How should brands navigate engagement with the Paralympic Games?

Andy Vasey - Creative Director, 4Creative

Always ask the experts. Of course the insight that 60% of people watch the Paralympics to see athletes ‘overcoming their disabilities,’ came from our strategy team, but the real Gold (pun intended) came from chats with the athletes themselves. 

Sometimes it’s not only what people say but the way that they say it that gives you all the insight you need.

On a call they reeled off anecdote after anecdote about the patronising comments they’d heard over the years. They even had a name for it – ‘well meant bullshit.’ Sometimes it’s not only what people say but the way that they say it that gives you all the insight you need.

Helenor Gilmour - Director of Strategy, Beano Brain 

Consumers will be quick to judge any Paralympics bandwagon-jumpers - and none more so that the critically-eyed Generation Alpha. Although the oldest Gen Alphas are only 14, they are highly attuned to purpose-washing. They are a generation who are more open to difference and expect brands to be respectful in how they show up.

 Young audiences value authenticity and take pride in being their true selves, whether they have a disability or not.

Social media is awash with hashtags celebrating everything from #ASL to #DisabilityPrideMonth. Gen Alpha embraces people with differences as heroes, like Tasha Ghori, who calls her disability her superpower. With the growing visibility of disabilities—both visible and invisible—championed by figures like Milly Pickles, Lewis Capaldi, Jodie Ounsley, and Fats Timbo, young audiences value authenticity and take pride in being their true selves, whether they have a disability or not.

Brands that enable this sense of individuality, and celebrate human differences as superpowers through authentic campaigns and activations that last beyond just the games will win with this demographic.

Emma Sisson - Senior Brand Strategist, Saffron Brand Consultants

Brands have the power to shape how society thinks, communicates and behaves, giving them a crucial role in authentically representing people with disabilities. To create meaningful change, this commitment must extend beyond a compelling, high-impact campaign. It must be part of a brand’s DNA. 

It’s a storyline more predictable than an EastEnders plot: relative unknown athlete wins a medal, the whole nation is saying their name the next day.

This begins with a brand’s internal culture, in creating an environment where people with disabilities are represented across every level of the organisation, from hiring practices right up to leadership decisions. It should extend to the technology it adopts to the products and services it creates, as well as ensuring that employee workspaces and customer-facing environments are fully accessible and inclusive.  

Apple's The Relay campaign shows how the Paralympics can align with a brand's ongoing commitment to inclusion. As an Iconic Partner of The Valuable 500, Apple has pledged to infuse accessibility into everything they do. This shines through in Apple’s inclusive culture and focus on driving representation at the leadership level. While there is still progress to be made, Apple ensures that its involvement in the Paralympics is authentic and aligned with its brand.

Jenny Mitton - Managing Partner & Women’s Sport Lead, M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment

If you’re a brand partner of the Paralympics – lucky you. Get ready to be involved with the official closing ceremony of the summer, the nation’s last hurrah before autumn draws in. 

If there are two things you should prioritise, it’s these: Talk to the athletes. Every brand’s first port of call should be to talk to the athletes about how they want to be represented and talked about. Language matters and brands have a role to play in challenging bias. 

Brands have a crucial role to play in making sport inclusive and accessible, but most importantly to change the narrative from “overcoming disabilities” to “Paralympians as world-class athletes”

Drive fame before the medals land. 

It’s a storyline more predictable than an EastEnders plot: relative unknown athlete wins a medal, the whole nation is saying their name the next day. Brands are overlooking a key opportunity if they fail to share the athlete’s stories and highlight their sports before the medals are won. Who wouldn’t want to be associated with the UK’s next generation of sporting heroes?

Tom Ghiden - Managing Director, JOAN Creative

Despite an estimated 1.3 billion people globally living with a significant disability, and nearly half of those with a disability in England participating in sport, why do we still only talk about disability and sport every four years?  Brands have a crucial role to play in making sport inclusive and accessible, but most importantly to change the narrative from “overcoming disabilities” to “Paralympians as world-class athletes” – which is exactly what Channel 4 did in its recent Considering What? campaign. 

Let’s stop with the apologetic tones, the fighting for space, the persuasion jobs and patronising messaging. 

Through creative storytelling and authentic campaigning - using real-life athletes, their stories and the right channels - brands can help change attitudes for the better by reaching wider audiences. But randomly piggybacking on a big cultural moment without a long-term commitment can appear fake. 

We can learn from brands like Toyota, who has done more for Paralympians than perhaps any other brand. The company launched its US Paralympic Fund in 2021 and has contributed more than $6 million. Similarly, financial services provider, Citi has made investments in 33 countries showing its long-term commitment beyond the Games. 

 These are Olympic athletes, so let’s treat them as such, and show them the respect they deserve.

Campaigns for the Olympics and Paralympics need to be intertwined from conception, not separated, dismantling the view that one event is more important than the other, and broadening our perception of what an elite athlete looks like.

Samaneh Zamani - Strategy Director, Iris

I look forward to a time when we stop asking these questions and stop differentiating the Games. Much like how the apologetic tone of Women’s vs Men’s sport has gotten tired, so too has the Olympic vs Paralympic one. Brands should approach their involvement as they would the Olympics. 

These are powerhouse athletes at the top of their game, let’s not diminish that. I want to see Nike’s Winning Isn’t for Everybody featuring Paralympic Athletes, or Orange’s 2024 Paralympic campaign, which are both pure celebrations of sport, and athletes performing miraculous feats. 

Let’s stop with the apologetic tones, the fighting for space, the persuasion jobs and patronising messaging. These are Olympic athletes, so let’s treat them as such, and show them the respect they deserve.