Marianne Waite, Director of Inclusive Design at Interbrand, argues that disability inclusion is not about doing the right thing, but about understanding human truths
Never has activism been so much a part of brand endeavour. From posting a black square to sharing a rainbow-coloured logo, from charity partnerships to executives discussing diversity, equity and inclusion, wherever we look, brand activism is hard to escape. And by some accounts, the push towards activism – thanks to consumers – has led to a number of changes. But true activism needs to be more than just a moment in time or jumping on a bandwagon to avoid losing customers. This is particularly true when it comes to inclusion and disability.
The 2016 Maltesers campaign is still heralded as one of the most successful examples of disability representation in the UK – and it was. But how many standout examples of disability representation within advertising have we seen since?
Imagine if the last time you saw an authentic representation of a woman in TV advertising was five years ago. There would have (rightly) been uproar long before now. But meeting the expectations of disabled people should be no more an act of activism than considering the needs of female consumers.
And if we continue to think of inclusion as the latest activist ‘trend’, then yes, we may get a great, inclusive ad, but will we be waiting five years for the next one?
In contrast, treating inclusion as not only a business need, but a priority, provides the necessary shift in perspective to completely overhaul our approach to disabled consumers and disability more generally.
Disappointingly for brands, getting this right may mean fewer PR stories or awards for conceptual work and more hard work, difficult conversations and fights for resource and long-term action.
But businesses that focus on the latter will meet the expectations of disabled and older consumers in a way that truly drives impact and growth.
While this is a task that may seem less sexy than other inclusive moves, it’s paying dividends in terms of driving distinctiveness and promoting equity.
According to the World Health Organisation, over one billion people around the world are estimated to be living with some form of disability. In 2021 it shouldn’t be newsworthy to see disabled people as valuable consumers, but sadly, too many brands think this is the case. To achieve real lasting change, disability needs to be liberated from the world of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion or Corporate Social Responsibility (where activism so neatly places it) so that it is considered as part of businesses’ mainstream processes and strategies.
It is not about doing the right thing, but about understanding human truths. It’s crucial to focus on how we address disability in all aspects of business, including customer experience. As a bare minimum, this means ensuring the inclusion of consistent participation throughout the entirety of any process – corporate disability inclusion should not be about charity, it should be about parity. But, despite 73% of consumers being directly and indirectly affected by disability during their lifetime, over three quarters consider their customer experiences to be a failure.
Disability and work: Let’s stop wasting talent | Hannah Barham-Brown | TEDxExeter
The lack of disabled talent and insight is the reason why so many channels, campaigns, products and experiences fail to meet the expectations of this market. In order to make this shift, business needs to take the lead from disabled and older consumers to understand what needs to change.
Such a focus will enable truly enhancing experiences: from e-commerce to physical access and product development to cultural engagement. We need more disability-led research, data, campaigning, and channel strategies. This is by no means an exceptional suggestion. While much success has been built on the back of activism, there is a limit to driving change without considering alternative voices and perspectives. Much like responding to issues around gender, race or sexuality, sympathetic corporate saviourism isn’t the key to true inclusion. Instead, we need disabled people influencing, controlling and driving change throughout business systems.
Activism can be a powerful tool for driving change – particularly when it comes from, or in response to, consumers. But brands should look to embed inclusive practices into everything they do. Meeting, and exceeding, the expectation of this underserved audience is simply good business.
In the United Kingdom, 75% of FTSE 100 companies are missing out on more than $147 million in revenue by not meeting basic levels of web accessibility. The reality is there is no such thing as ‘normal’, non-disabled people are only ever temporarily non-disabled. This means that we will all experience some form of disability at some point in our lives. This could be through chronic illness or health challenges, temporary disabilities like poor mental health, a short-term injury, or a situational disability, such as a pandemic. In this respect, the exclusion we’ve all experienced through lockdown restrictions has caused situational disability to increase. These widespread limitations have offered brands the chance to reassess all aspects of their business as they address the changes taking place among their customers. Inclusion can – and should – be a continuous and growing business priority, not just a feel-good moment in time.
