Here Bonnie Dodemaide, digital performance lead at iProspect, argues that advertising can and should make a difference on diversity in Australian society and that we all have a role to play in the industry.
Sunita Gloster AM opened Cannes in Cairns saying, “Find the inspiration from today and change one thing.” It is a commanding thought when we keep in mind that the power of advertising lies in its ability to create real change, and of course, along with that comes a huge responsibility to create positive change.
This mantra has stayed with me in the weeks following the conference and with inclusivity and improving visibility of Australians with a disability being a key challenge for Australia’s advertising sector, and also a key theme of the conference, the focus for the industry is clear.
As an industry we are driven by a performance mindset, utilising data in everything we do. The Valuable 500 working together to end disability exclusion surveyed over one thousand people with a disability across fifteen countries, including Australia. They found one in five people in the world have a disability yet less than seven per cent of main characters in content that we create have a disability. Most importantly, 90 per cent of people with a disability think that they are not reflected in content.
Looking beyond disability, only six per cent of ads show people older than 65, just one per cent of ads overtly show members of the LGBTIQ+ community and only 25 per cent of ads show people with diverse skin colour or different ethnicities.
Inclusion means finding a solution and not just ticking a box. Paul Nunnari, Paralympian and ambassador of Inclusively Made suggests a valuable step is for the media to normalise people with a disability. His vision is for the individual’s identity to be recognised before their disability.
Tracey Corbin-Matchett, CEO of Bus Stop Films, highlighted the underrepresentation of professionals with disabilities behind the camera. She stressed that a supportive network can boost the confidence of actors with disabilities, enhancing their on-screen performance. She referred to an example of Bonds taking part in the Shift 20 Initiative, where it recast its Total Package ad with Nathan Borg, representing the deaf and hard-of-hearing community. This commitment not only attracted a new audience but also positively impacted the careers of the actors and crew involved.
Michael Aptye, the CMO of Blind Dogs NSW, emphasised the importance of adding audio descriptions to video content. He pointed out that these descriptions greatly enhance the experience for individuals with low vision by providing the necessary context. By making this simple adjustment to the content, the reach of your message can be significantly expanded, making it more accessible to everyone.
According to research from Getty Images and Verizon Media published in 2019, the public at large is more positive towards brands that include people with disabilities in their advertising. For brands looking to improve representation of people with disabilities in their advertising and marketing, the effort must be holistic. Kmart includes people with disabilities in its advertising as well as its products with an inclusive doll range representing intellectual and physical disabilities.
While there is a good outcome for Australians if the advertising industry can better represent all Australians, including those with a disability, there is also an economic argument. The global disability community has an estimated $13 trillion annual spending power. The business case and opportunity are substantial. While it may not be a common topic of discussion, it’s important to emphasise the crucial aspect of analysing the value of each audience segment that our brands target with their advertising. This analysis is, after all, a fundamental part of what advertising agencies do!
The message to our industry was clear: improve inclusivity within advertising and better represent the Australian community or fall behind. If we are focused on changing one thing, how can we as agency partners influence our clients and their creative partners to make more inclusive choices?
- Encourage marketers and clients to engage with individuals who have lived experiences to make advertising and marketing more inclusive and representative. Partnering with organisations like Disability Australia, Diversity Council Australia, Inclusively Made, Bus Stop Films or Cox Inall Ridgeway is a strong starting point.
- Brands must consider building accessible websites. This includes providing alternative text for images, enabling screen reader compatibility for visually impaired users, and ensuring keyboard navigation. Cultural inclusivity, such as easy access to website translation, is also crucial. dentsu’s Merkle is actively collaborating with government organisations to implement these practices, ensuring community-wide access to vital information.
- Casting for inclusivity and diversity to be part of the creative ideation and process. Taking inspiration from Dentsu Creative’s client nib which released a new Brand Platform in August 2023, that was then re-shot for the Shift 20 Initiative in September 2023 via Agency Partners – Special Australia, The Glue Society and Revolver.
- Revive media for good, investing in forward-thinking publishers for the benefit of society, community, and our clients. This can involve collaborating with publishers to ensure creative specifications include audio descriptions and captions as well as influencing content creation for campaigns. For instance, a Carat client worked with a publisher to enhance accessibility of co-produced content, lifting it to AAA standards, exceeding the AA level typically accepted by Disability Australia.
At iProspect, our core values drive us to be a force for good, with our entire team united in their commitment to leverage our industry’s influence for meaningful societal impact. This is reflected in our partnership with Mood Tea and UnLtd. These organisations support disadvantaged youth and provide the vital tools and skills they need to manage their own mental health. Promoting social impact involves fostering inclusivity through advocacy within our industry.
Of course, change doesn’t happen overnight, but advertising has the true power to drive positive outcomes for our broader community. It takes a brave partnership backed by research and data to deliver this and we invite clients to join the conversation to make inclusion the norm in our industry. Let us find the inspiration and change one thing.
