Disability Advocate Shares His Perspective on Degree’s 'Inclusive' Deodorant

Deodorant brand Degree is rolling out (heh) a product that’s sure to shake up the deodorant category.

What is it? “The world’s first inclusive deodorant for people with visual impairment and upper limb disabilities,” according to the Unilever-owned brand, which worked with ad agency Wunderman Thompson on the product. Degree Inclusive, still in beta, includes things like a hooked cap for one-handed usage, magnetic closures that make it easier to take the cap on and off, and a Braille label with instructions.

We asked Josh Loebner, blind disability advocate and director of strategy, diversity, equity, and inclusion at marketing agency Designsensory, to share his thoughts on the product.

“It shows that Unilever as a corporation, within their product design team [and] their advertising team, recognizes that the disability community isn’t a small niche,” he said. (For context, one in four US adults has some type of disability). “If brands don't commit to welcoming people with disabilities, they're not only missing out from a dollar standpoint—they're missing out from a brand loyalty standpoint.”

He also commended the company for creating Degree Inclusive with the disability community; the product stems from a project created by Wunderman Thompson’s global head of inclusive design, Christina Mallon, whose arms are paralyzed.

• Plus, Degree says it partnered with “occupational therapists, engineers, consultants, and people living with disabilities” to bring the prototype to life. And it’s asked 200 people with disabilities in the US to trial it + provide feedback.

From an innovation standpoint, Loebner said he’s impressed with the product’s design. “It can be said that accessible design is good design,” he noted, adding that people without disabilities might find the deodorant’s features useful, too. “Often, when consumer packaged goods innovate, they create opportunities that benefit everyone.”

Campaign: While Degree Inclusive hasn’t hit shelves yet, Unilever is wasting no time marketing it.

• Its campaign features two athletes with disabilities—a boxer and skater—working out and using the deodorant. Additional versions of each ad include subtitles and audio descriptors.
• “Their use of authentic people with disabilities shows that they weren't trying to create some type of polished representation,” Loebner said.

Zoom out: Aline Santos Farhat, EVP of global marketing and chief diversity and inclusion officer at Unilever, told Marketing Brew that Degree Inclusive is “not the first of Unilever’s efforts to support people with disabilities and advance inclusivity.” She pointed to the fact that the company is working towards its goal of having 5% of its workforce include people with disabilities by 2025. — MS