The Autism Resource Centre: Search Activated Banner

Today, 1 in 88 children are diagnosed with autism. That’s an increase of up to 17 times, in the last 25 years. However the understanding of autism amongst the general public is still extremely low. Because early diagnosis can make a world of difference, it is important that people are informed about the symptoms of autism so they can seek an early diagnosis/treatment. This campaign from BBDO Proximity Singapore is designed respond to the growing need to highlight concern and awareness about autism, by illustrating some of its symptoms. Singapore's largest autism awareness group, The Autism Resource Centre, wanted to highlight the symptom: 'Hypersensitivity to sound' for World Autism Month (takes place in April every year). To communicate this message, BBDO integrated search bars on various websites with onsite banners to provide a virtual demonstration of how the slightest sound could be deafening to a child with Autism. We created a world's first a banner that was activated by users' interactions with the keyboard. We developed a source code that enabled us to track letters as they are being typed into the search bar. This, in turn, triggered a reaction from the girl in the banner below, demonstrating how she is seemingly affected by even the light sounds of typing. This campaign went live on half a dozen partner sites with a potential audience of 2.2 million visitors. It also received the attention of TV stations which featured Singapore's President of Autism Resource Centre, Denise Phua, thus bringing more public attention to the cause.