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Shift 20 takes the lead,
Inclusion in ad's creed,
A change we all need.

Shift 20 Initiative assembles 15-strong agency collective to boost disability inclusion in advertising
The Shift 20 Initiative has announced a partnership with 15 creative agencies to promote disability inclusion in the advertising industry, including Special, 72andSunny, Bread Agency, BMF, Cummins&Partners, TBWA, 303 MullenLowe, Today the Brave, Droga5 ANZ, part of Accenture Song, Paper Moose, Akcelo, Apparent, Dentsu, DDB and Ogilvy.
The initiative, which received substantial industry support upon its launch, aims to create work that is more inclusive and representative of disability.
The agency collective will collaborate with Shift 20 to monitor disability representation in their work and report back quarterly on key measures such as the number of productions that include talent and crew with disability, and assets with closed captions and audio descriptors.
The Shift 20 Initiative was created by the Dylan Alcott Foundation, Special and some of Australia’s leading brands to increase representation, inclusion and accessibility for people living with disability in marketing and communications. In 2023, the Dylan Alcott Foundation launched the Shift 20 Initiative to increase the poor rates of disability representation on-screen (1%) to closer reflect the 20% of Australians living with disability. The initiative has seen significant success with a rise of over 10% overall recall of disability representation in advertising post-launch.
Shift 20 also recently launched a world-first TikTok channel, Shift 20 Casting Call, for casting people with disability.
Shift 20 Initiative Lead at the Dylan Alcott Foundation, Priya Addams Williams, said: "Whilst the launch of the Shift 20 Initiative showed significant demand for higher levels of disability representation, it also highlighted the incredibly important role that agencies can play in shaping the landscape of advertising for the better. There was a huge desire from creatives, copywriters, casting agents and beyond to ensure the positive inclusion of people with disability was a conscious and considered step in the creative process; and we couldn’t be more excited to continue welcoming agencies into the fold throughout the rest of the year."
Partner and CEO at Special and Board Director at Advertising Council Australia, Lindsey Evans, said: "From the very beginning we were sure that what we saw as an incredibly important area for development, other agencies would quickly see too. It’s been a wonderful journey in the last year seeing this ethos make its way through every touchpoint of our agency with disability representation becoming a norm, not a ‘nice to have’."
CEO at Droga5 ANZ, part of Accenture Song, Matt Michael, said: "Inclusive advertising reflects the true diversity of our world — vibrant, varied, and full of possibility. By partnering with Shift 20, we ensure we're staying true to this belief. We're proud to join the growing movement of agencies advocating and accountable for representation."
CCO at 72andSunny, Wez Hawes, said: "It really makes a tangible impact on people's lives and we feel it is a must for a modern and progressive agency like ourselves. It's one thing to say it, it's another to act."