Samsung: Blind Cap [video]

Credits & Description:

Agency: Cheil Spain
Brand: Samsung España
Brand/Marca: Samsung Galaxy S7+ Gear S2
Country: Spain
Advertising Agency: Cheil Spain, Madrid
Entrant Company: Cheil Spain, Madrid
Media Agency: Cheil Spain, Madrid
Pr Agency: Cheil Spain, Madrid
Production Company: Espadaysantacruz Studio, Madrid
Additional Company: Espadaysantacruz Studio, Madrid
Design Agency: Espadaysantacruz Studio, Madrid
Photographer: Judith Moreno (Judith Moreno)
Executive Creative Director: Breno Cotta (Cheil Spain)
Photographer: Jorge Puente (Jorge Puente)
Art Director: Juan Luis Poza (Cheil Spain)
Account Manager: Sandra Pérez (Cheil Spain)
Managing Director: Yann Boudoin (Cheil Spain)
Art Director: Ana Del Valle (Cheil Spain)
Account Executive: Asela Botella (Cheil Spain)
Copywriter: Mercedes Laso (Cheil Spain)
Synopsis:
Swimming for the blind has been established as a Paralympic sport for over 50 years.Blind swimmers need an alert to know the exact time to turn, as their disability prevents them from determining this on their own.To do so, over the course of all these years coaches have used a pole with a hard sponge on the end to warn swimmers, which is somewhat denigrating and rudimentary, when bearing in mind that we live in the age of technology.We want to put an end to this practice.The brand technology has simplified many daily problems, so why not help improve the daily lives of elite athletes, such as Paralympic blind swimmers?Our main purpose was to apply the brand’s mobile technology and the instruments required to improve these swimmers’ lives,eliminating the signal known as tapping that was used until now, to make something more subtle and simpler that exercises the same function.
Strategy:
The brand creates technology to make people’s lives easier. Blind swimmers deserve to have technological advances contribute to their conditions to be able to perform as elite athletes without any obstacles. Thus, after holding several meetings with the Spanish Paralympic Committee, we realised that we had the mobile technology needed, and we only had to seek the way to apply it to this sport to eliminate the tapping signal used until now. Far from being a for-profit action, it has a social focus to make the lives of blind swimmers easier and to launch a clear message: The brand makes technology for people and wants everyone to understand that these minority groups of elite athletes are also worthy of technological advances in their favour, to improve the conditions of their training sessions and—why not?—let them become independent in the future.
Outcome:
After showing and trying out the Blind Cap along with the Spanish Paralympic Committee, the committee expressed its interest in establishing the Blind Cap as its main tool at high-performance blind swimmer training sessions, as well as seeking to modify regulations in order to implement Blind Cap at national championships (for the time being). Moreover, far from being a for-profit action, the brand's value has increased, revealing once again that it is concerned about improving people's lives through its technology.Furthermore, the feeling of swimmers and coaches is extremely positive, as they see a future for this new model to alert the swimmer. They believe it is a great beginning, that one large step has been taken toward achieving optimal conditions in this swimming discipline.
Campaign Description:
The brand allocates part of its resources to researching new technologies that improve people’s lives. After meeting with the Spanish Paralympic Committee, the idea arose for Blind Cap, a swim cap that incorporates vibrating technology to alert blind swimmers. A vibration system, incorporated into the inside of the cap, replaces the tapping mechanism used until now with a small vibration that alerts swimmers of the precise time to turn. Connected to Gear S2 (a smartwatch), or to a smartphone via Bluetooth, coaches send a small vibration to the cap, to alert swimmers, just by pressing the button on the Blind Cap app.A simple mechanism that—along with the brand mobile technology—means a lot to swimmers and coaches, as it eliminates tapping the swimmer while keeping a connection between them, something that is essential in this swimming discipline.
Execution:
To design the electronic device that goes inside the Blind Cap,we drew inspiration from frog’s fingers, creating a flexible and organic products with great ergonomics.The electronic parts are divided into two elements to make the product as thin and hydrodynamic as possible.These items will be hermetically protected via a hard 3D-printed part.They will be joined by wires embedded in a silicone piece that joins and covers everything.The printed parts are fastened to the silicone with hard parts, thus preventing the silicone from absorbing the vibration.The technology is distributed in two of the printed parts.The first contains the low energy Bluetooth module,the vibrator,antenna and an FFC connector to join the wires.The second consists of another FFC connector and the battery.The device is connected to the app by Bluetooth and when the coach presses the button on the app, the signal is sent to the device, transformed into a vibration.