Add CategoryBut how do you do that and how do it without compromising the brand’s values, aesthetics or worse – being called out and cancelled for being tokenistic?
Unfortunately it happens even though brands had nothing but the best of intentions by trying to include disability in their advertising. So I would like to help.
I’ve worked in some of Australia’s best advertising agencies for several years before acquiring multiple disabilities. Now I collaborate with brands, businesses and more to help them navigate the nuances of disability representation and include disability in their content well.
Here are my tips on how to include disability in your advertising – without getting cancelled.
1. Make inclusion natural
The first tell-tale sign of tokenistic efforts is when a brand wants to hero its efforts. They feature someone with a disability but they make that the centre point of the campaign; either promoting themselves (which is purely self-serving) or making their efforts all about the disability. Inclusion needs to be incidental and seamless in order for it to be authentic.
For example, if your ad features four friends enjoying a few drinks at a bar, why not include one friend that has a disability? The idea is to incorporate people with disabilities naturally, depicting them as part of our society just like people with blonde hair or people with brown eyes.
2. Do it consistently
The hallmark sign of diversity without inclusion is when a brand launches a single piece of content (or even a few) to shine the light on how inclusive they are. Their ad might talk about how they cater to people with disabilities, or, it might feature a disabled person all while emphasising their heroic efforts. The remaining 300 days of the year it’s business as usual, with zero representation. If you’re going to do diversity and real inclusion, make it consistent and not just a transparent, tokenistic and sporadic inclusion just to tick the diversity box.
Another place to see this is on a brand’s Instagram grid. Scroll back to the last time (if ever) disability was included and see how many days, months or years it is between the next inclusion of disability.
3. Make it work for your brand
Inclusion looks different from brand to brand and not all brands are suitable for every person with a disability. The key is to ask yourself, would a person with X disability use this in real life? Only you know how to make inclusion work for you. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to this.
4. Don’t do it reactively, be proactive instead
Don’t wait for another brand or business to be the first to include disability in their advertising or to include disabled people in their workforce. Similarly, don’t wait to be publicly shamed on social media for your lack of inclusivity. Be proactive and show leadership in your industry. These sorts of positive efforts are noticed and will quickly be shared and celebrated by people with and without disabilities.
5. How inclusive is your customer experience?
A surprising number of brands fall short when it comes to considering the customer experience their target market enjoys from them. Does your experience make it possible for people with disabilities to utilise your offerings? In your online store, consider how easily your website can be navigated by people with low vision or those using screen-reading software. In a bricks-and-mortar store, consider things like stairs to the entrance or a changeroom big enough for a wheelchair or someone with a carer.
6. Hire a disability consultant
Depending on the requirements of the script, investing in a disability consultant could be the best money you spend. We see certain things that, although quite obvious and sometimes offensive to members of the disability community, we wouldn’t expect you to pick up. That’s not a criticism. It’s just that we live our lives through a different lens.
Diversity and inclusion that is done authentically and consistently will give the brand slow but consistent benefits. For brands that would like guidance on how to do this, simply reach out to someone who has expertise in this area.