“What You Look Like Doesn’t Really Say Anything About What You Can Do”
We’ve all heard the insulting and demeaning phrase ‘a face for radio’, so why would marketing agency MSQ and Changing Faces, a charity that advocates for individuals with a visible difference, use it for their latest campaign and initiative? “We knew that nothing would change if no-one was looking at or engaging with our work. So we had to grab attention,” said MSQ’s creatives, Charlotte Fox and Leena Keshishian. The provocative campaign slogan ties together a wider initiative that asks brands and agencies to ensure that people with a visible difference are better represented in their work with billboards, a film, and an industry pledge.
It’s more than fair to say that right now, not enough is being done to ensure that people who have a visible difference are featured in advertising with 64% of people believing that adverts don’t represent them and 54% of people with a visible difference saying that brands regularly ignore them, according to research from Changing Faces.
MSQ worked closely with Changing Faces and, per Andrew Smart – head of communications, campaigns and digital, to ensure that the ‘A Face for Radio’ campaign accurately and authentically reflected people with visible difference and their experiences through access and interviews the MSQ team conducted with Changing Faces’ ambassadors and campaigners, many of whom then featured in the final campaign. The strategy behind the campaign’s placement saw billboards placed in key locations near brands’ head offices, thanking brands for their efforts and, in some cases, calling on them specifically to be more representative of those with visible differences.
Accompanying the billboards is a film that spotlights the Changing Faces’ ambassadors and lets their talent fully shine. “I’ve got a face for drama, being a role model, the big screen, TV, speaking out, advertising, and everything else,” the ambassadors proudly state.
More than a one-off campaign, a key part of the strategy is the Changing Faces pledge, encouraging brands to commit to greater representation of visible difference in their promotional and marketing materials, something that the MSQ team plans to mention to every client they work with.
LBB’s Zhenya Tsenzharyk sat down with Charlotte, Leena, and Andrew to learn more about the creativity and strategy that shaped ‘A Face for Radio’, and how it all came together behind the scenes.
LBB> What kind of brief did you come to MSQ with?
Andrew> I was very keen not to impose any creative expectations on MSQ – that is their areas of expertise, and I didn’t see the point of speaking to a roomful of really creative people and telling them how to design a campaign. Instead, as a group we really focussed on helping the team at MSQ to understand the lives and challenges that people with a visible difference experience. A small part of that was sharing research but, by far, the most important part of that was face-to-face meetings where MSQ could hear directly from members of the visible difference community about the challenges that they experience. And it was that collaboration and the insight that followed it that helped us to identify various options to explore further. I left the creative angle entirely open and merely said, “Astonish me,” which, of course, they did.
LBB> How did you first start working with Changing Faces? What was the brief like and your initial thoughts around it?
Charlotte and Leena> We first heard about Changing Faces from a member of our team, who had worked with Andrew at a previous agency. He told us that Andrew was interested in making an impact in big, bold, brave ways, which was music to our ears. And he promised the relationship would be an open and honest one – the whole agency was initially briefed and we first presented our ideas, including ‘A Face for Radio’, to the Changing Faces board way back in July 2024.
As for the brief itself, it was actually quite open. As creatives we were inspired by the ambition of making work that changed culture for the better, and ideally something that would get real representation for people with visible differences. We loved how collaborative the process was – that meeting back in July also gave us the chance to meet people with lived experiences, face-to-face, and it completely spurred us on. We wanted to make something that they’d be proud to be part of – indeed a couple of the people we first presented ‘A Face for Radio’ to ended up featuring in the campaign!
LBB> ‘A Face for Radio’ has long been an inflammatory, derogatory statement. Can you delve into how you landed on the idea to subvert it and imbue it with new, positive meaning?
Charlotte and Leena> We knew that nothing would change if no one was looking at or engaging with our work. So we had to grab attention. When we landed on ‘A Face For Radio’, it felt nerve-wracking. We thought it would hit people where they weren’t expecting it, playing with the bias that filters all of our automatic thinking. The sad thing is, everyone is subject to oppressive ideals around what we look like… it’s just much worse for people with visible differences. If we can make things better for them, then they’ll be better for everyone. Because what you look like doesn’t really say anything about what you can do.
Andrew> We wanted to provoke people and brands into thinking differently about visible difference. We also wanted the campaign to be bright and optimistic, without too much finger wagging or lecturing. But we also wanted to show some of the intolerance and negative comments that people with a visible difference experience, and ‘A Face for Radio’ seemed to capture that tension.
LBB> How did you decide who to feature in the campaign to thoughtfully and in a balanced way showcase talent with visible differences?
Charlotte and Leena> We were so lucky that Changing Faces already had such a brilliant network of ambassadors and campaigners who all had unique perspectives to offer. We created a few dream scenarios for casting and then asked Changing Faces to go out and speak to the people they felt best fit that brief. They came back with a selection of talent that bettered even our wildest dreams.
Andrew> The casting process was great fun. Our ambassadors and campaigners are a remarkable bunch of people and we wanted the campaign to showcase visible difference in all its diversity – an array of ages, interests, talents, and backgrounds. And they succeeded brilliantly.
LBB> How did you work to avoid tokenism and stereotypes?
Charlotte and Leena> We were blown away by the support Changing Faces gave us. We could have open and honest conversations with the experts, real people who don’t work in the media but do have visible differences. They helped get the right people in the room to have the right conversations, who challenged us in all the right ways but also offered support and enthusiasm in spades. Support and enthusiasm that ultimately made this happen.
LBB> Print is a big part of the campaign, divided in two parts: one is thanking brands, the other is applying pressure. Can you talk us through that strategy?
Charlotte and Leena> We never wanted this to be a one-hit wonder with a burst of posters that slowly fizzled out. This pledge is a living thing, something that needs to be sustainable and stretch across a year/years rather than weeks or hours. That means we needed varied messaging – messaging that could be adapted for different scenarios – and could embrace positive actions brands are taking, as well as campaigning to those who we hope can help do more.
LBB> Tell us more about the campaign film – it has a really great energy. How scripted was it? Did you work with the talent at all to weave in their personal experiences into it?
Charlotte and Leena> Once we had our cast confirmed, we did a big deep dive into their lives and careers… We wanted each person to say something that they felt passionate about. We had a rough idea before the shoot, but on the day we worked with the cast to bring it to life – we loved that Shankar brought his vitiligo man toy, Awais, so we were keen to include whatever came naturally, swearing included!
LBB> The campaign is both a resource and a call to action. What kind of effect do you hope for it to have on the industry?
Charlotte and Leena> Brands, agencies, and talent businesses all have a huge role to play in ensuring greater representation in future marketing collateral. By making visible differences more visible, we can help tackle stigmas and change perceptions. We hope our work encourages stakeholders to just take an extra beat to consider whether they can branch out the talent pool, knowing it's both the right thing to do and good for business.
Andrew> We want to encourage the industry to ensure that people with a visible difference are more widely seen in their campaigns. Afterall, around one in five of the UK population has a visible difference. So, as well as it being a great opportunity for brands to use their undoubted power as a force for good, it makes sound business sense too.
LBB> Did you run into any challenges while working on this campaign? If so, how did you deal with them?
Charlotte and Leena> From our end, the natural challenge you get is keeping momentum when you’re balancing a campaign like this with the work you’re doing for larger clients, whose fees keep the agency’s lights on. That sometimes meant a quick Changing Faces five minute meeting on the fly whilst making a cuppa, or carving out extra moments in your day to keep everyone honest. Luckily, we had a tight, nimble team, which was collaborative and flexible. If a meeting unexpectedly finished 15 minutes early, we took ourselves away and worked on the campaign. When some of us had to go away on a shoot, we could trust the rest of the team to move things forward without us. When agencies talk about being agile, this is when it really works.
Of course, it would also be easy to say ‘budget’ was a challenge. Favours were called in and grovelling emails were sent. Because budget or not, we knew this campaign deserved the best. Luckily, every time we approached the best – be that a photographer, make-up artist or wardrobe stylist – they understood the impact the campaign could have and immediately said yes, throwing themselves into the project with similar energy, expertise and open arms. It was so inspiring and we think the results speak for themselves.
LBB> What was your favourite part of working on this?
Charlotte and Leena> The shoot day was one of the best ‘working' days we've ever had. Vibes don’t do it justice. Our cast is made of some magic stuff. We had so much fun and everyone working in front of and behind the camera were so invested in the campaign, it felt like we were witnessing a special moment.
LBB> How do you plan to sustain momentum and ensure this campaign leads to long-term industry change?
Andrew> We’ll be rolling out further initiatives under ‘ A Face for Radio’ heading over the next few months, including publicly celebrating brands who are making a difference, so watch this space. Rather than just lecture the industry we genuinely want to work with you to drive lasting change, and to support you in delivering that. As part of the Changing Faces Pledge.
Charlotte and Leena> It’s been amazing to see the impact and coverage the campaign has already generated, but we’re very aware this campaign is only just beginning. We want to sound like a broken record – every time we speak to a client, we want to mention the pledge. Every time anyone is asked to recommend talent, we want them to think how visible differences can play a part. We’re hoping to engage further with advertising bodies and trade press because we know how important it is to keep the wider industry ecosystem engaged and the influence that voices like Little Black Book have. And when brands do step up, we’re going to champion that. We’ll celebrate the successes at the top of our voice.
LBB> What advice do you have for brands who want to feature more people with visible differences but are unsure how to best proceed?
Andrew> Call us! We’d love to talk further. I absolutely appreciate that brands might be a little wary and concerned about how they can ‘get it right’ without facing calls of tokenism or stereotyping. Too often in our media, people with a visible difference represent evil or villainy, but perhaps surprisingly to some observers, they also have bank accounts, go food shopping, jump on flights, have families and buy stuff. So let’s show them doing that, with the visible difference being incidental to the storyline.
