The Shift 20 Initiative has launched its 80 for 20 program, in partnership with PHD and Special, to accelerate disability representation in advertising.
The partnership creates a large-scale incentive for brands that cast inclusively of disability, including from Shift 20’s world-first open-source TikTok casting platform ‘Shift 20 Casting Call’.
80 for 20 will see each media owner commit up to 20% added-value media to every advertiser with a paid campaign, including people with disability in their creative.
Eighty per cent of each media placement will support each brand’s creative, while 20% will showcase the brand’s involvement in shifting perceptions around disability through Shift 20.
Supported by Amazon, ARN, Foxtel, JCDecaux, News, Nova, oOh!, Paramount, QMS, SBS, SCA, SEN, Seven, TikTok, Val Morgan Cinema and VMO an amplification fund has been established for brands to draw down from in exchange for their commitment to disability representation.
The program will run for 12 months.
The incentive gives brands access to additional outdoor, radio, social, screens, print and digital media placements.
Data shows that casting inclusively can lead to 33% higher strong consideration, and Shift 20’s research with The Research Agency found that 48% of Australians are more likely to purchase from brands that include people with disability in their advertising.
Simon Lawson, managing director at PHD, said this partnership proves what’s possible when the industry comes together to support genuine, positive change.
“I want to acknowledge and thank all the media owners who’ve so generously committed their support,” he said.
“This is an excellent example of media owners and agencies working together to create a positive impact on society.
“Inclusive ads don’t just feel better, though, they perform better, driving over a 16% uplift in long-term sales according to Oxford University.”
Dylan Alcott, founder of the Dylan Alcott Foundation, said this is bigger than one campaign or one brand.
“This is about responding to a clear demand from the Australian public, with research showing that 2/3 of consumers feel more positively about a brand that includes people with disability,” he said.
“This incentive is not just about giving people with disability the opportunities they deserve on screen, but also about all of us as an industry working together to make a lasting impact and close the gap between what we see on screen and everyday Australians with disability.
“To see so many different parts of the media landscape coming together for this is bloody incredible.”
Peter Cvetkovski and Adam Ferrie, creative directors at Special, said they’re seeing ads that are inclusive of disability generate massive positive engagement.
“80 for 20 isn’t just about offering free media, it’s about amplifying creativity that genuinely cuts through for those who should be able to see themselves represented in everyday advertising – but we know also builds brand affinity, and starts conversations,” they said.
This launch marks the next significant step for the Shift 20 Initiative, founded by the Dylan Alcott Foundation, which began in 2023.
The first phase, the ‘Unignorable Ad Break’, successfully placed the issue on the industry’s agenda by partnering with major brands to swap hero talent.
80 for 20 now provides a powerful incentive to ensure it is adopted at scale.
Credits:
Client: Dylan Alcott Foundation
Founder: Dylan Alcott AO
General Manager: Georgie Saggers
General Manager: Charlie Rothery
Shift 20 Initiative Lead: Priya Addams Williams
Shift 20 Partners:
Anytime Fitness
ANZ
McDonald’s
Nib
Uber
THE ICONIC
Amazon
TikTok
Tourism Australia
Tennis Australia
Kayo
Creative and PR Agency: Special Australia
Partner/CEO: Lindsey Evans
Partners/CCO: Julian Schreiber & Tom Martin
Partner/CSO: Bec Stambanis
Executive Creative Director: Ryan Fitzgerald
Creative Director/Creative: Adam Ferrie
Creative Director/Creative: Peter Cvetkovski
Team Lead: James Llewelyn-Davies
Senior Strategist: Heather Morrison
Senior Business Manager: Stephanie Cheung
Managing Director PR: Alex Bryant
Creative Strategy Director – Earned: Kate Wilkinson
PR Account Manager : Helena Hampshire
Head of National Production: Tash Johnson
Head of Film & Content Production (Melb): Sophie Simmons
Head of Stills Production: Nick Lilley
Senior Producer: Katherine Muir
Production Manager: Ada Tuna
Design Director: Dan Jones
Creative Services Manager: Leigh Cuda
Production: Film and Stills Production
Jay Hynes Photography
Director/DoP/Photographer: Jay Hynes
Assistant: Madison Daffy
Hair & Make Up artist: Julia Green
First AC: Jesse Minter
Gaffer: Chrispy Dewhurst
Sound: Juan Martinez Bo
Retouching: Dario Bulfone CDCO Studio
Talent: Shift 20 Casting Call
Talent – Jack O’Connell
Talent – Celine Ramos
Talent – Riley Prowd
Consultants: Get Skilled Access
Co-CEOs: Zack Alcott & Nicole Vongdara
Disability Consultants – Bridie McKim & Joel Emmett
Access Coordinator – Amy Marks
Media Agency: PHD Australia
Managing Director: Simon Lawson
Ryan Ambrose, Head of Media Partnerships
Gem Ocean, Strategy Director
Research and Insights: The Research Agency, Melbourne