing is, it’s not all the time that the results these apps offer are in line with what our minds actually want. Did you know that in April 2021, a navigation system in South Korea surprised travelers by listing NOT shortcut routes but BEAUTIFUL ones? (Beautiful = Scenic, breathtaking, refreshing, and has a LONGER travel time. In other words, these are the “roads less traveled.”) This navigation system was called… The “Slow Road” campaign !
“Slow Road” was a South Korean detour map that takes tourists along the most scenic routes in Jeju Island, instead of the fastest. Commissioned by the Jeju Tourism Organization with the help of marketing agency Cheil Worldwide, the map was created by developers through analyzing the island’s destination points of interest and crossing them with information from social media and online searches via demographics, weather, time, and more. The goal of the campaign? To deliver memorable travel experiences and help tourists enjoy safe trips! This idea started as public interest in Jeju Island boomed during the COVID-19 pandemic. About 87% of tourists who visited the island preferred to do it by car due to preferences of practicing socially distanced tourism. “Slow Road” recommended 50 different routes that connected popular attractions with lesser-known scenic spots in seven different regions, each coming with a distinctive theme that captured the beauty of Jeju. Each route contained five to 11 tourist spots to offer a wide selection of scenic places and attract different travelers throughout the changing seasons. This included the added benefit of reducing traffic congestion on main routes around the island. What’s more? Travelers didn’t need to download a new app on their phones! They simply needed to use T Map, an already existing mobile navigation app in South Korea, to activate the new service. Upon opening the app, users were led to a dedicated page where they could explore various “slow” routes under different themes.
According to Eun-Sook Koh, President and CEO of Jeju Tourism Organization: “We developed the ‘Slow Road’ campaign to raise awareness about the diverse beauty of Jeju, and to help safe travels by guiding travelers to different parts of the island while dispersing tourists that were usually concentrated in only a few famous attractions. Since a large portion of the local economy relies on tourism, we hope this campaign will also help balance development between regions by broadening tourist attractions.” Cheil Worldwide conceptualized and executed the campaign, as well as created the launch film and dedicated mobile page; Jeju Tourism Organization suggested routes and published assets across its mobile website and social channels; while T Map Mobility offered technical support to apply the new navigation service within its existing app. Was Jeju Tourism Organization’s “Slow Road” campaign effective? There was no doubt that “Slow Road” introduced tourists to new spots worth visiting in Jeju, supported the local economy, and directed travelers to alternative attractions rather than obvious spots! Foreigners and locals alike turned their normal car rides into epic journeys once they took on the “Slow Road” routes. Here are other results of the campaign:
Way to go, Jeju Tourism Organization and Cheil Worldwide! The results show that “Slow Road” truly captured the hearts of travelers and encouraged them to make the most out of their trip. *Applause* — The “Slow Road” campaign reminded its target audience that “being fast” is not always the way to go. Every once in a while, it’s important for people to slow down too so they can experience the joy of their present moment with their loved ones AND in a new scenery. Some of you might say, “Not everyone can go to Jeju Island!” Sure, that’s true, but that shouldn’t stop you from applying this formula to enjoy a memorable trip around your hometown. To enable a better experience for the environment as well, consider updating your journey with an eco-friendly route. Who knows? You might discover something new and breathtaking in your own hometown too! Hope you’ve found this week’s guerrilla marketing insight interesting and helpful. Do you want to know how one campaign helped solve a lack-of-sleep crisis in India? See it in next week’s article! |
