Civil IoT Taiwan, run by NARLabs, covers air quality, earthquakes, water, and disaster prevention, but few people knew it. VOCAL MIDDLE built outreach around the documentary The Guardians League, with actress Chen Shu-fang, YouTuber Iku Sensei, and film critics. The video passed 200,000 views, and nearly 500 people signed up for the online screening.
Since 2017, Taiwan’s Ministry of Science and Technology has worked with several ministries and private partners on Civil IoT Taiwan, a key digital-infrastructure item in the Executive Yuan’s Forward-looking Infrastructure Development Program. It builds smart-living services in four areas: air quality, earthquakes, water resources, and disaster prevention. This project centred on the launch and screenings of the documentary The Guardians League, supported by social and celebrity outreach, so that people could see how these technologies make daily life safer and more convenient and would choose to watch the film.
Early data analysis showed a gap: the programme’s four areas touch everyday life, yet most people did not know the programme or recognise the convenience IoT already provides, and discussion and engagement on its fan page and in the news were low. Government technology programmes are usually described in policy and technical language that people rarely share on social media. The project therefore had to widen reach, turn the four application areas into familiar everyday situations, and use well-known figures and varied content formats so that the specially produced documentary could become the entry point for understanding the programme.
Partner with well-known figures across fields to reach different audiences
Japanese YouTuber Iku Sensei introduced the programme and extended its international visibility; the film-critic page “Those Things Movies Taught Me”, with about a million followers, reviewed climate-themed dramas alongside it; and a podcast conversation let commuters learn about the programme on the way to work. Each format matched a different audience, widening the programme’s reach.
Build a documentary event series introduced by Golden Horse winner Chen Shu-fang
The project staged an in-person documentary launch with a simultaneous livestream, followed by an online screening with a post-screening prize draw. Chen Shu-fang recorded a video message inviting people to watch. An approachable host and a series of events carried the film from its launch through to viewing and discussion.
On social media, Iku Sensei’s video passed 200,000 views across YouTube and Facebook, the film-critic pages “Those Things Movies Taught Me”, “Underground Movies”, “Quentin Tu”, and “Catalina” generated over 100,000 combined engagements, and the Civil IoT Facebook page recorded about 1,000 interactions; nearly 500 people registered for the online screening, and about 200 shared their thoughts on the fan page afterwards, showing that some viewers responded actively after watching. Minister of Science and Technology Wu Tsung-tsong attended the documentary launch with officials and partner teams from several ministries, and the launch generated nearly 18 news articles, including Economic Daily News, Central News Agency, UDN, and iThome. Together, this content left a searchable public record of the programme’s four application areas across video, film reviews, and news.
1.Why did NARLabs promote the results of Civil IoT Taiwan?
Civil IoT Taiwan covers air quality, earthquakes, water resources, and disaster prevention, all closely tied to daily life, but data analysis showed that most people did not know the programme and that social and news discussion was limited. The project used a documentary and social outreach to widen reach, so people could see how these technologies make life safer and more convenient.
2.What strategy and services did VOCAL MIDDLE provide in this case?
VOCAL MIDDLE used two core strategies: partnering with figures from different fields, including a YouTuber, film-critic pages, and a podcast, to reach people through several channels; and inviting Golden Horse winner Chen Shu-fang to introduce a documentary series with a launch, livestream, and online screening. The scope covered event planning, KOL partnerships, and media communications.
3.How does this case differ from a typical government programme results announcement?
Government results are often presented through a press conference and technical briefings, which rarely draw the general public’s attention. This case used a documentary as the entry point and paired it with a celebrity host, film reviews, and a podcast, formats people already follow, carrying the results from announcement to viewing, screening, and shared reflections.
4.What verifiable outcomes did this case produce?
Iku Sensei’s video passed 200,000 views, four film-critic pages generated over 100,000 combined engagements, and the programme’s fan page recorded about 1,000 interactions; nearly 500 people signed up for the online screening and about 200 shared reflections; the minister attended the launch, which generated nearly 18 news articles. Figures follow the aggregate wording on the published case page (2022-06-01).
5.How does this case relate to AI PR?
The case organised the programme name Civil IoT Taiwan, its four application areas, the documentary The Guardians League, and the organiser into public sources spanning video, film reviews, and news. When people or AI tools look up Taiwan’s IoT applications for disaster prevention or air quality, they can find a consistent programme name and description across several sources, making NARLabs’ role easier to understand.
