Channel 4 has released a shortlist of seven finalists for its £1 million Diversity in Advertising Award, which aims to tackle the lack of authentic representation within the industry.
The public broadcaster’s award scheme also seeks to reward those advertisers making concrete steps towards the greater inclusion of disabled people in their content, and has this year announced a shortlist of seven, as opposed to the usual six, owing to the considerable strength of the entries.
At stake is £1 million-worth of commercial advertising airtime across the network’s wider portfolio, including Channel 4, its YouTube channel and its VOD service, All 4.
The shortlisted brands and agencies are as follows: M&S (ODD Mindshare); Limitless Travel (Hearts & Minds); LinkedIn (VCCP); Sure (AMV BBDO); Vanish (Havas London); Moonpig (Creature London) and George at Asda (Impero).
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The need for greater representation was made clearer following the release of new industry data which found that despite making up 22% of the UK population, only 4% of all adverts featured disabled people in any capacity.
“Congratulations to the shortlisted brands and agencies! Once again, competition was fierce with a fantastic range of entries which really showcased the best in British advertising creativity,” Channel 4’s Chief Revenue Officer Veriça Djurdjevic said.
“It was truly heartening to see the industry’s response to the brief, and I’m excited to see this year’s shortlist pitch for the big prize in a few weeks’ time.
She added: “I also hope that all entrants to the competition will consider putting the realistic portrayal of disabled people front and centre of their advertising campaigns in the future as there is everything to gain, creatively and commercially, by making advertising authentically representative of all UK consumers.”
