Behind Cheil’s Fusion of Entertainment and Drink-Spiking Test Kits
If you walk around the streets of Seoul, you might notice posters for the popular K-drama ‘Strong Girl Nam-soon’. What you mightn’t realise at first though, is that these posters have a second purpose – they can be used to test for drugs in a drink.
It’s all a part of an effort from the show and Cheil Worldwide to fight the rise of drink-spiking, which has become a major national issue. Cheil creative director, Hyekyung Jeong, discusses the genesis, challenges, and community impact of converting a TV series poster into a functional drug detection kit, tackling drink spiking in South Korea.
LBB> What inspired converting a TV series poster into a functional drug test kit, merging the promotional aspect with a solution for a prevalent societal issue like drink spiking?
Hyekyung> South Korea is no longer a drug-free nation. This is very shocking for the Korean public, since drugs were regarded as being for only the top celebrities or wealthy heirs.
The prevalence of drugs is a key social issue now in Korea, and drug offences occur at nightclubs around the Gangnam area. A colourless, tasteless, and odourless drug called GHB is being used to spike drinks.
The team worked with the marketing team behind the “Strong Girl Nam-soon” TV series, who had a story of a showdown with a drug ring in Gangnam District scheduled to air. JTBC has both public trust and influence, so we thought that this TV series could be strong enough to solve societal issues such as drugs.
LBB> Could you describe the challenges faced during the development phase of the Drug Test Poster, especially in ensuring the effectiveness and user-friendliness of the drug detection kits?
Hyekyung> Posters for a TV series are straightforward. And drug detection kits, which are used by police, can be made fairly easily. The problem is combining the two. If you printed them as standard promotion posters, you can’t use them as a drug detection kit.
We designed the poster so that no printing ink gets smeared on the detection kit area. As it has to be both a poster and a detection kit, matching the printed colour with the colour of the detection kit was the most realistic way to make the poster and detection kit blend in well. The colour, design, and even the size of the poster were bound to be limited.
LBB> Considering the sensitive nature of drink spiking and drug-related crimes, how did you balance creating awareness without causing panic or fear among the public?
Hyekyung> It was a great challenge for us to find the balance. Drink spiking is such a serious problem but if we go the other way around, it would seem like we are treating the matter so lightly.
We first designed the flow that starts with TV series and ends with drugs. People can approach our work without constraint thinking ‘Oh, it’s a poster for the new TV series,’ and when they have a closer look, their response can change to ‘It can detect drugs? That’s amazing.’
The public welcomed our campaign as a solution to solve drug problems, rather than being frightened as they thought it could help prevent drug crimes.
One of our notable experiences was when we heard that a clinical research centre of a university hospital saw the Drug Test Poster, and had a great time exchanging thoughts and having discussions. Also, I remember how people from the Korean National Police Agency were surprised to see the Drug Test Poster when we had our first meeting.
LBB> Given their critical role in identifying potentially spiked drinks, what measures were taken to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the drug test kits incorporated into the posters?
Hyekyung> The accuracy and reliability of the drug test kits is a realm of medical professionals, not that of creativity, so we had to search and get in touch with the medical companies firsthand.
Fortunately, the self-diagnosis industry progressed significantly in Korea after the pandemic, and a point-of-care diagnostic platform company named ‘PhilMedi’ replied that they could work on this project. PhilMedi is a company that specialises in the research and development of molecular diagnosis technology that could be used in daily life. They have various technologies related to drug detection. On top of that, having support from the Korean National Police Agency raised the credibility of our campaign once more.
LBB> Considering the success of this campaign, are there any plans to expand or replicate this innovative approach to address other social issues or promote awareness in different contexts in the future?
Hyekyung> There are societal issues that are prominent every year. We often talk about how creativity can solve that problem.
Our plan is to expand the idea by applying the technology used in the Drug Test Poster to other posters from the Korean National Police Agency and Office of Education that communicate the eradication of drug use. We could also collaborate with brands who share the purpose and products that align with them. We’ll be waiting for your call.
