Sign Dance
T-Mobile
TBWA\NEBOKO
The Challenge
Only an estimated 0.5% of Dutch people master NGT (Dutch Sign Language Centre). This means that the vast majority of Dutch people find it hard to connect to hearing-impaired and deaf people. Simultaneously, for hearing impaired and deaf people this dis-connect is a big challenge in their everyday life.
As a telecom provider, T-Mobile is on a mission: ‘We won’t stop until everyone is connected.’ So, when T-Mobile learned about the emancipation of the deaf community, this got them thinking…
Was it possible to break bubbles and create more connection between hearing people and hearing-impaired people?
The Solution
It’s a huge loss that most people are not able to connect with hearing impaired people. To break bubbles, TBWA\NEBOKO aimed to reach students nationwide and introduce them to a new language and a rich culture.
The challenge is that most students already feel overwhelmed due to intense class schedules and coursework. So, TBWA\NEBOKO took a different approach and launched an activation on TikTok – a space where students go to in their free time and learn new things!
The goal was to tap into existing trends and use the power of media and culture to amplify them. With so many talented young social media creators who are deaf, it only felt right to empower them and give them the stage.
To engage students, all the creative possibilities TikTok offers were explored, from music and dance to special effects and creators. They then used these tactics not only on TikTok, but also outdoors and in classrooms.
The Results
Court’s heartfelt story resonated with many people, the hearing and the hearing impaired. The branded TikTok Effect that helped users practice ‘Body Language’ was used over 30,000 times. Including by teachers, incorporating it into their classrooms. Court even received a shout-out from Justina Miles, the deaf performer known from Rihanna’s famous Superbowl halftime show!
The overwhelmingly positive response motivated us to share Court’s initiative with news and lifestyle media outlets. As a result, we received interview requests from prestigious TV, radio, and publishing platforms.
With Court’s initiative garnering a total of 30 million impressions, we can say we’ve made our mark. This leaves us highly optimistic about TikTok as a platform to break down barriers!