The effort was done in-house by 4creative.

It’s an intense about-face from Channel 4’s previous (and much praised) “Superhumans” initiatives, which used music and athlete personalities to great effect.

“It was important to us that this felt different to any previous Paralympics work,” says Lynsey Atkin, executive creative director of 4creative. “If you keep making similar films, it’s difficult to move the conversation. Even if your message is new, the way you package it makes it feel familiar.”

Atkin notes the purposefully stepping away from music–a hallmark of past efforts–to focus on spoken narratives, which the Paralympics had never explored before. 

In terms of visuals, Channel 4 wanted to shoot sport as drama, “so the whole piece feels more cinematic, rooted in a sense of reality,” Atkin says.

The campaign includes such British Paralympians as Aaron Phipps (wheelchair rugby), Dame Sarah Storey (cycling and swimming) and Emmanuel Oyinbo-Coker (track).

As they compete, a series of messages flashes onto the screen, such as “Wind Doesn’t Care About Disability” and “Heat Doesn’t Care About Disability.”

For the first time, Channel 4 focuses on the event’s audience.

“While the Paralympics campaigns are always about trying to shift attitudes, we had never before turned the lens on the viewer and challenged ablism quite so directly,” says Atkin. 

“Considering What?” is supported by OOH elements. A mural created by artist Florence Burns, part of the disabled community, will live in London’s Shoreditch neighborhood until Aug. 5. Experiential agency Fever assisted.

CREDITS

Title: “Considering What?”
Client: Channel 4
Agency: 4Creative
Executive Creative Director: Lynsey Atkin
Creatives: Andy Vasey & Dan Warner
Agency Executive Producer: Fiona Wright
Agency Senior Producer: Lauren Holden
Production Company: Biscuit Filmworks x Revolver
Director: Steve Rogers

Sam Gainsborough of BlinkInk directed the clip, and cain&abelDDB worked on global adaptations of the spot.

“Over the last 75 years, Para sport has grown from a small gathering of injured war veterans to the Paralympic Games becoming the world’s third largest sporting event watched by billions of TV viewers,” says Craig Spence, chief brand and communications at the International Paralympic Committee.

“But despite its stratospheric growth there are many who still see the Paralympics as first and foremost an idyllic event where the athletes are just carefree and happy to be there. Adam&eveDDB’s new film debunks this myth in the most fun and creative way possible.”

The snappy montage strikes the perfect tone. Amusing, uplifting and instantly relatable, these scenes showcase diverse disabled people, including British Paralympians, holding down jobs, chasing after their kids, practicing their respective faiths, binging on reality TV, and even getting married on the beach.

That last bit boasts the best line. “We met on a blind date,” the wife jokes, as she and her husband, both sightless, break into laughter.

At another point, a dude pops a wheelchair wheelie and quips, “There’s nothing special about us.”

Oh yes, there is. Because, of course, everyone’s special. All human beings the world over—the 7.7 billion of us, the entire 100 percent—merit love, respect and empathy, regardless of our abilities or lack thereof.

“When the IPC came to us, they told us a surprising truth: They are the third largest sporting event in the world, but they’re not really about sports,” says adam&eveDDB global creative lead Laura Rogers. “Their real ambition is to change the lives of all people living with disabilities. So, we needed to devise a platform for them that was bigger than an event every four years, something that would sustain them between Games.”

By focusing on a specific subset with style, grace and good humor, “WeThe15” accomplishes that mission and celebrates our shared humanity. It’s sad that the IPC believes it will take a decade, at least, before some significant portion of that 1.2 billion attain acceptable levels of parity and equality. (And sadder still to consider that it may well take far longer, if history’s any indication.)

“The more brands and organizations and people that get involved in this movement, the louder that voice will be and the faster the change will come,” says adam&eveDDB CEO Mat Goff.

The two-minute anthem film will air across sundry programs and platforms. These include Channel 4 and NBC’s coverage of the Paralympic Games, where “WeThe15” will reach an audience of 250 million during the Aug. 24 Opening Ceremony.

Such high-profile events represent “hugely powerful vehicles to engage global audiences,” says IPC president Andrew Parsons, noting that the ad will also run during the Special Olympics, Invictus Games and Deaflympics.

“There will be at least one major international sports event for persons with disabilities to showcase ‘WeThe15’ each year between now and 2030,” he says. “I strongly believe ‘WeThe15’ could be a real game-changer for persons with disabilities.”

To amplify the message, design firm Pentagram devised bold outdoor elements. These will appear in North America, France, Japan and the U.K.—including a takeover of London’s Piccadilly Circus supposed by Ocean Outdoor:

And here’s signage slated for Tokyo:

Public relations shops FleishmanHillard, Porter Novelli and Portland will provide support, securing placements in and around 125 iconic landmarks on six continents (including NYC’s Empire State Building), rallying celebrity influencers, and coordinating political engagement for select markets.

“Often, we find ourselves asking, ‘What can I do to help?’ ” notes FH CEO Jim Donaldson. “Registering your support for this movement, critical to advancing the rights of the global disability community, is a welcome start. Change can only begin by communicating, and we encourage everyone to use their voice to support this incredible cause.”

CREDITS

Core Team

Client: International Paralympic Committee
Creative Agency: adam&eveDDB
Project: WeThe15
First Air Date: 19/08/21
Chief Creative Officer: Richard Brim
Global Creative Director: Laura Rogers
Campaign Creative Team: Edward Usher and Xander Hart
Film Creative Team: Selma Ahmed and Genevieve Gransden
Social Director: Sophie Chaytor-Grubb
Social Media Manager: Matthew Osbourne
Creative Technology Director: Hash Milhan
Deputy Head of Production: Jack Bayley
Agency producers: Rebecca Holt, Hannah Needham
Integrated Assistant Producer: Richard Bailey  
Senior Project Manager: Alice Southam
Head of Planning: Will Grundy
Strategy Director: Claire Strickett
Senior Planner: Sarah Benson
Joint CEO: Mat Goff
Managing Partner: Polly Dedman
Business Director: Louis Lunts
Account Directors: Charlie Simpson, Charlotte Ellison, Rosie Snowball, Pablo Arango
Account Manager: Irina Patrichi

Clients

Chief Brand & Communications Officer: Craig Spence
Head of Brand and Engagement: Natalia Dannenberg-Spreier
Head of Communications: Phil Dorward
Brand Campaigns Coordinator: Elliot Forward
Digital Partnerships Manager: Mariel Avalos
Designer: Tanja Aurand
Brand Campaigns Assistant: George Doman
Campaign Consultant: Dana Robinson-Slote
Head of Partnership Services: Nael Ogden-Smith
Partnership Services Manager : Kiriah Crane, Fiona Sanna
IPC Board Member: Juan Pablo Salazar
Broadcasting Rights Manager: Daphne Chan

Branding and Design

Design agency: Pentagram
Partner: Harry Pearce
Graphic Designer: Johannes Grimmond
Graphic Designer and Animator: Tom Walker
Production: Daren Howells
Graphic Designer: Romilly Winter
Graphic Designer: Richard Clarke
Project Manager: Tiffany Fenner
Project Manager: Jane Kemp

TV Production

Accessibility, Disability and Inclusion Consultant: C Talent

Production Company: Pulse Films
Managing Director and Executive Producer: James Sorton
Executive Producer: Lucy Kelly
Executive Producer: Davud Karbassioun
Producer: David French
Director: Sam Pilling
DOP: Alex Barber, Chloë Thompson
1st AD: James Sharpe
Casting Director: Anna Stark
Production Manager: Kishan Patel & Tom Nutting
Production Assistant: Ellie Saunders Wright
Location Manager: Rupert Bowkett
Production Designer: Beck Rainford
Costume Designer: Hannah Hopkins

Service Production in South Africa: Gathouse Commercials
Executive Producer: Beverley Wynne
Line Producer: Karin Tanchel
DOP: Shaun Harley Lee
1st AD: Jaco Nel
Location Manager: Bhut Gladstone
Art Director: Willow Howell

Service Production in Bangkok: Indochina Productions
Executive Producer: Nicholas Simon
Line Producer: Atrachariya Pinitsanpirom (Bird)
DOP: Nicholas Axelrod
1st AD: Napon Limsomwong (Kwan)
Casting Director: Sarawanee Yodnoon

Service Production in Milan: Pulse Films Italia
Executive Producer: Giorgio Testi
Line Producer: Giulia Negretto
2nd Unit Director: Tobia Passigato
DOP: Diego Indraccolo

Editing Company: TenThree
Editor: Ellie Johnson, Liam Bachler, Elyse Raphael
Post Production: Untold Studios
Grade: Simon Bourne at Framestore
Post Producers: Tomek Zietkiewicz

Audio Post Production:  750mph
Audio Engineer:  Sam Ashwell, Mark Hellaby
Audio Producer: Kirsten Troy, Martin Critchely

Music Company: Soundtree
Music Supervisor: Jay James & Neil Athale

Transcreation

Head of Language: Sarah Mrowicki
Senior Transcreation Account Manager: Veronica Viudas Garcia
Transcreation Account Manager: Maria Dilena

Adaptation Production and Supply

Adaptation Agency: cain&abel
Managing Partner: Mike Turnbull
Account Director: Theo Tsangarides
Senior Production Account Manager: Sophie Duncan
Account Manager: Kate Morrow
Producers: Rachel Lodge, Nicola Shanks, Mandy Amoah, Charlotte O’Reilly
Senior Producer: Laura Frischke
Editor: Adrian Scanlon
QC: Stuart Moore, Chloe Maudsley

Post Producer: Olivia Hards
Senior Post Producer: Martina Trlik
Resource Manager: Aleksandra Bulkowska
Creative Lead: Tom Lockwood
Edit/Animator: Gabi Mascarenhas, Meena Ayittey
Researcher: Beth Hill

Head of Production: Marc Dolby
Print producer: Jay Tijani
Senior Integrated Producer: Gareth Evans, Matt Thompson
Studio Artworker: David Pluckrose
+ the cain&abel studio and QA teams

PR

PR Agencies: FleishmanHillard, Porter Novelli and Portland

Media

Media agency: Omnicom Media Group

The stars of Citi’s Paralympic team invite you to stare as they compete. That way, you’ll be able to fully appreciate their mad skills and burning desire to win gold at next month’s Tokyo Games.

Paralympians Scout Bassett, Trevon Jenifer, Lauren Steadman and others appear in fresh work from Publicis North America. They kick some serious ass on playing fields, running tracks, hoops courts and swimming pools, their game-faces set for maximum intensity. And while it’s commonly considered rude to gawk at people with disabilities, these athletes are OK with folks who #StareAtGreatness, as we learn in this pulse-pounding :60 created with NM Productions director Patrik Giardino:

“The initial spark stemmed from a conversation we had with two of our Team Citi athletes, Scout Bassett and Brad Snyder,” says client marketing lead Carla Hassan. “These athletes, like all people living with disabilities worldwide, want people to be impressed by their talent, skills, dedication to their craft, and how they take action in their communities—they don’t want to serve as an inspiration by just living their day-to-day lives. That’s where ‘Stare’ came in. We want people to stare at them for their talent and achievement, and not for their disability.”

“Staring at someone who is ‘different’ is such a natural and common practice in society, and it’s something that people living with disabilities, and their families, have unfortunately grown accustomed to,” Hassan says. “We think this is a concept really anyone who has felt different can relate to and hope to hear stories of why people want to be stared at—what makes them great.”

“We want this campaign to gain momentum among an audience that might not typically be interested in Para sports, and really anyone who can be a better ally for individuals with disabilities,” Hassan adds. “We want viewers to feel like they have the opportunity to be an ally to people in their communities who have disabilities, while helping to lift up their achievements.”

While the approach isn’t as dazzling as, say, Channel 4’s lauded Paralympics promos of years past, Citi’s athletes convey a similar “superhuman” spirit and swagger that’s a joy to behold.

Breaking globally this week, the campaign includes broadcast, online digital and OOH elements. Through the #StareAtGreatness hashtag, Citi encourages users to share their personal experiences and advance the conversation.

CREDITS

Creative Agency: Publicis North America
Andy Bird, Chief Creative Officer
Jeremy Filgate, Executive Creative Director
Aaron Blazey, Creative Director
Rit Botorff, Creative Director
Jenny Reed, EVP, Chief Production Officer
Kerri Kokoszka, Senior Producer
Beth Marrano, EVP, Group Account Director
Michelle Unverzagt, SVP Group Account Director
Jorge Rivadeneyra, Account Director

Production Company: NM Productions
Director/Photographer: Patrik Giardino
DOP: Mik Allen