Facebook's policy that ads on its pages must be physically unmuted by the user to play sound has led to some innovative thinking from companies.
But Hotels.com has taken it one step farther.
Hotels.com recently came out with an ad sporting its mascot Captain Obvious that not only uses subtitles, but also features an ASL (American Sign Language) interpreter for the hearing impaired.
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Posted by Hotels.com on Tuesday, May 26, 2015
"Brands will always be looking for ways to innovate and breakthrough with advertising no matter the platform," Mike Wolfe, senior director of brand marketing for Hotels.com, told TravelPulse. "Our campaign represents our own attempt to maximize impact while playing by the rules of the platform; in this case, Facebook."
"The digital advertising landscape is incredibly complex and evolves rapidly, with different types of rules across the partners and platforms we work with," he added. "Online video is a critical part of our marketing approach, and Facebook offers us unique opportunities with their video offering. Our objective with our silent ad campaign was to increase breakthrough, and ultimately engagement with our audience."
According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, one in eight people in the United States (13 percent, or 30 million) aged 12 years or older has hearing loss in both ears.
On top of that, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires that "hotels and motels must provide effective means of communication for persons who are deaf or hard of hearing to ensure that they have an equal opportunity to enjoy the goods, services, accommodations and amenities offered."
Safe to say, Hotels.com has created an effective way to communicate. The response to the "Interpreter" ad has been "incredibly positive," Wolfe said. In fact, engagement with the ad has been 10 times higher than Hotels.com's normal brand videos, according to Wolfe.
Hotels.com even slipped a hidden message into the ad.
"A unique aspect we added to 'Interpreter' was the hidden message shared through sign language," Wolfe said. "We wanted to reward people who were paying attention and those that could understand the signed message."
Hotel staff can find a handy outline of how to communicate with guests who are deaf or hard of hearing here.
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