Panasonic bats for colour blind photographers, unveils special viewfinder

Panasonic Lumix unveiled its latest campaign on Republic Day. It seeks to highlight the struggle of colour blind photographers in the creative fields. Titled #RightToColour, the campaign brings forth a special viewfinder that helps photographers with saturation and balance in colour.

The campaign features a dedicated film depicting the real life struggle of a colour blind photographer. Narrating his story to the audience, the photographer reveals how his inability to perceive colours has caused disruptions in his career all his life.

The campaign film then transitions into an introduction to the specially designed viewfinder, presenting the first hand experience of Hizol Choudhury (the photographer). The campaign film has been crafted by Dentsu Aegis Network, and has already gone live across digital platforms.

Given the subject of the campaign - colour blindness - we wondered how much research went into the creation of this campaign. Shirish Agarwal, head – marketing communications and brand, Panasonic India told us that the intent behind the campaign was to empower those affected by colour blindness.

He says, “Nearly eight per cent of the total population of India suffer from some degree of colour blindness, their only dream is to be able to see the world as we all see it. Through this campaign, we wanted to bring alive the spirit of Republic Day by enabling them with the right to see colours. In recent times, technology has created innovations that can transform the everyday experiences of the physically challenged. Keeping this belief at the core, the #RightToColour campaign shares the struggles of colour blind photographers while narrating true life experiences of an Assam-based photographer.”

But how was the idea conceived? Agarwal says, “The idea originated when one of our Lumix technical trainers came in contact with Hizol. That was when we got to know about the challenges that Hizol faced in his career and made us think of a possible solution. Hence, we collaborated with Dentsu Aegis Network to come up with a special viewfinder lens and support him with a solution that can help him connect better to his work.”

How does the special viewfinder help photographers, we wondered. Gurbaksh Singh, chief creative technologist, Dentsu Webchutney, says, “We researched around the deficiency [of colour blindness] and found a simple solution to this problem – a special viewfinder for the camera. This allows a colour blind photographer to see the frame in rich vibrant colours before the shot is captured, subsequently boosting the confidence to capture the subject being photographed."

We also reached out to the creative team to understand how the campaign was crafted. The C Lab spokesperson says, “We dug deep into the stats and know-how around colour blindness. It affects millions of people around the world and exists in various types. We had to research extensively on how we could correct this imbalance. To develop the lens, we tried out different prototypes on numerous subjects, so we could get the best results according to their type of colour blindness.”

Pointing out the challenges faced by colour blind photographers, the spokesperson opines, “Colour is a crucial part of photography. Just like Hizol, there are countless photographers in India who cannot reach their full potential due to colour blindness. It hampers personal creative satisfaction as well as professional gigs that they may lose out on. In most cases, a colour blind photographer must depend on another person for the correct colour levels.”

Expert review:

Sonam Shah, founder and chief executive officer, Treize Communications

Of late, brands have been doing some very interesting and innovative digital campaigns around topical content and this campaign by Panasonic is one of them. Not only does this support the cause of colour blindness but also weaves in the cultural heritage of India, making it a great way to promote their specially designed viewfinder. The team has done a smart job in helping colour blind people get their #RightToColour by launching it on Republic Day.

Adding a real story to the story line of any campaign helps build a stronger and deeper connect with the audience. It not only instills trust but also increases the ‘relatability quotient’, thus making the campaign sound more real and credible. For instance, SBI Life Insurance's 'Real Life Real Story' is a great example of how the brand has told inspirational stories of common people to connect with the youth of the country over a period of more than a year.