Leo Burnett Instanbul created an ad promoting Samsung’s call center for the hearing impaired entitled “Hearing Hands” which has gone viral, racking up over 5.5 million YouTube views since being uploaded about a week ago.
For the spot, Leo Burnett Instanbul and Samsung orchestrated a stunt to give a hearing-impaired man named Muharrem “one day, with no barriers.” They trained those involved in sign language and as Muharrem goes about his day he is surprised to find everyone conversing with him. Eventually he makes his way to a public square and things get emotional as the stunt is revealed. It’s a heartwarming approach from Samsung and, even if more cynical viewers might point that it wasn’t really “All for Muharrem to have one day, with no barriers” as the brand claims, it still had that effect. And it’s certainly resonated with viewers, as you’d be hard pressed to find another recent ad from the region that has made such a splash online.