Cheil Worldwide Seoul has teamed up with Korea‘s leading financial application, Toss, alongside the Korean National Police Agency to launch a public service announcement (PSA) campaign aimed at raising awareness about the critical issue of teen gambling by utilizing the Instagram feeds of a fictional 16-year-old boy, named Do-young Park.
Online gambling has seen a troubling rise among teenagers in Korea, yet its severity is often underestimated as many perceive online gambling simply as a mobile game or as an activity engaged in by a few troubled youths. The similarities to mobile gaming make online gambling incredibly accessible to young people, obscuring the real risks involved for both the teenagers and their unsuspecting parents. The campaign titled ‘Doyoung’s Gambling Die-ary’ serves as an urgent wake-up call for both teenagers and their guardians.
Alarmingly, 4 out of 10 teenagers in Korea have reported experiencing gambling, and this figure continues to grow. The Korean National Police Agency revealed that the number of juvenile offenders aged 14 to 19 charged with gambling offenses has surged by an astounding 2.3 times in just one year.
Keeping in mind that teen gambling poses serious social ramifications—including disruptions in family and peer relationships and an increase in secondary crimes such as school violence, theft, and fraud**—it is alarming that many adults remain largely unaware of the problem’s magnitude.
As the most widely used financial service among teenagers, Toss is on a mission to safeguard young people from financial pitfalls to ensure they maintain a healthy relationship with money. Highlighting the urgency of educating adults about the risks associated with teen gambling is critical to the campaign’s objectives.
Cheil Worldwide and Toss devised the fictional character Do-young Park, a relatable 16-year-old high school student. Over a span of 38 days, his daily Instagram feed portrayed what initially seemed like the life of a typical teenager, gradually revealing deeper signs of gambling addiction.
People began to notice subtle indicators of online gambling through Do-young’s posts and videos—images depicting him engrossed in his smartphone, bestowing expensive gifts on friends, becoming excessively preoccupied with part-time jobs, and even selling his shoes as secondhand goods—all of which suggested a downward spiral into addiction.
Do-young’s relatable narrative enriched the overall experience, fostering greater awareness of the realities and dangers linked to teen gambling. The development of this storyline was meticulously constructed based on identifiable signs of gambling behavior as assessed by expert organizations and through interviews with teenagers who had previously fallen victim to gambling.
The Instagram feed concluded with a poignant final message from Do-young stating, “I want to quit now,” leaving viewers to ponder the grim reality of his entrapment in gambling debt. Just three days later, a film disclosed that Do-young was a fictional construct, with his image generated using AI technology that merged the likenesses of various teenage gambling victims.
The campaign garnered considerable public engagement, with over 3,000 comments logged on the dedicated microsite, and the campaign film achieved over 4.3 million views, marking a significant impact in raising awareness.
“We pondered extensively about how to capture the interest and empathy of parents as well as society concerning the teen gambling crisis. By creating a virtual persona through AI and actively operating a real Instagram account, we effectively conveyed the reality and dire nature of the teen gambling phenomenon,” commented SungSoo Lee, Brand Marketing Lead at Toss. “Toss will persist in its commitment to combat and prevent teen gambling while upholding our social responsibility as a financial institution.”
“Our aim was to inform parents, adults, and society, rather than to place blame on the teens who are the victims of online gambling,” said Youbin Bang, Creative Director at Cheil Worldwide. “The signs of gambling addiction were subtly embedded in the seemingly mundane photos and videos of a typical teenager, which was intended to urge those around him—such as family and friends—to pay close attention to their young ones to prevent incidents of teen gambling.”
The Doyoung’s Gambling Die-ary campaign ran for two months from August to October, leveraging the official social platforms of Toss and the Korean National Police Agency, as well as out-of-home advertising and influencer-generated content.
Credits
Campaign Title: Doyoung’s Gambling Die-ary
Client: Toss
Brand Marketing Lead: SungSoo Lee
Brand Marketer: Seokmin Yong, Jeonghyo Lee
Video Content Producer: Taesung Kim
Content Manager: Sua Song
Brand Designer: Youngchan Kwon
Creative Agency: Cheil Worldwide
Creative Director: Youbin Bang
Copywriter: Navin Seo
Art Director: Inyoung Cho
Account Director: Annie Ok
Account Executive: Jihyun Kim
**Interview with Ji-su Lee, Campaign Strategist at Cheil Worldwide**
**Interviewer:** Thank you for joining us today, Ji-su. Can you tell us what inspired the ‘Doyoung’s Gambling Die-ary’ campaign?
**Ji-su Lee:** Thank you for having me. The inspiration behind the campaign stemmed from the alarming rise in teenage gambling in Korea. We noticed that many adults underestimate the severity of this issue, often dismissing online gambling as mere gaming. We wanted to create a narrative that would resonate with both teenagers and their parents, prompting them to recognize the associated risks and dangers.
**Interviewer:** The character of Do-young Park seems pivotal to this campaign. How did you develop his story?
**Ji-su Lee:** Do-young was designed to be a relatable character for teenagers. Through his daily Instagram updates, we aimed to depict a typical high school experience, gradually introducing signs of gambling addiction. This approach allows viewers to connect with Do-young on a personal level while also highlighting the subtle indicators of gambling behavior. We worked closely with experts and actual cases to ensure accuracy in portraying these signs.
**Interviewer:** You mentioned that the campaign garnered significant public engagement. What levels of interaction and response did you see?
**Ji-su Lee:** Absolutely! The campaign struck a chord with many. We recorded over 3,000 comments on the campaign microsite and the film reached over 4.3 million views. This high level of engagement shows that the message resonated, prompting discussions among teenagers and their families about gambling.
**Interviewer:** The use of AI technology to create Do-young is intriguing. Was this choice aimed at emphasizing the blend of reality and fiction?
**Ji-su Lee:** Yes, precisely. By using AI to generate Do-young’s likeness from various real-life teenage victims of gambling, we aimed to underline that this is not just a fictional story but a reality for many young people. It serves as a powerful reminder that addiction can affect anyone.
**Interviewer:** The statistics you provided are startling. What do you hope this campaign will achieve moving forward?
**Ji-su Lee:** Our primary goal is to spark awareness and education. We want both teenagers and their guardians to have open conversations about gambling, breaking the stigma and encouraging proactive measures against it. By fostering understanding, we hope to mitigate the risks and provide young people with the tools to maintain a healthy relationship with money.
**Interviewer:** Thank you, Ji-su, for sharing such insightful information about this vital campaign. It certainly looks like a necessary step towards addressing teen gambling in Korea.
**Ji-su Lee:** Thank you for having me! It’s crucial that we continue these conversations and raise awareness. Together, we can make a difference.
