SITUATION
KT has been supporting cochlear implant surgeries and rehabilitation therapy for children with hearing loss through its Sound Recovery Project since 2003. KT Dream Nurturing Classrooms, established at Severance Hospital in Sinchon, Jeju National University Hospital, Chonnam National University Hospital, and Preah Ang Duong Hospital in Cambodia, help children with hearing loss connect with peers and rediscover sound and their dreams.
KT sought to launch a sincere and distinctive ESG campaign centered on its flagship social contribution activity, the ‘Dream Nurturing Classroom’. This initiative aimed to raise awareness about the necessity of rehabilitation therapy following cochlear implant surgery for children with hearing loss. It also sought to deliver messages of dreams and hope to patients through the growth stories of Dream Nurturing Classroom beneficiaries.
SOLUTION
The campaign was conducted through film and print advertisements.
The film featured the story of Mr. Choi Geun, who regained his hearing through cochlear implant surgery and, after rehabilitation therapy, now works as a bowling coach.
Rather than directly stating the project's content and achievements, it told a story by capturing Mr. Choi's daily life in a comfortable and tranquil manner.
The opening sequence incorporated everyday sounds patients hear after cochlear implant surgery to heighten engagement.
The print ad was creatively produced by utilizing the translucent quality of thin newspaper material.
One side printed incomplete letters visually representing Mr. Choi's childhood and the sounds he hears post-surgery. The other side featured Mr. Choi's current appearance alongside the growth stories of beneficiaries rehabilitated and developed through the Dream Nurturing Classroom.
When the two sheets of paper are overlapped, the images merge. The previously illegible letters complete the sentence: ‘A step closer to dreams with regained sound’. This design overlaps Mr. Choi's past and present, reflecting his growth through the Dream Nurturing Classroom.
RESULTS
The campaign film achieved approximately 10 million online views and was selected as the top ‘Today's Creative’ on the advertising website ‘TVCF’.
The campaign was covered in articles by over 30 media outlets, with the JoongAng Ilbo focusing its coverage on the unique creative approach of the newspaper print ad.
The campaign won the 2024 Korea Advertising Awards’ Silver Award in Print, the 33rd Good Advertising Awards Chosen by the Publics’ Good Advertising Award in TV, the 32nd Advertising Awards of the Year’s Best Prize in Print, and the 2025 Korea Public Relations Awards’ Excellence Award in Private Enterprise Category.
