It’s a drag taking out the garbage in Taiwan. Everyone has to queue in a designated area and wait for a garbage truck to arrive. If you’re late, you either have to take your garbage home or ditch it when no one’s watching. This second option is taken up too often, making littering a serious problem.
Leo Burnett and Digitas Taiwan have summoned the power of a higher being to solve the problem for BaoXing Council in New Taipei City.
The GOD-IS-WATCHING Behaviour Recognition Detector is an AI-powered device that detects rubbish dumpers and projects a holographic God, reminding people to dispose of their waste correctly.
Taiwan is a religious city. People believe that the gods are watching over them. There are hundreds of Gods in Taoism, but the God that’s manifested by the GOD-IS-WATCHING Behaviour Recognition Detector is modelled on Tudigong, God of Land. Tudigong is respected like a family elder in Taiwan, making him the perfect God, stern yet friendly, to remind people not to dump their garbage illegally. The tongue-in-cheek divine innovation was created by Leo Burnett Taiwan, with design and development by Digitas Taiwan.
Kevin Yang, chief executive officer & chief creative officer at Leo Burnett Taiwan, explained, “Most people don’t dump with bad intentions, so creating a little holographic god was the silliest way we could think of to show BaoXing Council how creativity and technology can make our neighbourhoods better.”
After two months of planning and testing the GOD-IS-WATCHING Behaviour Recognition Detector, Leo Burnett and Digitas Taiwan launched a pilot program. Within three months, it attracted so much attention that illegal waste dropped by 73%. They are now looking to roll out this technology to more neighbourhoods in New Taipei City in future.
Credits
Client: BaoXing Council, Xindian District Office – New Taipei City
Agencies: Leo Burnett Taiwan & Digitas Taiwan
Chief Creative Officer: Kevin Yang
Creative Director: Eki Lee
Associate Creative Director: Jenny Hsu
Art Director: Ego Chiang
Copywriter: Eki Lee
Agency Producer: Evans Kao
Creative Technologist: Cathy Wu
Technical Director: Felix Chang
Animator Special Effects: Justin Chen
