Brief:

• Colgate, the leading toothpaste brand with 43.5% market share globally, partnered with mobile application developer Magnusmode to create a set of how-to cards to help people with cognitive special needs, such as autism, perform daily skills like dental care. The MagnusCards mobile app helps caregivers to reinforce routines with step-by-step instructions in digital card “decks,” per a statement.

• Colgate’s digital cards, which were developed with oral health experts at the company, are grouped into five decks that cover brushing, brushing with braces, rinsing, flossing and visiting the dental office. The cards combine social stories with elements of game design as teaching tools.

• The MagnusCards app was developed by Nadia Hamilton, president and founder of Toronto-based Magnusmode. She was inspired by her autistic brother Troy to create a method of teaching essential life skills. The MagnusCards app can be downloaded for free at Apple’s App Store or Google Play. Users can also sign up online at www.magnuscards.com.

Insight:

Brands have long looked for ways to support social causes as part of their marketing programs and the tie-in with Magnusmode is an example of how mobile technology is opening up new opportunities in cause marketing. The partnership also underscores key trends in mobile development, such as organizing content in cards for easy use and integrating game elements. 

Magnusmode’s partnership with Colgate is the latest way that the tech startup is using mobile technology to help people with cognitive special needs to lead more independent lives. The company has worked with other organizations to develop mobile card decks that provide step-by-step instructions for daily routines or special occasions.

Last year, Magnusmode worked with the Royal Ontario Museum and Easter Seals Canada to develop a digital museum guide for visitors with autism. The guide had a deck of cards to prepare the visitor for what to expect when entering the museum, and another deck that offered an educational scavenger hunt through a dinosaur exhibition, Betakit reported.

Apple’s App Store and Google Play both feature a wide variety of apps that are intended to help people with special needs, including autism. Some apps help to train people with autism spectrum disorder to recognize social and emotional cues, manage daily routines, recognize bullying behavior and build social skills.