Cannes Lions
TECH AND SOUL, Sao Paulo / C6 BANK / 2023
Overview
Entries
Credits
Background
In just 3 years, C6 Bank has reached 20 million customers, becoming one of the largest Brazilian banks. This is due to the fact that C6 differs from traditional banks: from a more transparent relationship to non-interruptive communication.
For this, two pillars have always led the way C6 communicates to people: music and colors. The bank was released with a videoclip rather than traditional commercials. Besides, all campaigns feature sound as one of its core elements.
Colors, in addition to being present in communication, are present in products: C6 was the first bank to offer cards with customized colors and it is now famous for its colored ones.
Thus, when it comes to promoting accessibility for blind people, we thought about a way to bring this icon – the colored cards - to this audience.
And the solution for that was in our biggest asset: the sound.
Idea
We have started by looking for ways to bring C6 colors to people who can't see them. For that, we have chosen Sound since it is both visually impaired people’s most used sense and the bank’s communication core pillar.
We have come across studies carried out by Isaac Newton, who established a link between sound and colors in 1704. Several scholars reached similar conclusions: sound is a wave and so is light. Thus, it is likely to create a correlation between both, reproducing the sensation of colors through musical tones.
We created sounds that reproduce colors, and we invited blind people to a test where they could hear The Sound of Colors. On an accessible hotsite, everyone could choose their favorite color through sound.
Spots on the radio and Spotify invited people to access the site and choose their favorite color through this new way.
Strategy
For impact on the public, two points were strategically chosen:
technical aspects
In this regard, we sought the greatest wealth of information about the theory and also the execution so that our material would lead to the experience of colors in the most faithful and realistic way possible. We have the advice of the conductor and music producer Otávio de Moraes and a vast search for studies ranging from the 18th century to current doctoral theories.
Social aspects
Our greatest care was that the public perceive the action as a gesture focused on the accessibility and inclusion of C6 Bank, never something capacitive. To that end, we also consulted with a range of visually impaired people, including some who work as educators and musicians, so that every element of the campaign – from terms used to the way colors were presented, was respectful and had real relevance in
Execution
We have researched in depth the link between colors and sounds that begins with studies by Isaac Newton, in 1704 and continues until today.
For the design, we invited the Grammy-winning conductor Otávio de Moraes. In addition to creating the correlation where the lowest note (C) corresponds to the color with the smallest wave spectrum, red, followed by D related to orange and going through intermediate colors, related to semitones and composite colors, as in the case of Rainbow , which has all colors and was represented as a polyphonic melody. We've also added sound textures related to card colors: metallic, woody, etc.
On an accessible hostsite people could hear the name of the card, its color and its sound. For the launch, we invited blind bank customers and radio spots and Spotify invited the public to experience the new way of choosing their favorite color.
Outcome
C6 Bank is today one of the benchmarks in the ESG agenda of the financial sector in Brazil and already positively impacts the financial market with initiatives related to sustainability, having been the first bank to offset 100% of the carbon emitted, creating the country's first carbon extract , etc.
Now with this initiative, the bank is also positively influencing companies to do more when it comes to promoting accessibility in their products and services. The C6 bank app has been fully accessible since its launch. And now, in addition to bringing autonomy to the visually impaired in banking, the C6 also offers them the possibility of enjoying the personalization of bank services.
The positive impact of this campaign goes beyond the bank's image, extending to society as a whole, as this initiative can even be adopted by other sectors where color is important, such as clothing, interior design, etc.
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