STORIES BY SIGN

Short List
TitleSTORIES BY SIGN
BrandSINOSZ
Product/ServiceINSTAGRAM AND FACEBOOK STICKERS
Category I04. Social Behaviour
Entrant FEAT. KFT. Budapest, HUNGARY
Idea Creation FEAT. KFT. Budapest, HUNGARY
PR P4R DIGITAL AGENCY KFT. Budapest, HUNGARY
Production OCKTO STUDIO Budapest, HUNGARY
Credits
Name Company Position
Tomi Persely feat. Creative Director

Background

SINOSZ, the Hungarian Association of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing faces the challenge that although these communities are very much present in social media, but live in complete isolation from those with healthy hearing, due to the latter not being familiar with sign language, the main tool of self-expression of the deaf. To aid the integration of this community, feat., a communications agency from the heart of Budapest, re-invented the most popular tool of self-expression, through a proactive, pro-bono campaign for the organisation. Our goal was to find a means of communication that is majorly popular and widely used amongst young people of both the deaf/hard of hearing and those young people with healthy hearing too. Also, by finding this tool, to raise awareness of the ways this community can feel more integrated in the digital world.

Describe the strategy

Prior to the activation, in collaboration with the University of Pécs, we conducted a research amongst deaf and hard-of-hearing young people to learn more about their social behaviour. Our theory was that due to the fewer limitations, they feel more integrated in the online communities. In the opposite, we found that these young people, although use social media and especially video chat for communication, they use sign language and form an isolated community even on the social platforms. On the upside, it also turned out, that Facebook and Instagram Stories are extremely popular amongst the target audience and that they are really open to the creative tools and innovation used in social media. Regarding our approach, we definitely wanted to avoid the so common sensitising communication that we see often. In order to activate these teenagers, we had to find a trendy tool and really speak their language.

Describe the execution

For World Deaf Day 2019 we presented 100 unique GIF stickers which are understandable to both the deaf and those with healthy hearing too. We recruited a dozen deaf teenagers and together with them brainstormed about the 100 expressions that we could use and which they find really relevant in their daily communication. Then we had a day of recording these expressions in sign language and then use post-production technique to create GIFs, that we then uploaded one by one to Giphy in order to be available on Facebook and Instagram as well. To spread the word, we cooperated with 15 influencers from Hungary and also from other countries (USA, Italy, France, UK) who were happy to raise awareness and urge their followers to try the stickers in their own stories, using the #storiesbysign hashtag.

List the results

Besides Facebook and Instagram video ads, the initiative was showcased on the storiesbysign.com website and the social hype started blooming - within just 1 day, the movement appeared across the most important media channels and reached 5,2 million people online. We also had an invitation from the most watched morning talk show in Hungary, to talk about the initiative and achieved a few publications with leading online magazines. The campaign did not start with an exact target in mind, but rather the goal to create a tool that can stay as a form of self-expression and a bridge between these different communities in our society.

Please tell us about the social behaviour that inspired the work

We take social media and its innovations for granted, and use it for keeping in touch with our friends, create and consume content all the time. It takes a great deal of empathy to stop and think about how the different, less fortunate segments of the society can use these tools, social networks. Discussing the idea with SINOSZ, we found that the organisation struggles greatly with finding efficient ways to support and connect with the deaf teenagers. We immediately knew that if we can give them a tool they can be trendy with in the world of social media and amongst their peers, that means more than any leaflet or event to raise awareness.