Touch: EQL Band
Touch, The Black Breast Cancer Alliance, sought to expose critical racial bias in smartwatch health data impacting people of color. They aimed to raise awareness among the public and compel tech manufacturers to address this inequity, advocating for truly inclusive health technology solutions.
Creative Idea
Invented a prototype smartwatch band to expose and solve racial bias in health data.
By inventing the EQL Band, a smartwatch prototype that accurately measures heart rates across all skin tones using sound technology, the campaign exposed critical health data bias in existing wearables and challenged the tech industry to create equitable health solutions for everyone.
Hearing the Heartbeat That Light Ignores
The Engineering of Acoustic Equity
While most wearables rely on photoplethysmography (PPG) - green light sensors that are physically absorbed by melanin - the EQL Band was engineered by Studio RX to bypass skin tone entirely. The prototype utilizes acoustic sensors to "hear" the pulse, proving that the technology for equitable data already exists. This shift from light to sound ensures 100% accuracy for the 6.8 billion people of color globally who currently face "green light bias."
A Warning for Clinical Integrity
The campaign’s urgency stems from a looming data crisis: by 2025, 50% of clinical trials are expected to rely on smartwatch data. Sommer Bazuro, PhD, Chief Medical Officer at IPG Health, warns that if the sensors are biased, the resulting medical databases will lead to flawed treatment decisions for non-white patients. This is particularly critical for Black Americans, who are already 30% more likely to die from heart disease than White Americans.
From Pro Bono to Industry Pressure
What began as a pro bono initiative for the #BlackDataMatters movement evolved into a direct challenge to tech giants like Apple, Google, and Samsung. Led by Ricki Fairley of TOUCH and Kathleen Nanda of FCB Health New York, the project moved beyond awareness into functional utility. The "EQL" name serves as a double entendre, referencing both Equal rights and the technical Equalization of health data. To further bridge the gap between medical science and the public, the team even hosted a Reddit AMA to explain the physics of skin-tone bias to the tech community.
Creative Strategy Deconstructed
Company
Touch, with FCB Health's expertise, could credibly advocate for health equity and innovate solutions for systemic biases in health technology.
Category
The health tech category often overlooks racial disparities in product design, leading to biased data and unequal health outcomes for diverse populations.
Customer
People of color felt frustrated and overlooked by health tech that failed to accurately serve their needs, impacting their health decisions and trust.
Culture
A growing cultural awareness of systemic racial bias in technology and healthcare created fertile ground for a campaign addressing health equity.
Company
Touch, with FCB Health's expertise, could credibly advocate for health equity and innovate solutions for systemic biases in health technology.
Category
The health tech category often overlooks racial disparities in product design, leading to biased data and unequal health outcomes for diverse populations.
Strategy:
Leverage product innovation to expose systemic bias and catalyze industry-wide change for equitable health outcomes.
Customer
People of color felt frustrated and overlooked by health tech that failed to accurately serve their needs, impacting their health decisions and trust.
Culture
A growing cultural awareness of systemic racial bias in technology and healthcare created fertile ground for a campaign addressing health equity.
Strategy:
Leverage product innovation to expose systemic bias and catalyze industry-wide change for equitable health outcomes.
Strategy Technique
Build an Utility, Not an Ad
The campaign developed the EQL Band prototype to serve as a tangible solution and proof-of-concept. This utility directly demonstrated how to overcome smartwatch health data bias, making the call to action concrete.
Explore Technique
Creative Technique
Invent a Complementary Product
The campaign developed the EQL Band prototype to serve as a tangible solution and proof-of-concept. This utility directly demonstrated how to overcome smartwatch health data bias, making the call to action concrete.
Explore Technique
Craft Breakdown
This campaign's craft is exceptional in its ability to blend compelling visual storytelling with clear, impactful information delivery, effectively highlighting a critical social issue and presenting an innovative solution.
The rapid-fire montage of news clips and social media content, combined with the precise timing of text overlays and sound effects, creates a powerful and urgent exposition of the problem.
The distinct visual shift from the somber, realistic portrayal of the problem to the sleek, metallic aesthetic of the solution, along with the consistent use of the unequal sign graphic, effectively communicates the campaign's message.
The use of a jarring glitch sound to mark the problem's revelation and the driving, rhythmic electronic music throughout effectively build tension and underscore the ad's serious tone.
The clear, bold, and well-animated on-screen text, especially the concentric circles revealing the call to action, ensures the core message is delivered with maximum impact and readability.
The campaign's magic comes from the seamless synergy between its urgent editing, impactful art direction, evocative sound design, and clear typography, which collectively amplify the emotional weight and call to action.
