More than a month ahead of the Games, Channel 4 launched a Paris 2024 Paralympics campaign called ‘Considering What?’ which challenges people to view Paralympians not as competitors overcoming their disabilities, but simply as elite, world-class athletes. The integrated campaign, created by the broadcaster’s in-house agency 4creative and directed by Steve Rogers through produced house Biscuit Filmworks UK x Revolver, asks viewers to reconsider their preconceptions of Paralympic greatness.
Objective
The campaign emerged after research commissioned by Channel 4 found that 59% of people in the UK said they watch the Paralympic Games to “see athletes overcoming their disabilities”, while only 37% said they watch the Paralympics for “exciting sporting competition”. So the marketing team sought to tackle this issue, challenge viewer sentiment and change people’s minds to focus on simple, incredible athletic ability and achievement.
Activation
The resulting multi-channel creative depicts Paralympians taking on and overcoming forces – such as gravity, friction and time. Positioning these impassionate, unemotional elements as unchangeable forces of our world: ones which make no exception for any athlete – regardless of someone’s ability or even disability.
It was led by a central film which captures the reactions of members of the British public as they watch Paralympic sport: reactions which, while probably well intentioned, are misguided and don’t appreciate Paralympians for what they are – world class athletes.
It stars ParalympicsGB athletes Aaron Phipps, Dame Sarah Storey, Emmanuel Oyinbo-Coker, Joseph Lane, Emma Wiggs, Olivia Broome and Alfie Hewett and brings the elements to life.
For example, it personifies ‘gravity’ as an odious, shirtless man clutching a pint of beer, taunting and cackling at Paralympic wheelchair rugby star Aaron Phipps in his living room. Items around the living room begin to ‘fall’ to the ceiling as Gravity toys with the Paralympian before making Phipps ‘fall’ to the ceiling where his face smacks into the floor and the scene changes to show him in the middle of a wheelchair rugby match.
The film then moves on to friction and time, before featuring everyday members of the public watching the athletic feats and using phrases such as “He’s incredible for someone like that”, “They’re so brave” and “She’s doing so well, considering”, before responding with “Considering what?”
A voiceover, performed by actor, writer, producer and presenter Nabil Shaban, states: “They would never say “He’s amazing for someone in a wheelchair.”
This is followed by a series of flash messages:
> Sport Doesn’t Care About Disability
> Gravity Doesn’t Care About Disability
> Friction Doesn’t Care About Disability
> Time Doesn’t Care About Disability
> Wind Doesn’t Care About Disability
> Heat Doesn’t Care About Disability
> Force Doesn’t Care About Disability
> Sport Doesn’t Care About Disability
The core two-minute, 20-seconds films is backed by 60-, 40- and 20-seconds cut downs, as well as six-second versions for social media.
This hero ad dropped online on 11 July and premiered on Channel 4 television on 12 July (before the start of Celebrity Gogglebox) and rolled out across the media outfit’s other channels and platforms, plus digital and social content and via an outdoor strand all backed by a PR push.
The OOH work, which rolls out a month after the lead spot on 12 August, sees a series of striking posters where well-meaning but patronising phrases are corrected by the physicality of the Paralympic sports themselves. The executions feature Team GB Paralympic athletes including Justine Moore, Gemma Collis (fencing); Mark Swan (powerlifting); Harri Jenkins, Fay West and Nick Cummins (wheelchair rugby); and Kare Adenegan (wheelchair racing).
Channel 4 also commissioned a striking mural created by artist Florence Burns, who is herself disabled, at Village Underground in Shoreditch (London) which echoes the sentiment of the poster campaign and shows a Paralympic athlete striking through the patronising section of a statement.
The mural, created with experiential agency Fever, will be remain in place until 5 August.
“Since 2012, Channel 4 has played a key role in raising the profile of the Paralympic Games and challenging attitudes around disability. The Paralympics is one of the greatest sporting events in the world, drawing many millions of viewers. And that’s just it. This is sport, where athletic prowess takes centre stage and excellence wins above all else. As we show Paralympians battling against the very real forces of our world, forces that don’t distinguish between any of us, we wanted to highlight the pure power and energy of world-class athleticism. Because at the end of the day, sport doesn’t care about disability. Paris, we’re coming for you.”
Channel 4 Chief Marketing Officer Katie Jackson
“Gravity, friction, time. The unchangeable forces of our world dictate what it means to be the best on the pitch, in the pool, on the court, on the track. They offer no head starts, no free passes, no patronising pat on the head and another go around. Excellence is excellent, no caveats. How strange that as audiences we watch one of the world’s most elite sporting events with our heads tilted and our amazement seemingly tempered. As we moved on from Superhumans, we wanted to turn the lens on the audience, done with a film stuffed full of Channel 4 irreverence and spirit. We owe a huge debt to Paralympians and our partners throughout the disabled community who have worked with us to bring this project to life. My personal thanks to them for backing a sports film that features a fat man with a pint and a lad with a mullet doing donuts in Brent Cross. Bring it on, Paris!”
4Creative Executive Creative Director Lynsey Atkin
Credits
The campaign was commissioned by a team at client Channel 4 which included CMOs Katie Jackson and Zaid Al-Qassab, Marketing Director Amber Kirby, Marketing Lead Anna Kerr, Marketing Executive Alexandra Baker, Senior Planner ( Strategy & Consumer Insight) James Hamilton, Brand Planner Thomas Schofield and Sports Partnership Lead Kate Clayton.
The Creative Diversity & Disability Lead was Ally Castle of Ideally Consulting Ltd), plus there was additional input from Purple Goat Client Director Dom Hyams and Campaign Director Dani Roberts.
It was conceived and created in-house by a team at 4creative which included Executive Creative Director Lynsey Atkin, Creative Directors Andy Vasey and Dan Warner, Creatives Andy Vasey and Dan Warner, plus Stuart Gittings and Reuben Dangoor, Director of Production Miketta Lane, Executive Producer Fiona Wright, Senior TV Producer Lauren Holden, Production Manager Hannah Jones, Production Assistant Amelia Croom, Trainee Production Coordinator Tehya Connery, Senior Producer OOH & Ident Rory Maclean, Producer (Social) Faye Adams, Head of Design Rob Boon, Senior Designer Aimi Awang, Designer Dan Davies, Senior Project Manager John Trevor and Head of Creative Operations Olivia Jones.
The production company was Biscuit Filmworks UK X Revolver with Director Steve Rogers, Exec Producer/Managing Director Rupert Reynolds-Maclean, Head of Production Emily Atterton, Producer Simon Eakhurst, Production Manager Luke Thornton, Director’s Assistant James Murray, Director of Photography Daniel Landin, Production Designer John Henson, 1st AD Ben Gill, Wardrobe Stylist Hannah Edwards, Hair and Makeup Artist Natasha MacGowan-Spencer and Casting Director Hannah Birkett.
The edit company was Work Editorial with Editor Rich Orrick, Edit Assistant Miles Watson and Edit Producer Frankie Elster.
Post production was handled by Time Based Arts where the team included VFX Executive Producer Sian Jenkins, Post Producer Mia Saunders, VFX Creative Director Sheldon Gardner, VFX Lead Matt Shires, Colourist Simone Grattarola, Colour Assistant Tom Matthews, 2D Lead Stephen Grasso, plus 2D Artists Judy Roberts, Mike Outlaw, David Thomas, Ross Ferguson, Valentina Bartiromo, Viola Bascombe, Jamie Crofts, Olivia O’Neil, Simon Melin, Lucy Lawrence, Liam Doyle and Sarah Breakwell, as well as 3D Artists Teodora Retegan and Ihor Obukhovskyi.
Audio post production duties were run by Factory with Sound Designer & Composer Jon Clarke, Executive Audio Producer Deborah Whitfield, Audio Post Production Factory Studios, Guitarist Joshua Gibbard, plus Producer/Music Supervisors Joshua Gibbard and Siân Rogers.
The music production company and publisher was SIREN (@ Factory Ltd) with the voiceover by Nabil Shaban.
The OOH agency was Curious with OOH Producer Tom Gibson, OOH Photographer Dan Humphreys, OOH Retoucher Rob Lanario and OOH CG Artist Sam Swanborough.
While mural credits included Creatives Reuben Dangoor and Stuart Gittings, Marketing Lead Anna Kerr, Senior Marketing Executive Annie Flood, Producer Faye Adams, Designer Dan Davis, Artist Florence Burns, with the mural production company Global Street Art.
This campaign is the first since Channel 4 originally won the UK broadcast rights to the Paralympics in 20212 that has not featured its previous, award-winning ‘Superhumans’ idea which began in London 2012 with ‘Thanks For The Warm Up. Welcome The Super Humans’, continued through 2015’s ‘Superhumans Return’ and 2016 ‘Superhumans’ and ran through tot 2021’s ‘Super Human’.