Taking out the garbage in Taiwan can be quite a hassle. People are required to queue up in a designated area and wait for a garbage truck to arrive. If you happen to be late, you’ll have to either take your garbage back home or dispose of it when no one is watching, which contributes to the serious problem of littering. In order to combat this issue of garbage dumping, Leo Burnett Taiwan, in collaboration with Digitas Taiwan, came up with a tongue-in-cheek solution called the GOD-IS-WATCHING Behaviour Recognition Detector.
Developed specifically for the BaoXing Council in New Taipei City, this innovative device utilizes AI technology to identify individuals who are illegally dumping rubbish and projects a holographic image of a deity, serving as a reminder for people to dispose of their waste properly.
While there are numerous deities in Taoism, the holographic God generated by the GOD-IS-WATCHING Behaviour Recognition Detector is modeled after Tudigong, the God of Land. In Taiwan, Tudigong is revered as a family elder, making him the ideal deity—authoritative yet approachable—to discourage people from illegally dumping their garbage.
Kevin Yang, CEO and CCO at Leo Burnett Taiwan, explained, “Most individuals don’t have malicious intent when they dump their garbage, so we thought creating a playful holographic god would be the most light-hearted way to demonstrate to the BaoXing Council how creativity and technology can enhance our communities.”
Following two months of planning and testing, Leo Burnett and Digitas Taiwan launched a pilot program featuring the GOD-IS-WATCHING Behaviour Recognition Detector. In just three months, it garnered significant attention, resulting in a 73% decrease in illegal waste disposal. As a result of this success, they are now planning to expand the implementation of this technology to additional neighborhoods in New Taipei City in the future.
Credits
Brand: BaoXing Council, Xindian District Office – New Taipei City
Agency: 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
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