n the outskirts of costa rica, a large majority of local women can be found in their homes cooking, baking, making clothing and cutting hair, mostly without any kind of monetary return. although the inhabitants of these residences don’t often bring in large incomes, the housewives admit there’s one expense they absolutely can’t live without: TV. the rural, central american landscape is populated by dish antennas that sit atop nearly every home, bringing local and international television signals to millions of people.

claro presents: signs of progress
video courtesy of ogilvy costa rica

latin american telecommunications brand claro is one of the most ubiquitous service providers. together with creative agency ogilvy & mather costa rica, claro chose to give up its most valuable outdoor advertising space — on dish antennas with its logo — and give back to the inhabitants who live beneath them. a team took to the streets rural central american areas and hand-painted their dish antennas, turning them into billboards for businesses based on their favorite household activity. colorful and illustrative compositions delineate signs for a hair salon, an egg vendor, flower shop and piñata craftsman, just to name a few.

the dish is painted as a lady with rollers in her hair, as the sign for a hair salon

‘by ceding their most valuable outdoors, the brand’s brave and generous behavior is empowering rural women to progress economically and socially’, says jesús revuelta, ogilvy & mather costa rica’s general creative director. the project ‘signs of progress’ has seen the creation of women’s startups, where locals can buy and sell products they make on a daily basis to other members of their community.

chile peppers on sale at a local home

the sign for a flower shop is painted with colorful petals

a shop selling juice features an illustration of a coconut character

a piñata craftswoman sells her products, which are advertised through this sign