Ad Accessibility Articles
Articles
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Creative judging and accessibility lessons from the Cannes Lions jury room
Read more about "Creative judging and accessibility lessons from the Cannes Lions jury room"In advertising, awards are one way we measure success, and serving as a juror at one of the major shows is a career achievement. As the first blind Cannes Lions juror, it was an honor to be a part of not only elevating creativity among awards but also to be a part of more accessibility and inclusion in the jury room.
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‘The Power of Words’: Why words still matter…
Read more about "‘The Power of Words’: Why words still matter…"We have loved collaborating with the7stars and Walr to explore the recent explosion in the use of subtitles across video, social and other media.
We set out to explore:
To what extent are subtitles being used across media platforms, by whom and most importantly what is fuelling this growth?
Why are consumers increasingly using subtitles for video, social and even audio- led formats?
What are the implications for brands that are starting to use subtitles on their creatives?
We spoke to a nationally representative sample (total UK population) of 2,000 individuals using the Voices4all sampling approach (of which the7stars is a founding partner). This was augmented by 3 ‘lab’ test / control studies, set up to delve into the impact of subtitles on commercial brand KPIs. -
World Unseen - Canon inspires accessible photography designed for all
Read more about "World Unseen - Canon inspires accessible photography designed for all"Canon believes that everyone should be able to experience photography. But what if you can’t see it? There are 2 million people living with sight loss in the UK. When it comes to experiencing photography, they’re left in the dark.
Through its proprietary PRISMAElevate XL software and Arizona printer series, Canon is able to make photography more accessible for blind and partially sighted people through braille and tactile printing.
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Accessible advertising: a journey unfolding
Read more about "Accessible advertising: a journey unfolding"Two years ago, P&G – quickly followed by other advertisers – voiced its ambition to champion advertising accessibility, to leverage its brands and partners, and create a superior consumer experience for everyone. This call for industry-wide collaboration led to the creation of the Advertising Accessibility Alliance.
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Making mainstream TV ads work for blind and partially sighted viewers
Read more about "Making mainstream TV ads work for blind and partially sighted viewers"In recent years, numerous articles and guidelines have been published on making audio-visual ads accessible across various platforms, including linear TV and online.
One of the core principles of inclusive design is to consider accessibility from the outset. In the case of ads, accessibility should be factored in from the storyboard stage. While audio description is a widely used tool, it requires carefully timed pauses between the voiceover and any critical sound effects, making early planning essential for content as short as 30-45 seconds.
Ads that are audio-led can still be made accessible by embedding key information (product, brand, offers) into the narration and sound design. This approach particularly benefits online platforms, most of which don’t support secondary audio tracks. Without built-in accessibility, viewers who rely on audio description are forced to search for separate versions, leading to a poor user experience.
Co-creation has also been widely discussed but still lacks implementation in many workflows. Including blind and partially sighted people in focus groups and audience testing provides valuable feedback and enhances the overall accessibility of ads.
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What Authentic Disability Representation looks like in Advertising
Read more about "What Authentic Disability Representation looks like in Advertising"Disability representation in advertising is a powerful tool. When done authentically, it resonates with audiences, increases brand loyalty and promotes inclusion. But achieving this delicate balance requires more than good intentions - it demands understanding, collaboration, and a commitment to accessibility.
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Case study: RNIB - Alt Alts (Mullenlowe)
Read more about "Case study: RNIB - Alt Alts (Mullenlowe)"Remember how you felt (and how you still feel) when you saw that photo of the Berlin Wall coming down? Or the excitement or fear you felt when you first saw that Jaws poster? You can’t remember any of that if you are blind or partially sighted. Unless someone has written an incredible image description. Which, in most cases, they haven’t.
Alt text is a written description of an image posted online. Blind and partially sighted people use screen readers to read that alt text. Yet appallingly, alt text is either really badly written or, in 95% of cases, not written at all.
We partnered with the RNIB and created a campaign using beautifully written descriptions of five iconic images, without showing the images themselves. Why? To show the devastating loss of experience blind and partially sighted people are forced to live with because the sighted don’t bother to write descriptions of the images we put out into the world. Society, and industries such as ours, are excluding blind and partially sighted people from experiencing those images. Which isn’t good enough.
Our outdoor campaign not only captured attention, but thousands of people captured the QR code which revealed information on what to do next time they upload an image.
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How we’re joining the effort to make advertising more accessible
Read more about "How we’re joining the effort to make advertising more accessible"Leila Mabourakh, senior engagement manager at Google, and Casey Hendricks, global marketing manager at Google, founded gAccessibility, a program focused on empowering Google’s media clients to make their ads more inclusive. They are also members of the World Federation of Advertisers’ Digital Accessibility Alliance. Here, they explore how their user research can help marketers make ads more accessible.
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Virgin Atlantic rolls out BSL campaign for International Week of Deaf People
Read more about "Virgin Atlantic rolls out BSL campaign for International Week of Deaf People"Virgin Atlantic has launched a new integrated campaign with creative communications agencies Lucky Generals and Tin Man, centred on how the airline is able to support deaf customers.
Created by Channel 4’s in-house creative time 4Creative, the hero 30-second spot shows one of the channel’s familiar BSL interpreters joined on-screen by one of Virgin Atlantic’s own BSL-trained crew.
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Shaping Tomorrow: Breaking down barriers for the deaf community
Read more about "Shaping Tomorrow: Breaking down barriers for the deaf community"Shaping Tomorrow is a new and unique deaf-led video podcast created with a 90% deaf production team, and it is launching today, 26th September at 7pm on YouTube! It was created by Hear Art, an award-winning Community Interest Company (CIC), co-founded in 2020 by Cindy Sasha and Rachel Shenton. To find out more about the podcast we asked Hear Art co-founder Cindy Sasha and Shaping Tomorrow director Sam Arnold to answer some questions for us…
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Inclusive Design Patterns For 2025 with Vitaly Friedman
Read more about "Inclusive Design Patterns For 2025 with Vitaly Friedman"Inclusive Design Patterns For 2025 with Vitaly Friedman
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Channel 4 urges brands to ‘fully embrace’ subtitles after missing Paralympics ad target
Read more about "Channel 4 urges brands to ‘fully embrace’ subtitles after missing Paralympics ad target"Channel 4 says it is still aiming to ensure all of its adverts are subtitled, after missing targets it set for this summer’s Paralympic Games in Paris.
Speaking to Campaign magazine the broadcaster’s head of sales Victoria Appleby said it managed to ensure 60% of adverts were subtitled but dud not achieve its target of subtitling every advert surrounding the Paralympic games.
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The Business Case for Inclusive Advertising
Read more about "The Business Case for Inclusive Advertising"This industry-first study proves inclusive advertising drives sales. The study was conducted with leading researchers from Saïd Business School at Oxford University, and leveraged proprietary data provided by Unstereotype Alliance members Bayer Consumer Healthcare, Diageo, the Geena Davis Institute, Kantar, Mars Incorporated, Mondelez International and Unilever.
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Bupa Challenges Perceptions with Immersive Experience to Highlight Partnership with ParalympicsGB
Read more about "Bupa Challenges Perceptions with Immersive Experience to Highlight Partnership with ParalympicsGB"The campaign launches with an accessibly immersive takeover of St. Pancras International’s Underground tunnel, featuring the Para athlete Emmanuel Oyinbo-Coker and Paralympic Champion Hannah Cockroft OBE
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AACC's Guide to Disability Inclusion
Read more about "AACC's Guide to Disability Inclusion"Disability can affect anyone, very early in life or as a result of illness or accident. It can have more or less significant consequences on the ability to work. Contextual and evolving, it only constitutes a disability in certain environments, under certain conditions, due in particular to the diversity of disabilities and their implications.
As part of a D&I policy within an agency, this subject should be approached through the prism of equal opportunities, inclusion, adaptation and recruitment. To begin, it is relevant to be aware of the different types of disabilities as well as the prejudices surrounding them, such as the incompatibility with performance.
Certain health conditions, whether recognized as disabilities or not, can still be debilitating and, if nothing is put in place, exclusionary for those affected. Establishing an active listening unit is a first step in order to consciously adapt the daily lives of these individuals.
