Private Spot by WhatsApp is an activation to make people in the US experience what privacy feels like, by placing a one of a kind pedestal in the middle of one of the most crowded places in the world—Times Square. When someone stepped on the Private Spot, a 3D directional audio that could only be heard by them, explained the importance of privacy, and how WhatsApp’s private messaging lets them be their authentic selves, no matter where they are.

The US is relatively a growth market for WhatsApp, and our task was to explain privacy with end-to-end encryption in a fun and interactive way that felt human and entertaining.

Private Spot by WhatsApp is an activation to make people in the US experience what privacy feels like, by placing a one of a kind pedestal in the middle of one of the most crowded places in the world—Times Square. When someone stepped on the Private Spot, a 3D directional audio that could only be heard by them, explained the importance of privacy, and how WhatsApp’s private messaging lets them be their authentic selves, no matter where they are.

The audio welcomes the passersby to the private spot, explaining to them in a friendly and authentic tone how with even thousands around them, the conversation stays between them. No one can hear the audio other than them. The audio further explains that privacy unlocks something special in all of us, lets us act without the fear of judgment, fuels creativity and self expression, to deepen relationships and personal growth. The audio further explains how the person can have privacy at all times, no matter where they are, when they have WhatsApp in their hands. In the end the audio closes with urging them to scan a QR that's embedded on the private spot installation to learn more about multiple private features of WhatsApp and how it keeps conversation on the platform private for billions of users worldwide.

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WhatsApp, a leader for private messaging, must educate and explain to people the importance of privacy, and how it protects people’s privacy with state-of-the-art end-to-end encryption technology, where no one can read or hear messages within WhatsApp, other than the sender and receiver. Not even WhatsApp. We wanted to establish this experience through an interactive experience, simplifying what end-to-end encryption actually works like.

The Private Spot, a part of the US Privacy campaign, garnered 192K new registrations, a 478K increase in daily users, and a notable 917K rise in monthly users. Additionally, there was a substantial 23MM increase in messages exchanged during the campaign, along with a peak in privacy sentiment that marked an all-time high for the brand."

The Private Spot let users step on top of the speaker, and through complex sound engineering, could experience a private dialogue. The experience draws a parallel between the privacy of the WhatsApp platform: no one outside the platform, nor outside the speaker, can hear the conversation. Against the busy backdrop of sirens and sightseers and with no physical sound barrier, people truly experienced the feeling – and the beauty – of privacy. The WhatsApp “Private Spot” translated privacy from an abstract concept to a tangible feeling for consumers.