1. What points are raised in this article about portrayals of disability in advertising?
The UK-based publishing company, Campaign, featured an article published in 2016 that raised numerous concerns regarding the portrayal of disability in advertising. The article also highlighted the power that media, marketing and advertising industries truly wield power with regards to breaking down the social stigmas revolving around disability.
The article emphasized the flaws of the current representation of those with disabilities. For the most part, it is the lack of representation itself. The lack of representation of disability in media pedals the notion that their lives are substandard which further ostracises them within society. This could be due to producers failing to realise the importance of illustrating disability in advertising or perhaps a misconception that by having a disabled person in the ad, it will be less likely to sell. This claim was substantiated with the figures that 12.9 million disabled people were being omitted, constituting a large market that remains untapped. Not only is it a missed opportunity to appeal to a greater market, but it also fails to reflect the society holistically, perpetuating the taboo regarding disability.
As the article suggests, dissatisfaction has been expressed even with the few exceptions that do feature disabled people. The article raises the issue of existing ads being laced with patronising cliches that provide an unjust generalisation. Many of the existing ads that include disabled people mostly revolved around them overcoming adversity. This was received poorly as it instigated a generalisation of disabled individuals and their experiences, limiting people’s perceptions to a one-dimensional take.
Advertising companies forget the power they wield that have the potential to invoke influence on people’s perceptions and unconscious opinions. They have the power to depict disabled people in an ordinary manner, partaking in day-to-day activities. Through representation that is of both high frequency and quality, the social stigma around disability will be broken and advancements can be made in seeing those with disabilities as individuals without the label.
2. Review the adverts you have seen; how do they compare to the points of view raised in the article?
In the previous week, we analysed recently produced ads, all of which alongside promoting their product, featured a person with a disability. The ad that my group looked into was one that was produced by Apple, published in 2016 titled “Dillan’s Story”. The short film starred 16-year old Dillan, a non-verbal autistic teen, who used the help of technology to articulate his thoughts. The product essentially allowed him to confront the wrongful assumption that people may make – just because he is not able to speak, does not mean that he does not have anything to say.
In comparison to the article mentioned above, “Dillan’s Story” exemplifies several points raised in the Campaign article. “Dillan’s Story” was fittingly an example which substantiated the claim that many existing ads featuring disabled persons fall into the trap of the ‘overcoming adversity cliche’. The ad promotes a narrative where it begins with scenes of Dillan struggling to communicate, only to have him emerge amongst his peers in victory to address the graduating class towards the end. Even though it is agreeable that the ad evoked true pathos and a sense of empowerment, it is nevertheless an example of how people with disabilities might face the issue that they are only represented in ads that are specific to disabled people. This suggests that there is perhaps a lack of representation of people with disabilities depicted within their regular, every-day endeavours. By incorporating the act of featuring disabled people in ads that are not intentionally focused on their disability, it could possibly allow for a more seamless assimilation into society.
Finally, the article argues that there is a grave deficit in representation for people with disabilities. However, I believe that “Dillan’s Story” and the other 5 ads introduced to us in class, are a testimony of how advertising companies are taking unmistakable, progressive steps towards a more inclusive society. There has been a greater frequency of multidimensional representation which gives the general public an opportunity to normalise the current taboo at their own pace.
