Stew of Thought

Peruvian brewer Pilsen Callao partners with Fahrenheit DDB to introduce an AI bot that translates real-time chats into sign language for deaf and hard-of-hearing gamers.

Online gaming brings players from around the world together in play, competition, and communication. Ask any gamer what they love about online gaming, and they’ll probably tell you about the hours they’ve spent chatting with their friends on the mic as they’ve played together.
Yet, for over 300,000 deaf gamers in Peru, this beloved social aspect of gaming has remained largely inaccessible.

In comes Pilsen Callao, a beer brand that aims to tackle this accessibility issue as a part of its ‘Friendship Without Differences’ campaign. The company has partnered with Fahrenheit DBB to introduce the first-ever AI bots capable of translating online conversations into sign language in
real time. These cleverly named E-Nterpreters use an algorithm that allows them to recognise and distinguish a speaker’s voice and convert it into sign language that is conveyed through a unique avatar for each speaker. This allows deaf players to easily follow the real-time gaming
conversations so they can join in on the fun.

The launch of E-Nterpreters

Developed by Fahrenheit DDP, E-Nterpreters are designed for the social platform Discord, an instant messaging service where players communicate through ‘servers’ that are dedicated to a
variety of different games and gaming communities.

With Discord supporting a massive library of games, Fahrenheit DDP’s voice recognition software can be used on any game when players are
using Discord to communicate. The software is free to use and open-sourced, meaning that it can be downloaded by anyone and easily integrated into different platforms such as Twitch, Zoom and even the Metaverse.

E-Nterpreters launched in March 2022 and took 10 months to produce, with Fahrenheit DDB partnering with several ASL groups and deaf and hard-of-hearing gamers to develop the software.

Pilsen Collao’s E-Nterpreters initiative contributes to the “Friendship without Differences” ethos on which the company’s brand has been built. Within the first week of its release, the software gained over 1 million organic views and was downloaded by 75% of Peru’s deaf gaming community.

A Marketing Marvel

With over 8 million cell phone and computer players in Peru and over 2.69 Billion gamers worldwide, Pilsen Callao’s campaign engages and impacts a large market group of beer drinkers often underrepresented in the alcohol advertising space.

Like many other beer brands such as Heineken, Budweiser and Estrella, the company’s “Friendship without Differences’ campaign relates its beer to social activities, reminding us that having a cold one can bring people together in unique ways. Yet, unlike its competitors, Pilsen Callao highlights the inclusive nature of its brand image. It promotes that communities must celebrate their differences rather than be divided by them. In this way, the brand stands out from its competitors by marketing itself as a beer for everyone rather than focusing on a specific market group as many beer brands tend to do.

A Modern Representation of Social Spaces

While other alcohol brands focus on physical social spaces like bars, restaurants and clubs, Pilsen Callao targets the virtual social space of online gaming. This is an industry worth over 200 billion
dollars worldwide, making it more profitable than all social media and film industries. Despite this popularity, other beer brands rarely attempt to engage or impact gamers in the same way that
brands like Doritos, Monster Energy and Mountain Dew have done so successfully.

Pilsen Callao’s campaign, however, is clearly targeted toward gamers. It is clear that Pilsen has made a great attempt to gain traction within the gaming community with this campaign. Pilsen Callao’s campaign has provided a spectacular way for the company to connect with gamers.

By aiding the vulnerable members of gaming communities, Pilsen Callao promotes online inclusivity and champions the fundamental ethos of gaming – bringing people together to have fun.