T-Mobile Netherlands Launches TikTok Campaign Teaching Sign Language

T-Mobile Netherlands today launched a social media activation for the Netherlands experience ‘Think Unlimited’. In the lead role is Court (22) who is a deaf dancer and performer with his mother tongue being Dutch Sign Language (NGT). Together with artists sor and Sigourney K, this campaign sees him release a track, dance and an accompanying TikTok filter to introduce young people to Dutch Sign Language. The new track is aptly named 'Body Language'. The activation is part of the ‘Think Unlimited’ campaign, previously launched on TV with Dutch rapper and spoken-word artist Fresku. Both come from the creative minds  of Amsterdam-based agency TBWA\NEBOKO.

Technology, music and dance

For Court (22 years old), his mission is to combine dance and gestures so that everyone can learn NGT. A big task when you know that only an estimated 1.7% of Dutch people master NGT. This means that the vast majority of Dutch people have to make contact in other ways with the more than 1.5 million hearing-impaired and deaf people in the country. Especially for the 18,000 NGT native speakers, this is a big challenge. Together with T-Mobile and Dutch artists sor (who is hard of hearing himself) and Sigourney K, Court wants to change this. Together, they wrote the track 'Body Language' with matching choreography. In addition, a TikTok filter was developed to practice the choreography of the dance and to learn sign language easily.

Court Thinks Unlimited

This is the first time in the Netherlands that dance, music and technology have been used to draw attention to NGT on a large scale. The choice of TikTok in the campaign follows the immense popularity of the platform among young people. As recently as 2022, a video about making contact with deaf people was one of the most popular TikTok tutorials of 2022*. Court (aged 22) knows all about this. He is deaf and has been using social media for some time to make peers curious and teach them about his mother tongue through dance.

Jefta den Dulk, manager social campaigns and branded content T-Mobile Netherlands, "In Court, we see someone with an Unlimited mindset. His mission to connect people through social media has a lot in common with ours; we won't stop until everyone is connected. That's why we are happy to give Court a bigger online stage. I hope this activation will ensure that more young people are introduced to NGT and the unique  culture and talents of people who cannot hear.."

Rik Ledder, CEO TBWA\NEBOKO adds, "With this activation, T-Mobile lets you experience social media to expand your world in an easy and, above all, fun way. That is exactly what ‘Think Unlimited’ stands for. TikTok is the virtual classroom where young people love to spend time and everyone gets to join in. This makes it the perfect platform for the activation, which capitalises on TikTok trends and has a social touch and an inclusive message ."