Why disability representation in Australian advertising matters
And the steps our industry is taking to increase it
Kurt Fearnley, three-time Paralympic gold medalist, threw down the gauntlet for the Australian advertising industry at the AANA’s recent Elevate event.
“We need everyone in the room right now to look around and say, ‘is disability in the room?’ And if not, why not? Our industry needs to work alongside people with disabilities. These are not superhumans or people to pity. They are just normal humans. We need to be challenged when it comes to disability. We cannot be comfortable around this topic because if we become comfortable, we’ll go backwards, and none of us can afford to do that.”
Four million, or almost twenty percent of Australians live with a disability. So why do we so rarely see people with disability in our advertising?
The challenge
While there are no official statistics on diversity in advertising in Australia, US figures from Nielsen show that people with disabilities only comprised 1 percent of people in ads.
When it comes to using people with a disability in their campaigns, there is undoubtedly a fear amongst advertisers of getting it wrong. No one wants to inadvertently cause offense or be accused of tokenism. It can be tempting to sidestep any potential backlash by avoiding using people with a disability in advertising altogether. But the failure to include disabled people in advertising amounts to a continuation of our society’s long-standing prejudices and stigma about people with disabilities.
The time is right for advertisers to challenge the status quo. Including people with disabilities in their campaigns is a golden opportunity for brands to take on an industry leadership role and a step towards a more inclusive society.
Steps in the right direction
There’s no doubt that as an industry, advertising can do more to represent the four million Australians living with a disability, and several industry bodies have recently taken steps in this direction.
In August 2021, the Media Federation of Australia (MFA) launched a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) Advisory Council with 13 media professionals from diverse backgrounds, including people with disabilities. The Council aims to foster a diverse, equitable and inclusive industry with projects including an education program to provide awareness training and showcase best practice D,E&I initiatives.
Meanwhile, the Advertising Council Australia (ACA) launched an industry-wide census on diversity and inclusion in December 2021 to facilitate positive and lasting change in how the industry looks, feels and behaves when it comes to these topics.
The Independent Media Agencies of Australia (IMAA) has turned the spotlight on diversity and inclusion in the indies with the launch of its Diversity Council in March. It was set up to provide education, agency engagement and increase employees’ sense of being valued and treated respectfully irrespective of age, cultural background, sexual orientation, gender or disability.
With internal representation and diversity just as important as external initiatives, such measures are crucial to demonstrating a brand’s authenticity and genuine commitment to diversity, equality, and inclusion to its customers and consumers. Customers want to see brands doing good across every touchpoint, from advertising to recruitment, including who your business is partnering with.
People with disability in Australian advertising
Several prominent Australian brands are showing that using people with disabilities in advertising doesn’t come at the cost of success but rather enhances it.
Department chains Kmart and Target have been using models with disabilities for several years now. People with a range of disabilities, including limb differences, Down syndrome and cerebral palsy, and models with hearing aids, orthoses, and wheelchairs, have featured in both stores’ advertising over the past five years. Kmart has gone a step further by releasing a range of diverse dolls and toys, including a boy doll called Charlie and a girl doll called Amelia with Down syndrome, and a range of Barbie-style figures with a wheelchair, crutches, a hearing aid, visual impairment and a prosthetic leg. By putting their money where their mouth is, so to speak, and backing up their advertising with consistent action, they are signaling to customers that inclusivity of disabled people is much more than just performative action.
Bupa, meanwhile, recently launched a new TVC featuring an amputee playing golf. Naomi Morton, Bupa’s General Manager Marketing, told the ABC that it’s important that Bupa’s advertising reflects the fact that people with disabilities use health insurance. “Co-creating with people with lived experience [of disability] is a core component of our design practice,” she said. “This is to ensure we avoid making assumptions about what people with disability need and want and produce authentic advertising material.” This helps Bupa avoid the risk of misrepresenting people with disabilities and their communities.
ANZ is another big brand with a record of championing diversity and inclusion. After winning the Cannes Lion Outdoor Grand Prix in 2014 with their GAYTMs campaign, a spin-off from their partnership with the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, in 2017, they welcomed champion tennis player and disability advocate Dylan Alcott on board as an ambassador. Interestingly, in 2016 the bank was sponsoring Novak Djokovic, but a year later, it had made the decision to bring Alcott on board. Alcott’s enduring relationship with the bank has been an unqualified success, with the Golden Slam Champion and Australian of the Year featuring in several memorable ANZ campaigns. As Alcott’s star has risen, ANZ’s association with him has only become more valuable, proving that inclusivity can translate into advertising gold.
Want more?
Hear Dylan Alcott’s story and about some of his advocacy work at RESET, the AANA’s game-changing conference celebrating big thinkers and innovative doers. As a firm believer in the idea that you have to buy a ticket to win the raffle, he’ll be talking about the art of taking risks to achieve your goals. Book your live or streaming tickets now.