Wunderman Thompson’s Josh Loebner on ‘honoring accessibility and inclusive design’

Ad Age is marking Disability Pride Month 2023 with our Honoring Creative Excellence package, in which members of the disability community revisit some of their favorite creative projects. (Read the introduction here.) Today, Josh Loebner, the global head of inclusive design at Wunderman Thompson, writes about authentically engaging the disabled community—and taking a victory lap with colleagues and clients at Cannes. Earning one of the first Ph.D.s focused on advertising and disability was a humbling honor, especially as a person with a disability. As the student selected to speak at my commencement, it was empowering to reflect on achievements, and I was proud to share that I would start my role as global head of inclusive design at Wunderman Thompson in a matter of days after graduation. My one-year tenure leading the ad industry’s first Inclusive Experience Practice focused on meeting with clients representing brands—from automotive to technology and CPG to B2B—to determine how we could help them on their journey to create more inclusive work, products and services, accessible to all while authentically engaging the disabled community. I quickly became the most popular employee to Teams-bomb as my co-workers pulled me into internal meetings to “ask a quick question about accessibility for a project we’re working on.” The year of meetings culminated with a cascade of inspiring firsts at Cannes: Attending the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity for the first time. Representing the agency alongside our client Corten Singer, co-founder of Augmental, as shortlisted entrants for Innovation and Titanium Lions. And breathlessly waiting to hear the best news: Wunderman Thompson won the Innovation Lion Grand Prix! This was followed by celebratory camaraderie on the Palais stage among colleagues and clients who I can truly call friends. (Not too bad of an experience for a Cannes first-timer!) The Grand Prix recognized the significant creation from MIT Media Lab spinoff Augmental, an innovative hardware start-up focused on creating human-first experiences that enhance everyday interactions with digital devices and interfaces. The MouthPad allows people to control devices purely through the movement of their tongues. The hardware company’s first device aims to push the boundaries of hands-free computing, making technology more human. As a fully bespoke, smart intra-oral interface, customized to the user’s mouth with the ability to connect to several personal devices, this cutting-edge product is set to usher in a new frontier for hands-free technology for those who are often marginalized from society if they don’t have use of their hands. For those with paralysis, quadriplegia and other hand impediments, MouthPad is an inspiring change at the tip of the tongue. Wunderman Thompson Lima and Wunderman Thompson’s Inclusive Experience Practice provided world-class brand support and brand experience for Augmental’s MouthPad, including product name, slogan and brand concept of the product, packaging design, website, audiovisual content and social media assets. Too many adaptive products and disability-inclusion efforts lose momentum and ultimately fail not because the technology or other innovations weren’t viable, but because the advertising, marketing and branding fall short of authentically engaging disability communities. Honoring accessibility and inclusive design at the highest pinnacle of our industry, with so many taking notice, is a transcendent milestone that will serve as inspiration to continue to move us all further down the path of progress. Sign up for Ad Age newsletters From influencer marketing to agencies, get the latest news and analysis delivered to your inbox Click here

Wunderman Thompson’s Josh Loebner on ‘honoring accessibility and inclusive design’

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