International week of deaf people and national day of the deaf campaign launched by the Banco do Brasil

lew'lara\TBWA

Werbung/Full Service/ Integriert

São Paulo, Brasilien

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September is an important month for the Deaf and hard of hearing community in Brazil. So, through a campaign crafted by Lew'Lara\TBWA with specialized consulting from the Turma do Jiló inclusive education NGO, the Banco do Brasil is firmly engaged in commemorating Brazil’s National Day of the Deaf (September 26) and celebrating International Week of the Deaf (September 20 – 26). All performers in this new campaign film are either Deaf or hard of hearing.

According to data from the last IBGE census, there are more than ten million people living with hearing challenges in Brazil. “This is an audience that is usually sidelined in institutional communications of brands, but this new BB campaign features them as the stars that they really are. They usually need to keep looking at a picture-in-picture to follow onscreen interpretation in Brazilian Sign Language: Libras. Now, we're the ones who have to read the subtitles. The campaign offers this experience, in a fascinating exercise in empathy," says Paula Sayão, Marketing & Communications Director at Banco do Brasil.

The film shows that the hearing-challenged are just like everyone else: they have their favorite movies, they work, make money, and need a bank – one of those offering everything you could imagine. “And it's with this mindset that BB seizes this important opportunity to celebrate the achievements of the Deaf and hard of hearing community, presenting its full service in Libras as a way of staying close and relevant to these special customers throughout their lives," she notes.

All communications were co-created with the actors, who are Deaf and hard of hearing in real life, ensuring that this community is portrayed correctly. Additional technical advice and guidance came from the Turma do Jiló – a civil society organization that is a finalist of the 2022 Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award in the Human Rights category, with an entire ecosystem of inclusive actions focused on people living with disabilities, and whose practices are acknowledged by the UN Global Compact in Brazil. The end result portrays Brazilian Sign Language as an artistic expression, with its striking visual and spatial characteristics symbolized by dance in this campaign. The dancers are either Deaf or hearing-impaired, with their choreographed steps synchronized by music that allows them to sense vibrations as they dance.

"Our profession becomes more meaningful when it can truly reach out to society, changing habits and signposting new paths. This project undertaken by the Banco do Brasil does exactly this. A trail-blazing service conveyed in an innovative and artistic way, creating a delicately aesthetic link between dance and Brazilian Sign Language. This spotlights the strength and importance of these members of our society, at the same time as we include them even more in our industry," says Rodrigo Tortima, Executive Creative Director at Lew'Lara\TBWA.

The choice of cast strives to portray the diversity of this community: people who communicate through Libras; oralized speakers; wearers of cochlear implants or hearing aids; and lip-readers. It also demonstrates a vast range of intersecting ages, appearances, genders, races, and ethnicities. “There is no half inclusion that 'includes' one group and excludes another. Consequently, we tried to enhance the visibility of many diverse groups throughout the entire campaign creation and implementation process, ensuring accessibility to the campaign for people with or without disabilities," comments Carolina Videira, from Turma do Jiló, the NGO that embedded inclusive education standpoints in every stage of the campaign's development.

The placement period was strategically chosen, planned to enchant Brazil through massive media coverage in the fortnight celebrating the tribulations and triumphs of this community: International Week of the Deaf, Brazil’s National Day of the Deaf, and International Day of Sign Languages (September 23). With 90", 60", and 30" versions, this film was aired nationwide on public television, as well as movie theaters and the BB social networks.

This bank also featured a temporary change in its profile avatars on social networks, spotlighting this cause: the BB logo was replaced by the Libras talking-hands symbol for ‘Banco do Brasil’.