Taiwanese people work too hard. The island has the world’s 6th longest work hours, and every 12 days someone dies from overwork. The inability to relax has become a pressing concern impacting the whole society.

Real Leaf tea released a new formula containing theanine, which induces relaxation. As a beverage that can help people relax, we wanted to make a meaningful difference in the lives of industrious, overworking Taiwanese people. In addition to occupying market share, we wanted to claim a place in the hearts of office workers.

We founded the “Ministry of Do Nothing” to tell workaholics to take a break from the constant grind.

In the eyes of Taiwanese, Japanese superstar Hiroshi Abe is the classic example of an “executive.” So we asked him to serve as our “Minister.” At an official news conference, he introduced the “Do Nothing” spirit. As a nationwide ministry, we launched a coordinated campaign of online and offline events, inundating Taiwan with our message. The Minister personally demonstrated relaxation techniques, so overworking Taiwanese could finally learn the subtle art of “doing nothing.”

The inability to relax is a widespread ailment among Taiwanese office workers. In this campaign, we wanted to help hardworking Taiwanese, who are always doing something, learn the simple art of “doing nothing.”

We wanted to do more than simply communicate the product’s functional appeal; we hoped to transform its benefits into emotional identification. We hoped to sell not only a “relaxing beverage,” but also the attitude of “Do Nothing.”

In Taiwan, busy office workers are the dominant force among buyers of bottled beverages. This demographic pays a lot of attention to politics, news events and national affairs. So we created the “Ministry of Do Nothing.” Then we recruited a figure that the public trusted and liked, to serve as the “Minister.” This public figure would announce policies and decrees through a series of events and communications with the media and social media groups, just like a real government minister.

In June 2018, Taiwan’s craziest government agency was founded: the Ministry of Do Nothing. Japanese superstar Hiroshi Abe served as “Minister” formally proclaimed the “Do Nothing”.

He then made “surprise attacks” on offices and pulled out Real Leaf tea and urged everyone to slack off.

People could also practice doing nothing with online "Do Nothing Lessons."

The videos’ humorous approach captured the hearts of Taiwanese office workers. After we released them on YouTube and shared them on Facebook, both platforms reaped over 10,000,000 views in less than a month.

Any office worker in Taiwan could join the Ministry, and receive customized business cards. The Minister himself called members on the phone, reminding them to take a break. Just like a real political figure, he could be seen everywhere – in offices, on the street, on billboards – urging us all to kick back.

1. The Ministry of Do Nothing attracted tremendous discussion and media attention. In one short month:

- Over 60,000 workers responded to the campaign, embracing the trend of Do Nothing.

- Numerous mainstream news outlets across Taiwan reported on the campaign on their own initiative, generating more than 124% Return On Investment in the media.

- Brand preference reached a historic high of 14.3%.

2. Quarterly sales of Real Leaf tea grew 21% over the previous year, moving 10,714,200 bottles.

3. Real Leaf’s market share increased from 17% to 21.1%, while Tea King’s market share decreased to 17.1%. We not only broke through the impasse of the market, but even overtook our main competitor to become the best-selling tea brand.