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Brand Context
Taiwan has one of the world’s most advanced English‑learning ecosystems: high test scores, abundant resources, and a population that invests heavily in language education. Yet English remains largely unspoken in daily life.

This cultural anxiety is deeply rooted in Taiwan, mistakes carry social weight, and speaking imperfectly can feel like a public risk.

For Speak, a language‑learning app built around real conversation, the challenge was not to teach English better, but to dismantle the psychological barrier preventing Taiwanese learners from speaking at all. Speak’s product philosophy aligns directly with this cultural need. Speak's AI‑driven conversation model transforms mistakes into progress, shifting the focus from correctness to confidence.

This moment in Taiwan’s cultural landscape made the strategy especially timely. A generation fluent on paper but silent in practice needed a new narrative, one that reframed mistakes as milestones rather than failures. Speak was uniquely positioned to lead that shift. By addressing the emotional root of the problem, not the academic one, the brand could redefine what English learning means in Taiwan: not perfection, but participation.

The work emerged at the intersection of cultural tension, product truth, and societal need, making this the right brand, in the right market, at exactly the right moment.

Summary of the work
Taiwanese learners face a paradox: despite years of study, many hesitate to speak English, paralyzed by a deep-rooted fear of making mistakes. This cultural silence was something no traditional language campaign had ever tackled.

Speak confronted it head-on by partnering with Olympic gold medalist Lee Yang. Rather than hiding his imperfect English, the campaign celebrated it, appointing him the industry’s first “Broken English Ambassador.” His well-known mispronunciation of “proud” as “prond” was reclaimed, turning a punchline into a national symbol of confidence.

Through films and social content, imperfect English was reframed as a badge of courage. People began sharing their own broken English, embracing the idea that progress starts with speaking, not perfection. The movement outlived the campaign, Lee continued learning with Speak, passed his proficiency challenge, and later became Taiwan’s Minister of Sports.

The creative idea
If fear is created by the pressure to speak perfectly, the solution is not perfection, it is permission to be imperfect. Speak’s product truth is built on conversation, not memorizing. The creative strategy embraced this truth by reframing imperfect English as a necessary and celebrated step in learning.

Instead of choosing a polished spokesperson, Speak chose someone whose imperfections were already famous, and fearlessly owned. By appointing Lee Yang as the first‑ever “Broken English Ambassador,” the brand created a cultural inversion: what Taiwan once mocked became what Taiwan could aspire to. His iconic mispronunciation, “prond,” became the creative anchor across films, social content, and cultural activations.

This idea transcended category norms by shifting the goal from perfect English someday to speaking bravely today, turning a language app into a cultural movement.

The strategy
The strategic breakthrough came from recognizing that Taiwan didn’t need another polished English role model, it needed someone who embodied the courage to speak imperfectly. Lee Yangs resilience revealed a powerful cultural truth: confidence is contagious.

Rather than correcting him, Speak reframed his flaws as fuel. By appointing Lee as the first‑ever “Imperfect English Ambassador,” the brand transformed his mispronunciation, “PROND”, from a joke into a symbol of pride. This inversion was the breakthrough: what Taiwan mocked became what Taiwan needed.

The campaign’s creative process centered on amplifying Lee’s authenticity across films and social content, allowing him to model the behavior the culture lacked. By giving Taiwan a hero

The results
The campaign didn’t simply raise awareness, it shifted national behavior, with social feeds filling up with people proudly sharing their imperfect English. PROND evolved from a mispronunciation into a cultural symbol, appearing organically across platforms as slang.

This cultural momentum translated directly into business impact. Speak, a newcomer in a highly competitive category, unseated Duolingo to become the #1 most‑downloaded education app on Apple’s App Store during the campaign. Daily average users increased by 500%, and average practice time rose by 55%, demonstrating not just adoption but deeper engagement.

The campaign also delivered long‑term brand value. Beyond the campaign, Lee Yang kept improving his English with Speak and convincingly passed his KOL English challenge, eventually paved his way to becoming Taiwan’s Minister of Sports.

The work didn’t just meet its objectives; it redefined the category by proving that confidence can drive cultural transformation.

How the work was designed/adapted for a single country / region / market.
In Taiwan, English is more than a subject, it is a marker of global mobility and professional opportunity. Yet despite years of formal instruction, many Taiwanese avoid speaking it aloud. The cultural fear of making mistakes, reinforced by social pressure and a national tendency toward perfectionism, creates a psychological barrier stronger than any linguistic one.

For Speak, the business challenge was clear: Taiwan didn’t need another platform promising perfect English; it needed a way to dismantle the fear that kept people from speaking at all. The brand’s values, confidence, practice, and progress through imperfection, aligned directly with this unmet need. The desired outcome was to shift behavior at scale: transforming mistakes from sources of shame into stepping stones, and empowering Taiwanese learners to speak out loud without fear.