THE UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE OF PAIN

Short List
TitleTHE UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE OF PAIN
BrandMERCEDES-BENZ (THAILAND) ,THAIHEALTH
Product / ServiceMERCEDES-BENZ SPRINTER
CategoryA12. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) / Corporate Image
EntrantBBDO BANGKOK, THAILAND
Idea Creation BBDO BANGKOK, THAILAND

Credits

Name Company Position
Suthisak Sucharittanonta BBDO Bangkok Chairman & Chief Creative Officer
Anuwat Nitipanont BBDO Bangkok Deputy Chief Creative Officer
Nopharit Dusadeedumkoeng BBDO Bangkok Creative Director
Thamonwan Rojanawanichkit BBDO Bangkok Copywriter
Annop Khunwong BBDO Bangkok Art Director
Jutatat Pattanodom BBDO Bangkok Group Account Director
Tanyawan Wongapichart BBDO Bangkok Account Director
Thitiporn Kittikawinwong BBDO Bangkok Traffic Director
Atitan Thongmak BBDO Bangkok Project manager
Natthawut Soonsub BBDO Bangkok Graphic Design Director
Watchalee Sirikayon BBDO Bangkok Graphic Designer

The Campaign

Mercedes-benz Sprinter,the world’s leading medical vehicle,realized the problem for doctors in diagnosis is how pain is never accurately described by patients, but pain characteristics is one of the most important indicator that gives direction for diagnosis. we want to create a solution for patients to communicate pain better to doctors. The brand and Thai Health partnered to create a universal language that overcomes language barriers, the symbol system that can help doctors diagnose every known illness,without using verbal language. Our communication designers developed each symbol with pain specialists from Thai Health Foundation and Siriraj Hospital,as well as the medical volunteers from Princess Mother Medical Volunteer Foundation to understand more on rural patients.In order,to achieve the most effective symbols to communicate pain. This will help reduce miscommunication between health professionals who work in rural areas,both volunteers and those work in public health centers,and their patients,who speak different languages.

Creative Execution

We designed a symbol language,using instinctive design, which is the design from fundamental objects,shapes,and forms; the symbols are based on experience that can be perceived and give the same understanding for all. For example, the shape of a thorn, no matter what this pointy shape is called in any languages,everyone have the same understanding that this shape is sharp and know the feeling of pain it causes. To develop each symbol,we teamed up with pain specialists from Thai Health Foundation and Siriraj Hospital,as well as the medical volunteers to understand more on rural patients. This symbol set is printed in a form of pamphlet,this is cost-effective,light,and easy to carry around. However,the idea is a universal symbol language,that can be implemented in various formats. Patients simply point the location on their body where the pain occurs,and point at the type of pain they are experiencing.

Results

This set of symbols overcomes language barriers that used to be a long-standing problem in medical care, it can be implemented in various ways in other locations, because miscommunications and inability to describe pain characteristics happen everywhere where doctors and patients do not share the same language. it has an impact on people’s lives, those whose language is the minority in the country now gets the same standard of healthcare as others. The universal language of pain help reduce miscommunications that could cause medical errors and waste medical resources, as well as strengthen the brand’s proposition as the world’s leading medical vehicle.

This is relevant for Direct because this CSR project’s result is a set of symbol language which is printed in a form of pamphlet that we give to doctors and medical professionals in rural areas to use with the patients, especially the ones who speak different language. Patients get to communicate pains with doctors better and more clearly with our work. By this, the corporate image of the brand is strengthened, as the world’s leading medical vehicles.

The target audience are patients in rural areas, who speak different languages, and doctors in public health centers or medical volunteers,who have difficulties understanding them. So our strategy is to approach Thai Health Foundation to learn more on the target and see what is the key element in making doctors and patients understand each other, and also the knowledge about pain and diagnosis.

Links

Supporting Webpage