NOBODY UNDERSTANDS THE BLIND BETTER THAN THEMSELVES

TitleNOBODY UNDERSTANDS THE BLIND BETTER THAN THEMSELVES
BrandSTARCOM MEDIAVEST GROUP
Product / ServiceSMG LUCKY 13
CategoryB05. Public Service, Charity & Fund Raising
EntrantSTARCOM MEDIAVEST GROUP Bangkok, THAILAND
Media Agency STARCOM MEDIAVEST GROUP Bangkok, THAILAND
Entrant Company STARCOM MEDIAVEST GROUP Bangkok, THAILAND
Media Agency 2 STARCOM MEDIAVEST GROUP Bangkok, THAILAND

Credits

Name Company Position
Niti Pattanapakdee Major Cineplex General Manager
Auravadee Ruengsri Vivaki Exchange Managing Director
Bencharat Permsiri Smg Manager
Yaowaluck Chinawong Starcom Manager
Pacharee Permvongusawa Starcom Digital Group Head
Nuttha Sakidjai Liquid Thread Manager
Kanokrat Bovorn Liquid Thread Director
Rangsan Rattananit Smg Executive Director
Narongchai Pratumsuwan Smg Experience Designer

Results and Effectiveness

The Lucky13 project caught high media attention including Sanook.com and the number one news show “Rueng-Lao-Chao-Nee”. There were over 500 admissions from expected 250, with tickets and souvenirs sold out in less than 1 hour. We were able to raise $US 31,925 versus expected $US 2,400 For the audience, many needed to sit in the stair cases. Many teared up. Many clapped their hands. Many laughed. Many forgot they were watching the blind All 3 short films have been released on YouTube with our belief “Even though they have never seen the world, the world will always see them”.

Creative Execution

All 3 movies are based on true stories written and directed by the blind with 13 min each. The movies were shown only once at Siam Paragon theatre on 12th July 2013 to raise funds to the blind as a part of SMG’s 13th anniversary. - The first is a story of a blind man who lost his sight when he was 13. Life was restless untill he finds someone he loves and loves him. - The second story is about a girl seeking advice from a consultant to prepare herself to live with her blind boyfriend. - The last story is about a very talented thirteen year old blind boy who wants to be a radio announcer. His drive and energy just leads the audience to sink into his imagination while he narrates his stories. We promoted the Lucky13 event through newspaper movie pages, emailing and SMGLUCKY13 Facebook page.

Insights, Strategy and the Idea

Thai people nowadays seem to have very little knowledge about the blind. On the occasion of Starcom MediaVest Group’s 13th Anniversary, we hosted a voluntary project for better understanding between the blind and people in society. There are around 150,000 blind people in Thailand. Most of them barely make it to the minimal wage. The stereotypes of the blind are those who give massages, sell lottery or perform on the street in exchange of small money. We tend to ignore them or not really look at them full eyes. This project was created under the concept of “Nobody understands the blind better than themselves”. Therefore, we made 3 short films by blind for the not blind also known as “Lucky13” to raise funds for Foundation for the Blind in Thailand.