Popular YouTuber Introduces Social Enterprises... SKT Launches 'Happiness Influencer'

[Asia Economy Reporter Joselgina] Popular domestic YouTubers with an average of over 250,000 subscribers have actively stepped forward to promote social enterprises.

SK Telecom announced on the 2nd that it will promote outstanding social enterprises through the ‘Happy Influencer’ program in conjunction with the opening of Korea’s largest private social value festival, Social Value Connect (SOVAC) 2020.

‘SOVAC’ was initiated when SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won proposed, “Let’s create a platform for cooperation and exchange so that anyone can participate in solving social problems and create social value.” Now in its second year, ‘SOVAC’ will hold lectures, talk shows, and live competitions online until the 24th of this month to address social issues.

‘Happy Influencer’ is a collaborative program between SK Telecom and influencers as part of ‘SOVAC’ to expand the discussion of social value across various channels. After conducting a contest for YouTubers, SK Telecom comprehensively considered production capabilities and interest in social value and selected 21 teams last month, providing related training and production support.

Accordingly, YouTubers produced YouTube videos highlighting ‘SOVAC2020’ and 51 representative social enterprises, showcasing each channel’s unique style, and uploaded them on their respective channels throughout the day. These videos are also broadcast daily before the start of programs during the online ‘SOVAC2020.’ SK Telecom plans to award certificates and prize money based on audience votes and expert evaluations for all 21 videos.

Most of the content they produced can be used by social enterprises on their websites and promotional channels for commercial purposes, which is expected to greatly assist social enterprises struggling with promotion. The videos can be viewed at a glance on the official ‘SOVAC2020’ website.

Family-run channels ‘MyMomTV’ and ‘MyLinTV’ introduced products from 51 social enterprises live for five hours. They also held subscriber events related to the videos, attracting numerous netizens’ participation. Netizens responded, “I didn’t know social enterprise products were this diverse,” and “The passion for a five-hour live broadcast is amazing.”

Additionally, the YouTube channel ‘Korean Bros’ produced a ‘mukbang’ (eating broadcast) featuring three foreign guests trying instant foods created by the social enterprise Welfare Union to improve meals for elderly people who have difficulty swallowing. Netizens left feedback such as, “Promotions spreading such positive influence are always welcome,” and “It looked delicious, so I ordered.”

Woo-hwan Yoo, head of SK Telecom’s SV Innovation Center, said, “We are grateful that many influencers empathize with the social value pursued by SK Group and have joined forces,” adding, “We will continue efforts to promote social value through collaboration with various partners across multiple channels.”

Meanwhile, 11st is holding a special exhibition titled ‘SOVAC Market ? Adding Value to Consumption’ until the 25th of this month in connection with ‘SOVAC2020.’ This event showcases various social enterprise products, including those reviewed by ‘Happy Influencers,’ and offers discount coupons for themed products such as ▲social innovation ▲support for children in need ▲eco-friendly items.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.