People with disabilities appear in 1% of TV ads

While 26% of people in the U.S. have disabilities, only 1% of TV ads show them, according to new research by Nielsen. Nielsen bases its number of people with disabilities on Centers for Disease Control data, and its number for ads based on an analysis of more than 450,000 prime-time ads that ran on broadcast and cable in February. Subscribe to Ad Age now for the latest industry news and analysis. Marketing to people with disabilities has gotten newfound attention of late, with Unilever having won a Cannes Innovation Grand Prix for its development of deodorant for people with visual and upper-body impairments and Schick launching a social media campaign around its Intuition razor. And shops that include WPP’s Wunderman Thompson and Omnicom’s Interbrand have launched specialty units aimed at meeting the needs of people with disabilities. Nielsen also recently documented a major increase in entertainment programming showing people with disabilities over the years. But that hasn’t changed portrayals in advertising, Nielsen finds. Spending on ads including people with a disability or with disability-related themes totaled nearly $57 million in February, but nearly half of that came from the pharmaceuticals and health care industries. Health care and mortgage advertisers made up most of the rest. “While treatment and managing care are important aspects of living with a disability, it’s important that life with a disability is seen as more than just prescriptions,” Nielsen said in a blog post. “Advertisers have the opportunity to showcase people with disabilities in everyday life, engaging with the products and services brands offer.” “Many brands are embracing the need to engage and include people with disabilities,” says Christina Mallon, head of inclusive design and accessibility for Wunderman Thompson in the blog post. “But when they include people with disabilities in creative content, we need to be seen for who we are—beyond our disabilities—without ignoring the fact that we have one." High-quality journalism isn’t always free. Subscribe to Ad Age now for award-winning news and insight.

People with disabilities appear in 1% of TV ads

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