Breaking the sound barrier

• Main Authors: Ang, Hui Xuan, Kwok, Meng Kei, Lee, Melodi Meili, Wong, Jia Rong
• Other Authors: Pamela Tor Das
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2017
• Subjects: DRNTU::Social sciences::Communication::Promotional communication::Communication campaigns
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/69876
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

This paper presents Breaking The Sound Barrier (BTSB), a campaign to encourage more employers to hire the deaf, initiated by four final-year students from the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, Nanyang Technological University. It aimed to create positive attitudes towards hiring the deaf by highlighting that the deaf are as capable as the hearing. The campaign targeted people involved in the hiring process, such as managers and Human Resource (HR) personnel, who had no intentions to hire the deaf and were not doing so. The paper summarises the primary and secondary research that influenced the campaign’s messaging, strategies and tactics. As there was little existing research done on the deaf in Singapore, primary research was conducted to understand more about the current perceptions, attitudes and behaviour towards hiring the deaf. The formative research provided insights to help inform the campaign strategy and areas of focus, showing a need to inform, provide an experience and empower employers to help change their attitudes and behaviours. The campaign utilised both online platforms and on-ground activations as tactics to educate employers, provide social proof via success stories, and provide resources for employers to take action to hire the deaf. The paper then evaluates their effectiveness in achieving the impact and output objectives through post-campaign and post-event surveys, media monitoring, and appraisals from various stakeholders. The paper concludes with a discussion of the campaign’s limitations and challenges, and provides recommendations for subsequent campaigns. Further information can be found in the appendices.