Andrew Westrop’s Post

🌟Sunday brings the Paralympics to a close🌟 Channel 4’s partnership with YouTube meant over 1,300 hours of live International Paralympic Committee sport were free to watch – and it’s paid off! 📺💥 In the first week alone, Channel 4's coverage reached 17.4 million viewers across linear and streaming platforms – a 4% increase from the same stage of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. 📊 What set this year apart was Channel 4’s bold marketing approach. They moved away from direct selling and focused on broader social themes, challenging perceptions of disability. ♿️💡Gone is the "superhuman" narrative – what Lynsey Atkin, head of 4creative, called “well-meaning bullshit.” 🙅♀️ The previous campaigns were criticised for portraying athletes like a Victorian ‘freak show’, reinforcing outdated stereotypes that disability is something to "overcome." This year, 4Creative and disability-focused agency Purple Goat Agency encouraged viewers to reflect on their own biases. 💭 A powerful moment in the advert shows a woman watching Paralympic sport saying, “She’s doing so well, considering,” only for her friend to reply, “Considering what?” 🤔 The campaign celebrates athletes' prowess, not their disabilities. Atkin stated that the advert turns the lens on the audience, pushing us to challenge sporting stereotypes and societal perceptions. 🔄 “What that word ‘overcoming’ does is perpetuate the idea that disability is a problem… it feels patronising but also ableist.” This is a fantastic case study on how purposeful messaging can creatively attract attention to a brand while aligning with an important cause. 🎯 It's not just what you say – it’s how you say it. 👏 #Paralympics2024 #DisabilityInclusion #BrandStrategy https://lnkd.in/ehXBXcwk

The Paris 2024 Olympics are here, but following just a few weeks after are the Paralympic Games. Forbes writer, Andrew Pulrang, recently wrote about how there are three key lessons people can take from the Paralympic Games. These lessons include avoiding an overdose of 'inspiration,' recognizing the specificity of the best Paralympic sports lessons and appreciating the enjoyment of watching Paralympic sports. Learn more about each of these and how you can appreciate the Paralympic Games: https://ow.ly/R11W50Sw31l #WeaverIndustries #ParalympicGames #DisabilityAwareness

I’ve just seen the Channel 4 advert for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. I’m conflicted. The rules of gravity, time and force, apply to everyone – disabled or not. Equally. And I agree, comments like, ‘doing great, considering’ and ‘incredible for someone like that’ in reference to the achievements of people with disabilities is demeaning, degrading and frankly, outdated. Certainly, the idea of disabled people being ‘superhuman’ isn’t great either (c. Channel 4’s slogan for the London Paralympics 2012 and Rio 2016, although the 2012 advert remains my favourite!) We’re just humans, like everyone else. The simple fact is that people with disabilities do encounter daily challenges that people without disabilities don’t. Access to housing, education, employment and justice by virtue of being disabled, we encounter unnecessary and easily avoidable challenges. The rules of physics apply equally, sure. But society - a different set of rules apply. #Paris2024ParalympicGames #OlympicGames2024

The Paralympic Games are a celebration of human achievement and diversity. Yet, as we enter the final week, it’s disappointed to see barriers to accessibility and inclusion persist. One significant issue is the lack of widespread television coverage. While the International Paralympic Committee offers a free #YouTube channel, many countries have restricted access due to exclusive broadcasting rights. This is a missed opportunity to promote inclusivity and showcase the incredible talents of Paralympic athletes. How can we truly embrace accessibility and inclusion if we can’t even watch the competitions? Let’s advocate for more equitable broadcasting practices and ensure that everyone has the chance to witness these inspiring events." #Paralympics #Accessibility #Inclusion #Sports #Equity https://lnkd.in/dAHYj6RW

They’re not playing games… 💪 🇫🇷 We've worked alongside our friends at adam&eveDDB & adam&eveNYC on a new campaign for the International Paralympic Committee, challenging harmful misconceptions about the Paralympic Games by drawing attention to all the impressive, edge-of-your-seat action that takes place at one of the most gruelling tournaments in the sporting calendar. Informed by insights which reveal that people too often perceive the Paralympics purely as a celebration of inclusivity, our 60" launch spot, titled 'The Paralympic Dream', cuts through condescending tropes to highlight how the Paralympic Games isn't just about giving people with disabilities a chance to 'try' sports. The campaign launched on the 20th May, to mark the 100-day countdown to the 2024 Paris Paralympics. Our team worked on all global adaptations of the campaign, delivering over 140 assets across 9 different markets for TV, online, and social. Read more about the campaign in ADWEEK 👉 https://lnkd.in/e-fBpB8c And have a watch below! 👀 #ContentCreation #BrandBuilding #CreativeIdeas #AdCampaigns #DigitalMarketing #AdCreative #BrandStorytelling #AdvertisingAgency #VideoProduction #MarketingExcellence #Paralympics #Paris

Goals

This great feature from SVG Europe highlights the progression being made during Paris 2024 by Channel 4 and Whisper, as we deliver the ‘most accessible Paralympics coverage ever'. The feature highlights: - That coverage is being produced from a state-of the-art new facility in Wales that’s been designed with accessibility front of mind - That Channel 4’s coverage of the Paralympics is extensive, with more than 1,300 hours of live sport airing for free across Channel 4, More4, Channel 4 Streaming and Channel 4 Sport’s YouTube - That a 200-strong team that's working on what is set to be the biggest ever sports production in Wales. - That the coverage includes the first signed coverage on live sport, a signed live Opening Ceremony and the first deaf presenter in Rose Ayling-Ellis. - Channel 4’s Everybody Moves initiative which encourages disabled people to take up a sport. Paralympics coverage is interrupted at least four times a day to highlight the initiative through an onscreen QR code that links directly to sports clubs in a viewer’s local area. - And that there are already plans in place for more productions to be produced from this state of the art, accessible Centre in Wales, this year and next. Read the full feature here! https://lnkd.in/e4Qng8FK #Paralympics #MakeItHappen #Accessibility #SportsProduction

If you want to know about paralympic games then you must read this blog. #paralympic2024 #games #olympic #swimming #games #football title - Paralympic Games: - Inspiring Athletic Excellence.

📌Paris 2024: Paralympic Games can catalyse access to #AssistiveTechnology🏅 📢Read ATscale CEO Pascal Bijleveld’s thoughts on increasing access to #AT as the Paris 2024 #ParalympicGames gets underway. 👉”We cannot forget that access to advanced assistive products used by athletes is still far from equal. A lack of access to assistive technology has been demonstrably linked to lower achievements, fewer medals, and reduced representation from athletes in low- and middle-income countries. ”   ➡️”However, we must acknowledge that access to advanced assistive products is not the only barrier to competition. In low- and middle-income countries, the provision of advanced #Wheelchairs or #Prostheses must go in tandem with the maintenance and improvements to training, funding, and national sports infrastructure.” With over 1.5 million tickets purchased for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, let’s use this opportunity to drive visibility of #AssistiveTechnology, all year round!📅 🌐Open The International Platform on Sport and Development link here 👉https://lnkd.in/dp_z6-rp #UnlockTheEveryday #Paralympics2024 #BeyondSports #Paris2024