4 Sales, the commercial arm of UK public broadcaster Channel 4, joined forces with the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) and several major brands, such as Airbnb, BT Broadband, Experian, P&G brands Gillette and Oral B, and Virgin Media, to create a multi-brand “AD Ad-Break takeover”. The goal of the initiative is to highlight the value of audio description (AD) in TV ads – an access service that provides a voice-over explanation of what appears on screen for blind and visually-impaired audiences.
During the 2021 Paralympic Games Opening Ceremony, as well as during live coverage and highlights of the games, two fully audio-described ad breaks, featuring the participating brands, were aired on broadcast TV. The Channel 4 sale houses transformed their normal 10-second TV ads by graphically distorting the videos to provide viewers at home with a visual experience that reflects what it is like for someone with various forms of sight loss to watch TV ads. The additional audio description, recorded by presenter and comedian Alex Brooker, allowed audiences to understand and engage with the ad breaks despite the visual distortion, demonstrating the importance of AD. The ad break began with a Channel 4 branded introduction to explain the context of the campaign and concluded with a message thanking the brands involved and directing audiences to the RNIB website for more information. All participating brands received an AD audio track for their original undistorted ad, enabling them to use it for their regular ad campaigns.
According to the RNIB, there are around 2 million people in the UK with sight loss who can benefit from AD. While many programmes can be accessed via AD, very few adverts are received by the sales house with AD assets ready to be delivered with the ad. Brands could be missing out on blind and partially-sighted consumers worth an estimated £16 billion annually (14.5€ billion). The campaign aims to not alone raise awareness of AD but also to encourage other brands to increase the number of ads they make available with AD. The sales house released a guide, in collaboration with various disability associations, aimed at inspiring clients and informing them about how AD can be easily included in their campaigns.
The campaign idea was devised by 4Sales’ creative arm, PL4Y, working with agency partners; Essence (Airbnb & BT), PHD (Experian), P&G One (Gillette & Oral B) and Manning Gottlieb OMD (Virgin Media). The campaign was produced by Sassy Films with support from UK-based accessible advertising specialist, Adtext.
Verica Djurdjevic, Chief Revenue Officer, Channel 4: “We understand that not every advert can be produced with AD but we also know that many more can, which is why we are thrilled to team up with the RNIB and our advertisers to help find ways to improve awareness for this extremely important service. It’s vital Channel 4 ad breaks are as inclusive as possible, and that blind and partially sighted people are able to enjoy the same TV experience as everyone else”.