180LA

Client: Cox Communications
Product: Internet
Title: Project Convey
Media: Broadcast, Online, and Social Media
Country: United States
Date Of Campaign: 4/1/2022-11/30/2022

Background: Cox’s brand purpose is to help people have more meaningful connections. But to many of its customers, Cox is just the regional cable and internet provider they’re stuck with – a utility bill at best – not a brand that shares their values. We wanted to change that.The objective: To strengthen Cox's relationship with its customers by improving overall brand sentiment and trust in a highly commoditized and negatively perceived space.The challenge: Show people that Cox is not just a number you call when internet connection is down, but a brand you can count on when human connection is down.The brief: Create a bold, real-world solution that brings Cox’s brand purpose to life by providing real, human connection wherever it’s needed.

Idea: Every day, millions of people connect through video chat. But for people on the spectrum, this connection is impossible, because many can’t read non-verbal cues, like facial expressions, which are key to connecting on a deeper level. In response, Cox created Project Convey, a video chat prototype that helps people on the spectrum connect better with the person on the other side of the screen. Using AI, the prototype analyzes three inputs: facial expressions, speech, and tone, and in real-time, translates the emotion into an emoji. Cox worked with members of the autism community to design the tool, from UX and UI, to color, sound, and the emojis themselves. Those who trialed our prototype experienced more engaging and meaningful video calls than they had on other video chat platforms. The experience was not just improved for the person with ASD, the technology created a better experience for both parties.

Results: This is the highest viewed campaign at launch for Cox Communications. Within the first two weeks of the campaign we received:3,570,343 video views1,308,289 social engagements4,520,432 impressions Total video views now: Over 18 million. Total impressions: 71 million. The autism community also showed tremendous support for the prototype, expressing their happiness for this unique experience and talking about the exciting possibility of a future where people with autism can better connect with their loved ones on video chat. The client's interaction with this project and the resulting films have inspired them to possibly find a way to integrate this technology into their products and services in the future, in order to better include those with diverse abilities.