'The Biggest Lifeguard' Campaign Debuts in Busan by using 25x31M Giant Digital Billboard in South Korea

INNOCEAN announced on August 6 the launch of a public service campaign aimed at enhancing the safety of summer vacationers. Titled The World’s Biggest Lifeguard, the campaign is being presented via Grand Josun Media, a large-scale digital signage display located in front of Busan Haeundae Beach, the only free display zone for outdoor advertisements outside the Seoul metropolitan area. This project is a collaboration with Shinsegae Property.

INNOCEAN, together with Shinsegae Property has established a real-time environmental data message display system and aired the campaign video The World’s Biggest Lifeguard.

Grand Josun Media is a curved digital signage board measuring 25 meters in width and 31 meters in height, installed on the exterior wall of Grand Josun Busan located in front of Haeundae Beach. Since becoming fully operational in June, it has garnered significant public attention. This campaign is led by Shinsegae Property with INNOCEAN handling the planning and production. An overwhelmingly big lifeguard appears on the massive digital signage to deliver real-time safety messages to vacationers visiting Haeundae Beach.

The video incorporates real-time environmental data such as weather conditions, wave height, and other metrics relevant to safe water activities, alongside safety guidelines provided by lifeguards, using 3D anamorphic technology for an immersive and realistic viewing experience.

For example, on days with high waves, the lifeguard will appear on screen issuing restriction alerts, ranging from partial to full access restrictions, depending on the conditions. During normal conditions, the video background reflects weather changes, including clear skies, clouds, and rain, to add a sense of realism. At night, the screen shows lifeguards monitoring CCTVs and the maritime emergency response room, highlighting 24-hour safety operations.

An INNOCEAN official said, “We believed that outdoor advertising would deliver a strong visual impact and effectively raise safety awareness,” and added, “To build trust, we featured actual civilian lifeguards working at Haeundae Beach as models.”

INNOCEAN and Shinsegae Property aim to ultimately reduce accidents by providing safer marine spaces through this campaign and raise safety awareness among beachgoers.

Haeundae is one of Korea’s most popular beach destinations, attracting an average of 200,000 to 250,000 visitors per day during peak summer seasons. However, the frequency of rip currents (narrow surface currents flowing from the coast toward the sea, which can cause drowning risks for swimmers) has been increasing due to rising sea temperatures. Moreover, accidents continue to occur from behaviors such as swimming outside designated areas or swimming under the influence of alcohol. Although rescue personnel are stationed at the beach, the sheer size of the crowd often limits the effectiveness of verbal guidance alone.

In response to these conditions, this campaign plans to contribute to a more effective accident prevention and raise awareness by delivering intuitive visual messages in real time through a large-scale digital display adjacent to the beach. In addition to promoting safety, the campaign also serves as an engaging urban attraction for tourists. The vivid 3D content offers a fresh, immersive experience that is expected to enhance tourism and boost the local economy.

Following their award-winning campaign The Biggest Child in the World, which won the 2019 Korea Advertising Award, INNOCEAN and Shinsegae Property have been jointly developing campaigns that convey public interest messages through media and content collaboration. Through original digital-out-of-home (DOOH) content, they aim to move beyond the commercial use of outdoor media to revitalize the city and provide meaningful messages and new urban experiences to visitors.

Yongwoo Lee, Global CEO of INNOCEAN, said, “Starting with The World’s Biggest Lifeguard campaign that made its debut in Haeundae, we will continue to deliver public service messages that have a positive impact on society through various creative initiatives.”

An official from Shinsegae Property stated, “We conducted this campaign to enhance customer experience by applying environmental data to advertising media and to implement a more effective communication method,” adding, “Grand Josun Media will establish itself as a new communication platform equipped with an innovative interactive system based on real-time data, beyond being just a simple advertising medium.”

Meanwhile, Grand Josun Media in Busan is a large-scale outdoor media display installed on the facade of Grand Josun Busan in Haeundae-gu. It is the first location outside the Seoul metropolitan area designated as a free display zone for outdoor advertisements. INNOCEAN won the operating rights for this outdoor media business in June.

Innocean is a global advertising agency headquartered in South Korea, affiliated with the Hyundai Motor Group. The agency provides integrated marketing services including branding, digital, media, and creative solutions across more than 20 countries. Innocean is known for purpose-driven campaigns and innovative use of media, particularly in OOH and digital advertising.