Food styling, features and benefits and an amazing taste profile are all must haves in the consumer packaged goods category. But for brands to truly shine and create lasting connections with customers, the brand’s own employees, store owners and families everywhere, Honey Maid, among others, realizes that advertising can be powerful and go beyond category must haves to community hope. Continue reading
Tag Archives: advertising
How Advocacy, Apples and Advertising Created Something Wholesome
You may be wondering how making apple and cheddar melts in a Honey Maid commercial ties into greater inclusion of people with disabilities in media, but if you read on, you’ll know that it does. Recently I had the wonderful opportunity to interview Stephanie Woodward, J.D. disability rights lawyer and activist who is currently director of advocacy at The Center for Disability Rights on her role as advocate and about her involvement in the Honey Maid commercial. Continue reading
Disabilty Story Sharing Can Be A Part of Advertising Storytelling
Alice Wong recognizes the need for disability visibility in advertising and beyond. She is a strong presence in the disability community whether at the White House meeting with President Obama or on social media with her always visible, passionate and unique spin on topics. Not only is Alice a storyteller herself, but she is a conduit for people with disabilities and their own storytelling through the Disability Visibility Project. Continue reading
We Can Change Attitudes With Disability In Advertising
My industry gets alot of flack, and some of it is well deserved. Picture that annoying ad or jingle that gets stuck in your head from used car dealers. But some of the most powerful and connective advertising goes beyond a product’s features and benefits to brands recognizing, incorporating and advocating for societal shifts. Many advertisers are now weaving people with disabilities into brand narratives.
Do these advertising images that use people with disabilities help change attitudes? This was the central question of a talk held at the University of Texas, Arlington, by disability studies and media scholar Dr. Beth Haller. Continue reading
What label are you advertising?
In the logo saturated world of advertising, labels are everywhere, but in 2015 the Ad Council and R/GA teamed up to share stories that have no labels. This video shows a live crowd’s reactions to a giant, ersatz X-ray installation where two people are initially seen behind the X-ray and as they emerge…the unexpected happens. Continue reading
Advertising, Disability & Super Bowl 50 are a Winning Combo
What’s my favorite Super Bowl ad? If I had to pick, there are more than a thousand options over the course of the game’s 50 years. But what’s my favorite Super Bowl ad inclusive of people with disabilities? Now the options shrink dramatically down to a handful. Continue reading
ABILITY Magazine – Celebrating 25 Years
It’s rare, at least for me, to say that I talked with an iconoclast, but recently I had the good fortune to interview the founder of ABILITY Magazine, Chet Cooper, who truly is just that. Continue reading
Axing Stereotypes With The First Disability Inclusive Ad of 2016
You might say New Year’s resolutions are about axing old, misguided habits and Unilever’s newest TV commercial for Axe body spray does just that by shifting away from stereotypical machismo to feature a broader interpretation of masculinity. Continue reading
Liberty Mutual’s Responsibility Revolution
I believe advertising can start a revolution. After interviewing Teal Sherer and getting her take as an actor in the commercial, I was fortunate enough to interview Jennifer Anderson, Marketing Manager with Liberty Mutual, who shared more insights from the advertiser’s perspective. Continue reading
Teal Sherer Actress & Advocate
I had the privilege to interview Teal Sherer, to learn how she brings conviction, visibility and voice to both her career in acting and support of disability inclusion and awareness. Originally from Lenoir City, Tennessee, Teal is an L.A. based actor, producer, and activist for performers with disabilities. Her film, TV, online and theatre work includes the Emmy Award-Winning HBO Film Warm Springs, starring Kenneth Branagh, I’m With Stupid an NBC series developed by The Farelly Brothers and on-stage performances with, among others, Dustin Hoffman. Closer to main the theme of this blog centering on advertising and disability, in 2008 Teal starred in the highly acclaimed Liberty Mutual commercial, Election. Continue reading
