Down syndrome has existed since, at least, the fifth century. However, the real numbers of this population remain unknown until today. Not in a country but in the entire world.

Given the lack of official data regarding this population, it is overlooked by the State, hindering its development and excluding it from any public policy that ensures its rights, as required by the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

How is it possible that in 17 centuries no one has wondered about this missing number?

ASDRA (Down Syndrome Association of the Argentine Republic) took on a great challenge:

- Give visibility to the numbers of a population that, so far, seemed invisible.

- Be aware of and raise awareness on the issues affecting this population.

- Get the State to include this population within public policies to put an end to the Numbers Syndrome.

In this context of lack of information regarding people with Down syndrome, we had the challenge of making data accessible and generating enough impact to change paradigms.

NUMBERS SYNDROME was created to reveal the numbers of this population—which were invisible until now—and help them develop themselves thanks to the data they generated themselves.

This dynamic tool collects data on this population and creates statistics and real-time claims aimed at the State urging it to take action.

Since this tool is dynamic, each piece of data turns into a statistic and each statistic turns into a claim that users can share on their networks to put pressure on the State.

This action tool invites everyone to become activists by just sending a tweet.

Because it is not only about raising awareness but also about generating real change from data.

First, we introduced this tool to our specific audience, inviting people with Down syndrome to start feeding this database. Since there were no previous parameters that could make the work easier for us, it was key to develop an accessible data collection methodology for online data.

Thus, we created an adapted form through a WhatsApp ChatBot that allowed us to speed up the registration process.

Once this tool was working, the campaign was launched massively, showing for the first time real data and alarming statistics that proved how invisible this population was because of the lack of official numbers

The campaign also invited everyone to join in order to make these claims visible and put pressure on the State.

This way, social media was filled with activists urging the State to take action.

We looked for an execution with a strategy focused on data but with numbers designed as the main element of this campaign.

For the brand, this was their most relevant campaign in history, since every cause that gets a positive result from the government is an amazing success. The strategy we created for them was to find a simple and easy way to share their claim through an accessible tool that could reach the entire population.

Firstly, we wanted our target to be people with Down syndrome. So we designed a method to gather their information easily and interact with them with clear questions about their lives, health, education, work, etc. through a platform they use in their everyday lives, in their mobiles or computers.

When we gathered the data they completed themselves, we compared it and generated statistics. With those statistics we designed pieces with a simple and easy style to understand what we were claiming for. We decided that the most important element of this campaign were the numbers, so we focused on that. But we also needed a code to clarify our request, so we designed a colour palette to divide each of our pieces into relevant topics.

Then, we created a tool that was easy to interact with for everyone. You just needed to click on a button with a simple request and the claim would be shared on any social media of your choice. This way, we shared the data with the entire population so that they could become influencers rooting for the same cause.

We focused on transforming complicated information and data into a single piece for every fact we found with a number as the main element, because what we needed and claimed for were the official numbers of people with Down syndrome.

The pressure of our campaign achieved great results:

For the first time in Argentine history, the State acknowledged the numbers of people with Down syndrome by making data official and opening up the possibility of establishing real public policies that safeguard the rights of this population in all areas of their lives.

The Argentine Legislature declared NUMBERS SYNDROME - ASDRA as a campaign of public interest and raised the importance of our tool as an ally for the development of this population.

Our database surpassed the records held until then by 2800%.

4.3 million people became activists in this action, joining forces for the same cause.

NUMBERS SYNDROME was the most far-reaching campaign about people with Down syndrome in the history of Argentina.