Standard Chartered Bank implements ‘Seeing is Believing’ globally, as a Corporate Social Responsibility activity for blind people. To localise SiB in Korea, we identified an insight into what visually impaired people want most: a connection to the world, through audio books with descriptive narrations of the world around them. However, we were keen that this activity should not be a one-off event - simply donating money to charity - but rather something everyday people could engage in – could really ‘get behind’. By doing so, we not only call attention to it amongst the general public, but much more, we let participants understand what Standard Chartered is doing and truly experience the good we are doing 'Good-hearted Library Project'.

Good-hearted Library Project invited the public, via online banner and offline venues, to record their voices reading for visually impaired people. Participants accessed an online micro-site and watched a minute-long campaign introduction video. The video asks for the viewer’s phone number and we call them right away, through ARS call system, to let them record their voices.

Almost 50,000 people recorded their voices and we invited them all to an offline festival to compete to be one of 100 good-hearted voices to actually make an audio book with Standard Chartered. Those 100 good-hearted voices received training from veteran voice actors and recorded a book and its descriptive narrations of the pictures for visually impaired people to listen. 15,000 copies of this audio book have been donated to the Korea Blind Union.

A total of 49,891 ordinary people participated in our project. And those participants understood and truly experienced how Standard Chartered was ‘Here for Good’. That lead to increased aided brand awareness, likability and purchase intention. Project also got high attention from mainstream media, and people shared comments about Good-hearted Library Project through various Social Network Services. The PR value was US$5.5m.However, the greater value came from showing that CSR can expand to engage and encourage participation of people from all walks of life, and that donation can mean more than money: it can mean sharing the hearts and talents that people already have.