George & Dragon Wants to 'End the Awkward' Around Disabilities with Scope
The disability charity Scope appointed advertising agency George & Dragon to lead the creative development for the next phase of its ‘End the Awkward’ campaign in March. George & Dragon was tasked with evolving, branding and activating the campaign, which aims to transform attitudes towards disability.
George & Dragon took the original concept, based on the insight that two-thirds of the British public feel awkward around disabled people, and created a new look and feel for the campaign.
Scope research also shows that 18 – 34 year olds (Millennials) are most likely to feel awkward about disability – one fifth have actually avoided talking to a disabled person because they didn’t know how to communicate with them.
On Friday 16th September we launch our first piece of work for Scope: a new TV ad which is also airing across VOD platforms.
This latest instalment of the campaign is being backed by fresh research from Scope that shows
- Over a third (34%) of Brits are avoiding disabled people
- Two in five (38%) disabled people say they hide their impairment as they react to poor attitudes/awkwardness
The campaign uses humour to address the issue of awkwardness and created a mnemonic – H.I.D.E – to help open up a dialogue in order to get the public talking to, and not avoiding, disabled people out of fear of doing or saying the wrong thing.
The tongue in cheek prime-time advert on Channel 4 will feature the voice of much-loved actor Simon Callow and offer advice on how to End the Awkward in the form of a mnemonic - H.I.D.E
H…Say ‘Hi’
Introduce yourself
Don’t panic
End the Awkward
With so many people going out of their way to avoid interacting with disabled people, our ad uses humour to demonstrate how uncomfortable the nation can be, by launching a thought-provoking TV advert during the Paralympics on Channel 4’s Last Leg: Live from Rio.
Lisa Quinlan-Rahman, the Director of External Affairs at Scope said, “End the Awkward is about shining a light on the awkwardness many people feel around disability and disabled people.
“Despite the popularity of the Paralympic Games, far too many people are worried about saying or doing the wrong thing.
“We’re thrilled with the fresh creative energy that George & Dragon have brought to End the Awkward for its third instalment.
“We feel confident this campaign will break down barriers and start a conversation by approaching this serious issue in a humourous and light-hearted way.”
Nick Hurrell, Managing Partner, George & Dragon, said: ‘Scope is a progressive charity with a talented team dedicated to ensuring that disabled people have the same opportunities as everyone else. If our campaign goes a little way towards achieving that ambition then we will be delighted to have helped.’
