TBWA\HAKUHODO's Deaf Inclusion Campaign Wins Four Lotus Awards at ADFEST

TBWA\HAKUHODO's CHEER SIGNS project, a visual cheering system co-created with deaf athletes and creators for the Tokyo 2025 Deaflympics, won three Silver Lotuses and one Bronze Lotus at ADFEST 2026 in March 2026.

CHEER SIGNS Earns Recognition Across Four Award Categories

The campaign took home metals across the Entertainment Lotus for Diversity and Inclusion, PR Lotus for Breakthrough in PR, Design Lotus for Inclusive Design, and Entertainment Lotus for Breakthrough in Sports categories.

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CHEER SIGNS introduced three visual cheering gestures rooted in Japanese Sign Language: "Go!" (fluttering hands beside the face then thrusting forward), "You Can Do It!" (thrusting fists forward), and "Grab the medal!" (passing the right hand under the left). The gestures replaced sound-based applause with a visual design language accessible to deaf spectators and athletes.

The project was led by TBWA\HAKUHODO Chief Creative Officer Takahiro Hosoda and Creative Director Suguru Kato. It was built using TBWA's Disruption methodology combined with Hakuhodo's local market knowledge.

Multi-Stakeholder Partnership Anchored Campaign Delivery

CHEER SIGNS involved five collaborating organizations: TBWA\HAKUHODO, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, NHK Enterprises, NHK Global Media Services, and 5005 Inc.

Visual cheering gloves in Deaflympics colors were designed by students at the Para-Sports Design College. Spectators wore the gloves at live events, including the Japan vs. Italy volleyball match, generating earned media through live activation.

The Tokyo 2025 Deaflympics marks the event's 100th anniversary, a milestone that amplified the campaign's cultural platform and media reach.

Deaf Inclusion Campaigns Win Across Multiple Asian Markets

CHEER SIGNS is part of a broader pattern of deaf and disability inclusion campaigns earning recognition across Asia-Pacific award circuits.

At the PR Awards Asia-Pacific 2024, Edelman India and KFC India's "Teaching India to #SpeakSign" campaign won Bronze in the Cause-Related Diversity and Inclusion category. Ogilvy Malaysia and Colgate's "Introducing a Million Logos" won Gold in the same category. Madison PR with Olay India won Silver.

The PRCA Asia Pacific 2024 Awards featured a standalone Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Award, won by MediaCast for a Tourette Syndrome campaign and Golin Taipei with Taiwan AIDS Society for the "AIDS Avatar" HIV/AIDS awareness campaign. Wins span India, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, and Japan across the 2024 to 2026 awards cycle.

Regional Infrastructure Supports Inclusion-Led Innovation

Public funding for inclusion-driven work is available at scale across the region. Hong Kong's Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Fund is valued at HK$500 million (approximately US$65 million) and targets solutions addressing poverty and social exclusion, creating potential partnership opportunities for brands.

CHEER SIGNS demonstrates that inclusion campaigns can access public sector co-investment and institutional distribution, as seen through its partnership with the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and NHK. The campaign's live activation and broadcast partnerships extended its reach beyond the agency's own channels.

The PR Awards Asia-Pacific 2024 full winners list is available via Campaign Asia.