May 22, 2024
©Katie Rainbow via Canva.com
Why Are Disabled People Being Shortchanged in Advertisement Representation?
A recent survey of more than 6,500 UK adults — including more than 2,300 who identified as disabled — found that 32% had not seen any disability represented in the media and advertising content they had seen, watched, or read during the last six months.
Less than a quarter (23%) of those with a disability in the survey from the Business Disability Forum agreed that images of disabled people used in content they had seen, watched, or read reflected their own experience of disability.
The research further suggested that advertisers overly rely on images of wheelchair and mobility scooter users, when less than one in 10 disabled people actually use wheelchairs in real life and disability covers “a broad range of conditions, many of which are less-visible.”
In a column for Forbes, Gus Alexiou, who regularly writes on DEI issues and has multiple sclerosis, explained that advertisers often either show someone in a wheelchair or don’t feature a disabled person at all in fear of reprisal should the representation be out of touch. Alexiou wrote, “In advertising imagery, when disability is shown, it needs to be apparent without being so overstated that brands and creatives are left open to accusations of exploitation, insensitivity or boorish ignorance.”
In a recent blog entry, Carmen de Castro, marketing manager at Purple Goat Agency, which focuses on inclusivity, said many brands “still struggle to portray individuals with disabilities accurately and may unintentionally perpetuate stereotypes. Also, there is a need for more diverse representation within the disability community itself, as different disabilities and experiences are often overlooked or underrepresented.”
Nielsen research from 2021 found that just 1% of primetime ads included representation of disability-related themes, visuals, or topics, and only 3% of ad spend in primetime “went to ads featuring disabled people or that were inclusive of disability themes in the creative.” Nearly half of the total dollars spent on disability-inclusive ads are also found to be focused on pharmaceuticals, healthcare treatments, and related devices.
The lack of coverage comes despite the CDC estimating that 27% of U.S. adults have some form of disability. Of those with disabilities, the most common condition was cognition, 12.8%; followed by mobility, 12.1%; independent living, or challenges doing errands alone, 7.2%; hearing, 6.1%; and vision, 4.8%.
Purple Goat’s advice on improving disability representation for brands includes:
- Partnering with disabled individuals to guarantee campaigns are genuinely inclusive
- Conducting specific market research involving disabled individuals
- Featuring models with different types of disabilities
- Employing more diverse and inclusive teams
- Ensuring content and campaigns are accessible
- Offering DEI training to all employees
Nielsen suggested, “When it comes to creative development, brands can cast more disabled people and develop more inclusive storylines, while being careful not to slip into ‘inspiration porn,’ which is often used to motivate non-disabled people at the expense of the disabled experience.”
In a recent column for Little Black Book, Hugh Boyle, founding partner of Doable, the first marketing agency founded and staffed by employees with disabilities, wrote that with the overall heightened focus on inclusivity, many ads including a disabled person are “‘about’ disability, not an ad that simply ‘includes’ disability.”
Ads highlighting challenges remain critical, he said, to reduce discrimination of and social prejudice against people with disabilities. However, Boyle, a leg amputee, wishes more focus was put on daily routines that can help “normalize” disability.
He wrote, “It troubles me that most often, whenever we show disability in advertising, we have to point it out. We ask our audiences to ‘look at this inspirational disabled athlete’ or ‘look at this brave little child,’ when take it from me, in real disabled life most days pass by without inspiration or bravery.”
BrainTrust
Lisa Goller
B2B Content Strategist
Cathy Hotka
Principal, Cathy Hotka & Associates
Georganne Bender
Principal, KIZER & BENDER Speaking
Recent Discussions
Discussion Questions
Why are disabled people or themes so rarely featured in advertising?
What advice would you have on including disabled people in marketing or advertising without coming off as disingenuous or exploitative?
What do you think of the challenges marketers face celebrating versus normalizing disability?
Poll
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I think it is important for advertising to be inclusive, but it is impossible for advertisers to represent every single class of person in any single piece of marketing. That’s the honest reality of it. Could there be better representation? Yes. Will there ever be perfect representation? No.
When it comes to the UK, retailers like M&S have done a lot of work to be more representative. They used children with Down’s Syndrome in an advert years ago, and they now use a diverse range of people in all advertising.
32% had not seen any disability represented in the media and advertising How would they know? Which is to say, aren’t we promoting the stereotype that all disabilites are visible…and that the world can neatly be divided into the disabled and…well, “everyone else”? Advertising highlights specific products, and as such inevitably emphasizes certain people more than others – it should take little insight to realize why a blind person is not shown driving a car – it’s not supposed to be some random sample. I find the premise here poorly supported…at best (and at worst, offensive).
I agree wtih representation and we are seeing it more and more in movies and TV as a normal part of life. But like representing plus size models, making it compelling and interesting is what is most important. I would think luxury brands could find a way to do this better than anyone else.
Target has done a great job of including disabled people in advertisements. That’s a feel-good move that makes all customers feel welcome.
I think the best representation of paying attention to the disabled customer is QVC. They introduced a Selma Blair line for women. Other designers have designed clothing, etc for the disabled and they now have a model who shows clothing, make up, etc. It brings awareness and confidence to customers that they are paying attention.
For inclusive marketing that offers sincerity and integrity, include disabled stakeholders as consultants throughout the entire process. Learning from these advocates can help marketers tell their stories in a way that resonates by understanding real-life experiences.
This is another one of those sensitive topics that one would think we could all discuss objectively, as “adults” (whatever those are). I agree with Neil that it’s impossible to properly represent everyone. Imagine a commercial with 1 person. How do you pick that person without upsetting 8 billion others?
However, the point that I found incredibly valuable is one that is easy to overlook (innocently easy). Those that are not disabled may allow their perceptions of those with disabilities to affect how a disabled person is represented on screen. After all, those without disabilities may truly, sincerely believe that they’re honoring a person with a disability by representing them as “heroic” (brave, inspirational). But to the person with the disability, it’s just a day in the life of. The lesson is extraordinary and simple – portray people as the beautiful people they are and let’s ask (don’t assume/project).
From the article: Hugh Boyle, a leg amputee, wishes more focus was put on daily routines that can help “normalize” disability and states in the article, “it troubles me that most often, whenever we show disability in advertising, we have to point it out. We ask our audiences to ‘look at this inspirational disabled athlete’ or ‘look at this brave little child,’ when take it from me, in real disabled life most days pass by without inspiration or bravery.”
Six weeks ago, I read a private study that indicated in 2023, more than 87% of American ads where couples or families were portrayed, featured actors of mixed races, or all black, or inclusion of LGBT. There were very few all-white couples or families. Maybe that matters to you, and maybe it doesn’t. Makes no difference to me, but apparently it matters to some.
Until now I did not realize that disabled people are yet another way, we divide ourselves in advertising. For products made for disabled people it goes without saying. But does it matter for a soft drink brand or bank?
There are so many ways that we divide each other that I think it’s best if advertisers simply choose actors that best convey their message, and not make demographics the top priority, unless demographics are truly relevant. Db
What do you expect? We live in a world where fashion designers still don’t want to dress women who wear anything larger than a size 2.
Yet QVC features models in all colors, shapes, and sizes, with and without disabilities, so we know it can be done. It’s up to the advertiser to make that happen. It’s a choice.
Remember the classic movie, “The Best Years of Our Lives”? The first sight of a double amputee (playing a character who was also a double amputee) shocked audiences in 1946, and images of the disabled are unfortunately out of many viewers’ comfort zones even today.
Cathy’s example of Target is a good one: They show shoppers in wheelchairs (and other marketers show consumers with artificial limbs) in a matter-of-fact way. That kind of approach is the best way to normalize and “mainstream” an underrepresented group with spending power like everyone else.
Asking about including disabled people or themes in advertising strikes me as impossible to answer. For the most part retailers don’t understand and therefore can’t/don’t accommodate disabled people in their stores. Try opening a bathroom door showing a wheelchair icon from a wheel chair. I accompany my daughter who is wheelchair bound. More often than not I have to open the door for her going into the bathroom because it’s simply too heavy. Think about it. She would have to reach from her sitting position to the door and push…how? And then I open the door to the stall. The stall may or may not be large enough to fit her wheelchair and the grab bars could be helpful or not within easy reach. That’s one visible issue. So other disabilities that may not have a visual context for identification…well I cannot imagine. I don’t believe you can “normalize” disabilities. They are there and we have to acknowledge them and deal with them, adjust as necessary, completely and openly. I voted for market research to better understand how people with all kinds of disabilities perceive the advertising that’s out there now and maybe learn what endears them to advertisers and what turns them off.
This is a provocative question. Why? Well-there are so many disabilities to speak to, so where, exactly do you start and stop? Showing someone in a wheelchair is an obvious example, but so many diseases are just “there”. How, for example do you make an ad that people with Cancer relate to? Dyslexia? Heart disease? Obesity-oh wait you cannot show that because your brand will be hammered for being fat phobic.
I am stuck between acknowledging that more representation is a good thing (it is) and asking the question “what problem are we solving here?”
Perhaps capital would be better spent on operationalizing the business to be thoughtful about selling goods and services to various categories (all categories?) of people with various disabilities. That would be a better place to start as opposed to figuring out an ad campaign catering to Muscular Dystrophy sufferers (and many others).
That is more authentic than an advertisement in my estimation.
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I think it is important for advertising to be inclusive, but it is impossible for advertisers to represent every single class of person in any single piece of marketing. That’s the honest reality of it. Could there be better representation? Yes. Will there ever be perfect representation? No.
When it comes to the UK, retailers like M&S have done a lot of work to be more representative. They used children with Down’s Syndrome in an advert years ago, and they now use a diverse range of people in all advertising.
32% had not seen any disability represented in the media and advertising How would they know? Which is to say, aren’t we promoting the stereotype that all disabilites are visible…and that the world can neatly be divided into the disabled and…well, “everyone else”? Advertising highlights specific products, and as such inevitably emphasizes certain people more than others – it should take little insight to realize why a blind person is not shown driving a car – it’s not supposed to be some random sample. I find the premise here poorly supported…at best (and at worst, offensive).
I agree wtih representation and we are seeing it more and more in movies and TV as a normal part of life. But like representing plus size models, making it compelling and interesting is what is most important. I would think luxury brands could find a way to do this better than anyone else.
Target has done a great job of including disabled people in advertisements. That’s a feel-good move that makes all customers feel welcome.
I think the best representation of paying attention to the disabled customer is QVC. They introduced a Selma Blair line for women. Other designers have designed clothing, etc for the disabled and they now have a model who shows clothing, make up, etc. It brings awareness and confidence to customers that they are paying attention.
For inclusive marketing that offers sincerity and integrity, include disabled stakeholders as consultants throughout the entire process. Learning from these advocates can help marketers tell their stories in a way that resonates by understanding real-life experiences.
This is another one of those sensitive topics that one would think we could all discuss objectively, as “adults” (whatever those are). I agree with Neil that it’s impossible to properly represent everyone. Imagine a commercial with 1 person. How do you pick that person without upsetting 8 billion others?
However, the point that I found incredibly valuable is one that is easy to overlook (innocently easy). Those that are not disabled may allow their perceptions of those with disabilities to affect how a disabled person is represented on screen. After all, those without disabilities may truly, sincerely believe that they’re honoring a person with a disability by representing them as “heroic” (brave, inspirational). But to the person with the disability, it’s just a day in the life of. The lesson is extraordinary and simple – portray people as the beautiful people they are and let’s ask (don’t assume/project).
From the article: Hugh Boyle, a leg amputee, wishes more focus was put on daily routines that can help “normalize” disability and states in the article, “it troubles me that most often, whenever we show disability in advertising, we have to point it out. We ask our audiences to ‘look at this inspirational disabled athlete’ or ‘look at this brave little child,’ when take it from me, in real disabled life most days pass by without inspiration or bravery.”
Six weeks ago, I read a private study that indicated in 2023, more than 87% of American ads where couples or families were portrayed, featured actors of mixed races, or all black, or inclusion of LGBT. There were very few all-white couples or families. Maybe that matters to you, and maybe it doesn’t. Makes no difference to me, but apparently it matters to some.
Until now I did not realize that disabled people are yet another way, we divide ourselves in advertising. For products made for disabled people it goes without saying. But does it matter for a soft drink brand or bank?
There are so many ways that we divide each other that I think it’s best if advertisers simply choose actors that best convey their message, and not make demographics the top priority, unless demographics are truly relevant. Db
What do you expect? We live in a world where fashion designers still don’t want to dress women who wear anything larger than a size 2.
Yet QVC features models in all colors, shapes, and sizes, with and without disabilities, so we know it can be done. It’s up to the advertiser to make that happen. It’s a choice.
Remember the classic movie, “The Best Years of Our Lives”? The first sight of a double amputee (playing a character who was also a double amputee) shocked audiences in 1946, and images of the disabled are unfortunately out of many viewers’ comfort zones even today.
Cathy’s example of Target is a good one: They show shoppers in wheelchairs (and other marketers show consumers with artificial limbs) in a matter-of-fact way. That kind of approach is the best way to normalize and “mainstream” an underrepresented group with spending power like everyone else.
Asking about including disabled people or themes in advertising strikes me as impossible to answer. For the most part retailers don’t understand and therefore can’t/don’t accommodate disabled people in their stores. Try opening a bathroom door showing a wheelchair icon from a wheel chair. I accompany my daughter who is wheelchair bound. More often than not I have to open the door for her going into the bathroom because it’s simply too heavy. Think about it. She would have to reach from her sitting position to the door and push…how? And then I open the door to the stall. The stall may or may not be large enough to fit her wheelchair and the grab bars could be helpful or not within easy reach. That’s one visible issue. So other disabilities that may not have a visual context for identification…well I cannot imagine. I don’t believe you can “normalize” disabilities. They are there and we have to acknowledge them and deal with them, adjust as necessary, completely and openly. I voted for market research to better understand how people with all kinds of disabilities perceive the advertising that’s out there now and maybe learn what endears them to advertisers and what turns them off.
This is a provocative question. Why? Well-there are so many disabilities to speak to, so where, exactly do you start and stop? Showing someone in a wheelchair is an obvious example, but so many diseases are just “there”. How, for example do you make an ad that people with Cancer relate to? Dyslexia? Heart disease? Obesity-oh wait you cannot show that because your brand will be hammered for being fat phobic.
I am stuck between acknowledging that more representation is a good thing (it is) and asking the question “what problem are we solving here?”
Perhaps capital would be better spent on operationalizing the business to be thoughtful about selling goods and services to various categories (all categories?) of people with various disabilities. That would be a better place to start as opposed to figuring out an ad campaign catering to Muscular Dystrophy sufferers (and many others).
That is more authentic than an advertisement in my estimation.