Brazilian Agency Wins Radio Grand Prix for FM Broadcasts That Repel Mosquitos | Adweek

Ad agency Talent in São Paolo, Brazil, won the Grand Prix in the Radio Lions contest for something more deliciously devious than a straightforward radio ad campaign.

On behalf of Go Outside magazine, the agency dreamed up the unlikely idea of turning an ordinary FM radio broadcast into de facto mosquito repellent. It worked like this: From 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. every night for three weeks, the agency had a local radio station add a 15 kHz frequency sound to its normal music programming. That tone is all but inaudible to humans—but to mosquitos it sounds uncomfortably like a dragonfly, one of its natural enemies. Thus, the pests stayed well away from the radios, allowing Go Outside’s readers to, well, go outside.