No one has ever made a commercial written by deaf people and featuring deaf people. “Performance with purpose” is the term being used to describe PepsiCo’s new ground breaking ad 'Bob's house' (launched during the Super Bowl).
There’s little doubt it’s an historic ad.
‘Bob’s house’ is the first deaf ad in the US to feature sign language. It features a number of deaf actors, all employees of PepsiCo, and was written by deaf people too.
It’s a classic ad gag – based on a deaf joke. Two guys are in their car but can’t remember where there mate lives. It’s late. So they sound the horn on their car. One by one the lights in the houses go on. All but one.
“That must be Bob’s house” says one.
It’s well done and all in sign language with captions for the hearing enabled.
“It’s a deaf world and we’ve included the hearing world” is the way PepsiCo describes it. The campaign is part of PepsiCo’s diversity campaign EnAble.
It proves that the new breed of CSR ads do not have to be boring.
Brands are starting to wake up to the fact that social responsibility is a more powerful selling tool than made up values.
A recent survey has revealed that consumers are more likely to buy a brand that cares about the community than one that doesn’t.
The lesson – and the US is always ahead of the game – is that it’s time to throw out 80’s thinking and accept there are now a new set of rules in marketing.
CHRIS ARNOLD
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Member since: 03 Jun 2008
Last login: 19 Nov 2009
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