Cannes Lions

Unmute - Louder Than Decibels

CHANGE SERVICEPLAN, Warsaw / POLISH ASSOCIATION OF THE DEAF / 2022

Awards:

2 Shortlisted Cannes Lions
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MP3 Original Language
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Overview

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Credits

OVERVIEW

Background

Having worked with the Polish Association of the Deaf for years, we already know that there are almost one million deaf people in Poland and almost 300 million of them worldwide. All of them are excluded from pop culture, even though they feel the music with their whole body. We know that Deaf are tired of it so we've decided to change that by launching an innovative campaign on the occasion of the International Deaf Week. Our objective was to empower those who struggle with a lot of limitations and start the discussion about the inclusivity and accessibility in pop culture.

Idea

The creative idea is best described in the title of the debut song - LOUDER THAN DECIBELS. We wanted to get really LOUD about those who live in silence on a daily basis.

Instead of regular PSA we've prepared the piece of entertaining content designed and composed in a such way, so the Deaf can finally enjoy a piece of music.

Strategy

The communication plan was simple - it has to be loud and there has to be a range. The campaign had to reach a wide audience, so we did not limit ourselves neither to the form of the message nor the media. The only thing that limited us was the budget - we all worked pro bono believing that this was not another social campaign that would not change much in our lives. That is why we made sure that the very first press releases included statements from well-known Polish artists and music critics supporting the Unmute project. We focused on the most popular news and opinion-forming, lifestyle media, as well as radio and television. We invited a broad list of influencers and the entire music industry to promote the spot.

Execution

The campaign was launched in September 2021 on the occasion of the International Week of the Deaf. We used the same channels that pop stars use on a daily basis - YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, PR and influencers.

We made sure that UNMUTE became loud. The main news portals and all the major influencers wrote about them, and the band appeared on television, so that interest in them spontaneously spilled over to the whole country.

The band is still active today, getting ready to release more songs.

Outcome

The launch of the campaign exceeded our expectations - the spot went viral and started a discussion in the media about the exclusion of deaf people from pop culture. We made sure that UNMUTE became really loud. By submitting a team to the Eurovision Song Contest, what has changed the history of the competition as the FIRST IN HISTORY DEAF BAND SUBMITTED FOR THE EUROVISION. The main news portals and all the major influencers wrote about them, and the band appeared on television, so that interest in them spontaneously spilled over to the whole country.

PR publications reached in total almost 19,2 million viewers (50%+ of Poland's population) with advertising equivalent almost 7 milion PLN.

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Unmute: Louder than decibels

CHANGE SERVICEPLAN, Warsaw

Unmute: Louder than decibels

2023, POLISH ASSOCIATION OF THE DEAF

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