Grand LIA: Public Service/Charity/NGO
Creativity In PR
| Entrant: | Area 23, an IPG Health Company, New York |
| Brand: | Transgender Day of Visibility |
| Title: | "In Transit" |
| Corporate Name of Client: | Callen-Lorde, Metropolitan Transportation Authority, NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project |
| Client Companies: | Callen-Lorde, Metropolitan Transportation Authority, NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project, New York |
| PR Company: | Weber Shandwick, New York |
| PR Consultant: | John McCourt |
| Agency: | Area 23, an IPG Health Company, New York |
| Chief Creative Officer: | Tim Hawkey |
| Group Creative Director: | David Traini |
| Creative Directors: | Thiago Fernandes/Widerson Souza/Victor Afonso |
| Associate Creative Director - Art Lead: | Renan Bulgari |
| Associate Creative Directors: | Walter Soares/Anastasia Leitner |
| Copywriters: | David Traini/Thiago Fernandes/Victor Afonso/Anastasia Leitner |
| Senior Art Directors: | Jordan Bowens/Samuel Callegari |
| Art Directors: | Widerson Souza/Walter Soares |
| Agency Producers: | Thiago Fernandes/Widerson Souza/Chinkara Singh/Ian Smith |
| Agency Integration Director: | Samuel Callegari |
| Agency Project Supervisor: | Michael King |
| Production Companies: | WideLabs, Porto Alegre/Ritmika Audio Arts, São Paulo/Famous Who? , São Paulo |
| Director - Famous Who?: | Jean Paulo Lasmar |
| Executive Producer - Famous Who?: | Fred Farah |
| Director of Photography - Famous Who?: | Brian Rubén Mendoza |
| Producers - Lado Animation: | Stefanie DiasCarol/Fernandes/Digo Sousa |
| Producer - Famous Who?: | Fernanda Carpinelli |
| Production Company Script Writer, Associate Creative: | Jean Paulo Lasmar |
| Production Company Audio Music Director, Associate Creative: | Henrique Tanji |
| Production Company Back-End Programer: | Lincoln Araujo Dias |
| Production Company Chief Innovative Officer: | Marcelo Capper |
| Production Company Chief Technology Officer: | Rodrigo Malossi |
| Production Company Chief Executive Officer: | Nelson Leoni |
| Post-Production Company: | Lado Animation , São Paulo |
| Animation Director: | Boca Ceravolo |
| Post-Producer - Famous Who?: | Ivan Lemos |
| Post-Production Company Motion Graphics: | Lucas Pineda |
| Production Company Chief Operational Officer: | Beatriz Ferrareto |
Description:
An NYC comptroller survey revealed the subway as a location that evokes anxiety among transgender people due to the potential for discrimination and harassment.
Studies show that people who personally know transgender individuals are more likely to be accepting and supportive of trans people in general. Turns out every New Yorker already knows someone: Bernie Wagenblast.
For the week surrounding Transgender Day of Visibility on March 31, we changed Bernie Wagenblast’s iconic voice of the subway to reflect her new identity as a transgender woman.
Bernie recently came out as a transgender woman, so we introduced brand new audio messages using Bernie’s new female voice to deliver an unforgettable reminder that transgender people are all around.
IN TRANSIT successfully engaged with New Yorkers. Partnering with the MTA, we harnessed the ubiquitous subway station audio, a channel with unmatched NYC-wide reach and Bernie Wagenblast’s voice, recognized by every subway rider.
IN TRANSIT delivered a powerful message that transgender people are part of everyday life, wrapped in the reassurance of Bernie’s familiar voice. This sparked intrigue and dialogue among commuters in New York and across social media platforms and news outlets.
At a time when press coverage is dominated by anti-trans laws and negative anti-woke stories, this campaign injects positive trans visibility into the news cycle. We prepared a full crisis management communication plan in the event of negative coverage as part of the anti-woke movement. We were pleasantly surprised to receive 100% positive sentiment in news coverage.