Two weeks ago, Special, The Glue Society and PHD, created a media road block on prime time TV show, The Sunday Project, to launch Shift 20 Initiative for the Dylan Alcott Foundation, that aims to increase disabled representation, inclusion and accessibility in advertising and media. Ten brands participated, recreating their TVCs to include disabled people.
The initiative has launched an Australian-first braille out-of-home campaign for people with low vision or blindness via Special and JCDecaux. The new push continues the initiative’s aim to help brands create marketing communications with diverse audiences in mind and encourages them to look for opportunities to make a shift.
Special worked with JCDecaux to develop the new production approach with the hope that more brands will follow suit, and look at ways to create more accessible communications. The out-of-home signs also aim to generate conversation around the issue of accessibility.
The braille inscriptions were written in collaboration with Vision Australia. They describe both the visual elements of the creative and the copy. To further enhance accessibility, the creative includes a QR code for the Shift 20 website for those who use text readers.
“As Australia’s largest personal insurer, we know how important it is to support diversity and inclusion and represent all Australians in our workforce and through our advertising campaigns,” stated Mim Haysom, Suncorp Group’s EGM brand & customer experience.
“Brands have been evolving the way they represent people in our community, but we can and need to do more to support all aspects of diversity and inclusion. Adapting how we deliver these campaigns to achieve greater accessibility is the next step and we’re very proud to be working with Special and JCDeceaux on this Australian-first initiative.”
Peter Cvetkovski, creative director at Special, added, “Accessible communication is not only essential for inclusion but also for building connections with your audience, especially given that almost 4.5 million Australians have some form of disability. Furthermore, it’s important to note that creating accessible advertising is not just about changing how we communicate, but seamlessly integrating accessibility into our everyday lives.”
Lama Perrin, group manager creative & digital solutions, JCDecaux, commented, “This collaboration between JCDecaux, the Dylan Alcott Foundation’s Shift 20 Initiative and Special highlights the path to inclusivity in Australian advertising with the launch of an Australian-first Out-of-Home braille campaign for AAMI. Together, we’re not just creating ads; we’re creating accessibility and changing the narrative.”
Special created units for both the Shift 20 initiative and AAMI rolling out across Melbourne and Sydney. The AAMI Out-of-Home unit introduces Lara Nakhle – singer-songwriter who is blind herself – as the new voice of the Lucky You’re With AAMI jingle. Lara also appears in the AAMI commercial, as the new AAMI woman.
The Out-of-Home campaign will be displayed in Melbourne and Sydney at various locations throughout September and October.
The braille boards are printed on a high-quality composite panel, that can withstand all types of weather conditions and resist warping in the sun. The braille is created using Relief Printing, a process that applies hundreds of layers of ink, adding small percentages at a time, gradually building up the raised braille dots, which is applied on top of the existing creative.
Credits
Agency: Special Australia
Partner & CEO: Lindsey Evans
Partners & CCOs: Julian Schreiber & Tom Martin
Partners & CSOs: Bec Stambanis & Dave Hartmann
Executive Creative Director: Ryan Fitzgerald
Creative Directors & Creatives: Adam Ferrie & Peter Cvetkovski
Copywriter: Shaun McFarlane
Art Director: Bella Plush
Managing Director, Melbourne: Sarah Raine
Managing Director, Special PR: Alex Bryant
Senior Business Director: Felicity Touzeau
Business Directors: Priya Addams Williams & Nick Darrigan
Creative Strategist: Kate Wilkinson
Lead Producer: Charlotte Wren
Head of Stills Production: Nick Lilley
Head of Design: Adam Shear
Finished Art: John Rivera
Comms Strategy Director: Georgia Thomas
Media Agency: PHD Australia
Managing Director: Simon Lawson
Business Director: Joey Graham
Account Executive: Ben Williams
SEO: James Hanley
Programmatic: Jethro Pacquing & Riana Adams
Omnicom Media Group
Chief Executive Officer: Peter Horgan
Media Partner: JCDecaux
Group Manager Creative & Digital Solutions, Lama Perrin
Account Manager, Kristian Muhllechner
Account Manager, Alec Howat
Talent: Lara Nakhle – AAMI
Printer – Grand Print Services
Special thanks to Ogilvy, DDB, Dentsu, Elastic Group, Innocean for their role and collaboration in the creation of some of the brand assets
Special, Glue Society & PHD: Australia’s biggest brands create the Unignorable Adbreak
Special CDs, Peter Cvetkovski & Adam Ferrie: What it took to create The Unignorable AdBreak
