Prioritizing accessibility in marketing

One of Apple’s latest ads shows how its tech can make a whole host of things easier: parenting, waking up in the morning, navigating somewhere, and so on.

What makes the ad notable is the fact that it almost entirely features people with disabilities, a group that’s underrepresented in media and advertising. According to a 2021 Nielsen study that analyzed 450,000 prime-time TV ads, only 1% showed someone with a disability even though more than 60 million adults in America live with one, per the CDC.

Over the past few years, certain brands have taken steps to incorporate disability representation and accessibility into their marketing efforts, both on and off screen. For example:

• Slick Chicks, a brand that sells adaptive clothing, debuted a campaign this week starring Jamey Perry, a TV writer, actor, and adaptive athlete.
• Diageo announced the creation of an inclusive design training program specifically for marketers last fall designed to help them “remove unconscious bias from the design process and ensure promotions are accessible for all.”
• Tide created a version of its 2021 Super Bowl ad that featured audio descriptions.

Of course, there’s still a long way to go: Last year, the nonprofit RespectAbilities, which fights stigmas and creates opportunities for people with disabilities, pointed out that Super Bowl ads were “still lacking in disability representation overall.” And the prototype for Degree’s inclusive deodorant, introduced in 2021, was scrapped after “further testing found that users wanted customizable solutions for their particular mobility and dexterity needs,” according to the Wall Street Journal.

Looking ahead: According to Josh Loebner, global head of inclusive design at Wunderman Thompson, the marketing industry should prioritize accessibility “through policy change, advocacy, workforce recruitment, [and] ongoing and end-to-end commitments” throughout 2023.

“We’re moving beyond one-dimensional representation on screen to multifaceted and deeper end-to-end inclusion through service and customer design that builds layers of accessibility,” he told us, pointing to Mastercard’s Touch Card and campaign. “Accessibility needs to be integrated across omnichannel and offline communications from the top of the marketing funnel through conversions and loyalty.”

Additionally, Loebner said that marketers should:

• Prioritize leaders focused on accessibility, “whether via consultants or internal leadership.”
• Be accountable; for instance, he said that “brands are weaving accessibility into campaign KPIs where disability inclusion moves beyond altruism and more toward proven ROI.”
• Take conversations “beyond compliance and toward creativity” so that accessibility is “not just a minor task on a checklist for an IT department.”

He also said “government bodies, major industry associations, agencies, advertisers, media outlets, and digital brands need to establish and enforce accessibility policies that move us toward better experiences for all.” For example, he noted that the IAB “needs to prioritize accessibility as a parameter among the organization’s mandates” and that “broadcasters need to prioritize accessibility policies to expand beyond long-form programming into the ad breaks.”