In an era where representation matters more than ever, the Australian advertising industry is taking a monumental step forward. Last night, during the Sunday Project national television show, a moment was created that will forever be etched in the annals of advertising history. Ten of Australia’s most renowned brands united for the ‘Unignorable Adbreak’, a campaign that aims to address the glaring disparity in disability representation in advertising. Marketing In Asia personally gathered insights from the brains behind this initiative, Peter Cvetkovski and Adam Ferrie, Creative Directors at Special.
Challenges in Altering Advertising for Disability Representation
Adam Ferrie highlighted that casting was the most significant challenge. “The goal was to represent a diverse range of disabilities while ensuring the talent remained authentic to the brand’s current spots.” Peter Cvetkovski shed light on the traditional barriers faced by people with disabilities in the casting realm. To overcome this, they had to think outside the box, reaching out to communities and partnering with organisations.
For Weet-Bix we discovered Eva, a young girl with Cerebral Palsy, through a news article about her achieving her dream of climbing Mt Kosciuszko and reached out to her and her family. As a result of being part of this campaign, Eva is now a brand ambassador and a Weet-Bix kid. Lara Nakhle, Singer Songwriter who is blind, came through AAMI’s connection with Vision Australia and Carols by Candlelight, where she performs regularly. Next time you hear the AAMI jingle on TV, you’ll hear Lara’s amazing voice singing the iconic brand mnemonic. For KIA we cast actual Wheelchair Basketball players through Basketball NSW. And for ANZ we included someone who is a pharmacist by trade, as well as a model and disability advocate, with no prior acting experience.
Peter
Dylan Alcott Foundation’s Role in Shift 20 Initiative
The Dylan Alcott Foundation’s mission is to empower young Australians with disabilities. Adam emphasized, “Mainstream media is a natural extension of this. But, as with all things, you need to see it, to believe it. And helping young Australians with disability see their potential is the Dylan Alcott Foundation’s main focus.” Peter added that seeing oneself represented on screen can significantly impact how people with disabilities perceive their potential. “A person that’s deaf might see the Bonds ad and think I can do that job. This opens career pathways in acting or production for people with disability.” The foundation has also provided brands with accessibility support through their disability inclusion consultancy, Get Skilled Access.
Measuring Success in Disability Representation
Peter stated that the Shift 20 Initiative aims to accurately represent the Australian population by 2028. Adam added that they intend to challenge brands on disability representation, showcasing the positive impact of inclusion on brand reputation and commercial outcomes.
Industry Response to Unignorable Adbreak
The campaign has received an overwhelmingly positive response, with many established brands expressing interest in joining the initiative, as shared Adam.
We’ve been overwhelmed by the number of established brands and agencies who have reached out since launch and expressed their interest in joining the initiative. We hope this is just the beginning and encourage more brands and agencies to get in touch through shift20.org.
Peter
Collaborative Process with Production Partners
Peter praised The Glue Society and Revolver for their invaluable partnership. Adam added, “The majority of the production re-shoots were led by Revolver, featuring both talent and crew with disability. There was also essential oversight from a variety of disability consultants and production partners such as Bus Stop Films to ensure the production environment was inclusive. This included consultancy on the casting process, production considerations for people with disability, disability riders, crew attachments and Auslan translators.”
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Future Plans for Lasting Change
Adam revealed ongoing discussions with industry bodies like the AANA and Advertising Council of Australia to provide continuous support and education. Peter emphasized the Shift 20 Initiative’s focus on accessibility, ensuring brands are equipped with tools and knowledge for effective communication.
Peter believes that increased representation on screens will help normalize disability within the community.
What we’ve seen already is a groundswell of support from the broader public as shown in their abundant heartfelt comments across social media.
Peter
One of the aims of the Shift 20 Initiative is to normalise people with disability on our screens. This is just the beginning, and we hope that with ongoing participation of brands it will help us achieve this goal.
Adam
