JWT Bangkok Wins Three Grand Prix at Spikes Asia for Touchable Ink

J. Walter Thompson Bangkok set the pace this year at Spikes Asia Festival of Creativity, winning three Grand Prix for Samsung’s  Touchable Ink – one in Innovation, one in Healthcare and one in Design. 

The agency worked with in collaboration with Samsung and the Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology at Thammasat University in Thailand,  to create a special ink that transforms home printers into braille printers.  Just print a document on a normal printer using braille font, then heat up the paper with a hairdryer, and the ink transforms into touchable raised braille type.   

“We all feel a real sense of joy and satisfaction at working on a challenge like this for a community that can really benefit from this kind of innovation. The team put their heart and soul into Touchable Ink, and I’m incredibly happy for both our team and our client, to see that effort recognised at Spikes,” said Satit Jantawiwat, Chief Creative Officer for J. Walter Thompson Bangkok.

J. Walter Thompson Bangkok has worked on eye care and vision products & brands for more than ten years.  The agency has done integrated eye-care brand campaigns as well as CSR project, ranging from eyeglass donations for people who couldn’t afford spectacles, to a campaign for the elderly who were, for the first time, able to read encouraging messages sent online by their children to test their vision after correction.  

“Our teams have worked extensively in this area and we are aware that besides people with correctable eye problems, there are still many others out there who have yet to received help,” said Jantawiwat. “In Thailand, over 1% of the population is visually impaired or blind.  They ‘see’ in their everyday life through tactile sensation, and braille is critical to them. But braille embossers are too expensive for the average Thai to afford, so they have limited ability to print and even label items at home.”    

J. Walter Thompson Bangkok team also took home another Gold in Healthcare, one Silver in PR, a Bronze in Promo, and another Bronze in Design for the same work at Spikes, along with a Silver in Film for Oriental Princess and a Bronze in Outdoor for a campaign for Berlitz.

Touchable Ink is one of J. Walter Thompson Bangkok’s most recognised initiatives. The agency also won six awards at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity, including an Innovation Lion for this work.  

“One of our missions is to create the work that goes beyond just an advertising and offers a real solution to consumer’s lives. Touchable Ink illustrates that we can make that happen,” said Parattajariya Jalayanateja, Managing Director of J. Walter Thompson Bangkok.  “Our whole team showed a high level of commitment to the work and to the client.  Thanks to the jury at Spikes for recognising that commitment.”