Health and Wellness > Health Services & Corporate Communications

SOLO: THERE'S MAGIC IN ALL OF US

ALTO NEW YORK / MONTEFIORE EINSTEIN / 2024

Awards:

Shortlisted Cannes Lions
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Case Film
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Overview

Credits

Overview

Why is this work relevant for Integrated?

Our campaign heroes eye tracking technology and celebrates that there’s magic in all of us. Through Solo’s story, we celebrated millions of people with disabilities. They felt seen, and responded.

At the center, the campaign was a five-minute holiday film which launched on digital and social, supported by TV formats, spectacular OOH, banners and print in the NY Times. We also created a digital children’s book, illustrated by disability advocate Wendy Wen. Everything drove to an online eye tracking experience—for the first time we opened the technology up to the world. #representationmatters trended, shared by countless advocates for disability inclusion.

Please provide any cultural context that would help the Jury understand any cultural, national or regional nuances applicable to this work.

Millions of people who are unable to move and speak were long thought to be lacking cognitive ability. Bronx-based non-profit hospital Montefiore Einstein partnered with leading technology companies and pioneered the use of eye tracking to give kids like Solo a voice and prove that they have rich inner worlds.

The holidays are a time to connect, a time of celebration for all, yet so many are not represented in the holiday stories we tell. So we told a different kind of holiday story — Solomon’s story.

Solo is seven years old and has cerebral palsy. He can’t move or speak and uses eye tracking–a technology that allows him to express himself using only his eyes.

The film was viewed over 10 million times in New York alone, and brought joy and compassion to the holidays. Through Solo, we celebrated millions of people with disabilities. They felt seen, and responded. The hashtag #representationmatters trended, shared by countless advocates for disability inclusion. They spread the word about eye tracking and inspired others. The film got an unheard of 98% positive sentiment and was a top 3 viewed holiday ad on YouTube and voted Adage Best Ads of 2023.

Background

People with a neurological condition that leaves them incapable of speech and voluntary movement were long thought to be lacking in cognitive ability. At Montefiore Einstein, neurologists pioneered the use of eye tracking technology to transform communication with these patients and prove that they have rich inner worlds. About 50 million people worldwide face these challenges but only 2% have access to modern communication aids.

Our brief focused on life-changing eye tracking technology and the power it gives patients to finally express themselves. We aimed to create a film that drove awareness of eye-tracking and were determined to feature a real person with these disabilities to represent the millions that we typically never see in holiday films, and for who for so long have been left silent. This film is a window into the magical realm of possibilities when technology meets the human spirit.

Describe the creative idea

Millions of people who are unable to move and speak were long thought of as lacking cognitive ability. Montefiore Einstein pioneered the use of eye tracking to prove that these people do have rich inner worlds and to give them a voice. So for the holidays, a time to connect and celebration for all, we gave a voice to those who for so long have been silent and told a different kind of story — Solo’s story. Solo is seven years old and has cerebral palsy. He can’t move or speak and uses eye tracking. Our campaign showcases eye tracking technology and celebrates that there’s magic in all of us. Through Solo’s story, we celebrated millions of people with disabilities and they felt seen, and responded. The film was viewed over 10 million times in NewYork alone. Through Solo, we celebrated millions of people with disabilities and #representationmatters trended.

Describe the strategy

People with disabilities make up 26% of Americans but are widely absent in the stories we tell, particularly during the holidays—a time meant for connection and celebration. Our holiday film premiered during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade on TV, social and YouTube, putting them on the greatest stage. Viewed over 10 million times in NY alone, the film brought joy and compassion to the holidays. Through Solo, we celebrated millions with disabilities. They felt seen, and responded. #Representationmatters trended, shared by countless advocates for disability inclusion. They spread the word about eye tracking and inspired others. The film got an unheard of 98% positive sentiment, was a top 3 viewed holiday ad on YouTube and voted Adage Best Ads of 2023. Everything drove to a bespoke eye tracking experience and for the first time we opened the technology up to the world so everyone could make art with their eyes.

Describe the execution

The film launched during the Macy’s thanksgiving day parade in digital and social, was viewed over 10 million times in New York alone, and brought joy and compassion to the holidays. Through Solo, we celebrated millions of people with disabilities. They felt seen, and responded. The hashtag #representationmatters trended, shared by countless advocates for disability inclusion. They spread the word about eye tracking and inspired others. The film got an unheard of 98% positive sentiment was a top 3 viewed holiday ad on YouTube and voted Adage Best Ads of 2023.

List the results

The campaign garnered 65,605,297 impressions and the film was viewed over 10 million times in NewYork alone, with an unheard of 98% positive sentiment, bringing magic, joy and compassion to the holidays for all. With a striking 68% play rate and average view time of 3:03, the film was in the top three-viewed holiday ads on YouTube, ranking alongside holiday giants Apple and John Lewis. In addition, the online film doubled Montefiore Einstein’s YouTube channel followers, adding over 17,000 subscribers wanting to see more entertainment content from the system.

Through Solo’s story, we celebrated millions of people with disabilities. They felt seen, and responded. The hashtag #representationmatters trended and was shared by countless advocates for disability inclusion. They spread the word about eye tracking technology and inspired even more people who would otherwise remain silent to express themselves.

Our brand study tracked a 100% increase in positive perception of Montefiore

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