Channel 4: Paralympics [2 min]

Credits & Description:

Alternative Title: We are the Super Humans
Agency: 4creative
Client: Channel 4
Editor: joe guest
Director: Dougal Wilson
Creative Director: Alice Tonge
Executive Creative Director: John Allison
Executive Creative Director: Chris Bovill
Producer: Ewen Brown
Agency Producer: Shananne Lane
Editing: Final Cut
Production Company: Blink Productions
Description
Channel 4 has a unique remit to champion diversity, innovation and new talent, the Paralympics is a public service bullseye for Channel 4. This campaign is the most important they have ever undertaken and isn't just about Rio, it's about revolutionising public attitudes to disability forever.
Relevancy:
We created Channel 4’s most accessible campaign ever for the coverage of the 2016 Rio Paralympics, smashing viewing targets and changing the nation’s attitudes to disability for the better. Using technological innovation, pushing media partnerships to their limit and a smart cross-platform video strategy, we got half of the UK population tuning into the Games. Our integrated campaign didn’t just appear inclusive, it was inclusive and within reach of everyone in the UK. Channel 4’s Paralympic approach is being studied in UK schools and the campaign was used by the UN as part of an international initiative for disabled people.
Strategy:
Our approach to the Paralympics saw our core values of innovation and diversity running through every facet of our offering – from marketing to editorial to brand partnerships. We wanted our campaign to be a positive, life-affirming celebration of the incredible ABILITY of disabled people in all walks of life. This allowed us to change perceptions, get people to want to watch and in turn had a huge impact on reputation for the channel. Inclusivity was at the heart of everything we did: 140 disabled people featured in the film, our media strategy was ‘the most accessible campaign ever’, and driving it all was Channel 4’s commitment to The Year of Disability- looking to improve representation of disabled people on and off screen. This agenda drove a number of initiatives, including production training schemes to further the careers of disabled talent in the TV industry.
Execution:
The centrepiece of the marketing campaign was a jaw-dropping 3-minute film featuring 140 disabled people which premiered simultaneously across broadcast and social channels. It trended within 10 minutes. We released the ‘Yes I can’ soundtrack as a single.Signed, subtitled and audio described versions of the film were created and distributed across platforms to create Channel 4’s most accessible advertising campaign ever. Audio-enabled posters and a revolutionary use of AI on Facebook for the partially sighted were a few of our accessible innovations.We also invited brands to appear in the most accessible ad break ever. And launched a competition, giving away £1m of commercial airtime to encourage brands to feature disability in their ads.We worked with international broadcasters to make sure the film’s impact was felt beyond Britain with Australia’s Channel 7 even running the ad as part of their official promotion of the Games.
Outcome:
Ratings•Channel 4’s coverage was watched by 27.2m people – half of the UK viewing population.•Viewing share among 25–34s was up +5% vs London 2012•C4 was the most viewed channel across 11pm–1am Reputation•Half of those who recalled the launch campaign said that it gave them a better impression of the channel• ‘Yes I Can’ was also referenced by the US State Department and the UN•C4’s coverage has been included in the curriculum of UK schools for media studiesImpact•By the opening ceremony, two-thirds of the population recalled seeing one or more elements of our campaign•It was the most shared Olympic/Paralympic ad globally •49% said that it made them feel more positive towards disabled people•Three-quarters of Brits believe that the campaign has helped them feel more comfortable talking about and to those with disability.
Synopsis:
Channel 4 is a commercially funded but publically owned TV channel with a remit to champion diversity, inclusivity and inspire change in people’s lives. As part of Channel 4’s Diversity Charter, 2016 was declared their Year of Disability, with the Paralympics as its centrepiece. Rio 2016 offered the opportunity to make the Paralympics more than just a sporting event, allowing us to start a conversation about disability and to change public attitude. Rio 2016 was to be the second time Channel 4 had broadcast coverage of the Paralympic Games after their incredibly successful debut in 2012. But without the host nation advantage, a 4-hour time difference, and negative publicity in the build-up to the Games, the odds were stacked against us. We had three objectives:1. Ratings: get people to watch the Paralympics2. Reputation: drive positive perceptions of C4 3. Challenge perceptions of disability in the UK.
Campaign Description:
We were frustrated to discover that only a quarter of Brits were interested in the Paralympics vs over a third for the Olympics.Research commissioned by the charity Scope found that 67% of Brits feel uncomfortable talking to a disabled person. This discomfort is linked to familiarity; nearly half of the British public says they don’t know anyone who is disabled so they don’t know how to behave around them – and one fifth of 18–34-year-olds admit that they have actually avoided talking to a disabled person because they weren’t sure how to communicate with them.When people feel uncomfortable their instinct is to ignore. We could not afford for disability and, in turn, the Paralympics to be overlooked so we focused the purpose of our campaign around making Britain comfortable with disability, and turning it into a celebration of ability, in all walks of life.