July is a busy month full of holidays, celebrations, and meaningful moments of recognition. As a disabled person working in the advertising industry, July stands out to me as both Disability Pride Month, and a chance to reflect on the state of the industry following the conclusion of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. My role as Global Growth Manager at Wunderman Thompson is not centred around my disability, but because I bring my entire self to work (bionic limbs and all), it does shape the way I look at the world, and how I view work which features the community of which I am part of.

Historically, advertising campaigns which featured people with disabilities have been exploitative, and existed purely to make non-disabled people feel better about themselves. The term for this is ‘Inspiration Porn’, and it is an example of where representation alone can be damaging and exploitative, only existing to help perpetuate stereotypes of marginalised communities.

Thankfully, the world is changing. Consumers are wiser to how and why someone is featured in a campaign, rather than purely if. When done correctly, the results are astonishing. Organisations that have meaningfully embedded disabled voices into campaigns are reaping the rewards, both in terms of their company culture and at some of the industry’s most prestigious award ceremonies.

This year at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, it was encouraging to see this type of work claiming some of the biggest awards. Whether it was Apple’s “The Greatest”, Adidas’ “Runner 321” or Augmental’s “MouthPad^”, all of them feature work that is visually stunning, has a clear impactful message, while also describing a vision for what a better world would look like. What is even more encouraging is the diversity of the categories in which they won the top award. “The Greatest” picked up the Grand Prix in the Entertainment Lions for Music, “Runner 321” won Grand Prix in the Direct category, and “MouthPad^” took home Grand Prix in Innovation.

The breadth of these categories, and the fact that all of these campaigns highlight work which is real and affecting people’s lives, displays all the core components of what makes brands and agencies resonate with culture, irrespective of disability. The industry seems to be waking up to the fact that there is tremendous untapped potential and creativity by listening to and amplifying the needs of the disabled community (and other marginalised groups). The positive knock-on effect of this is that we raise the bar for what we as consumers are willing to accept. For example, 42% of consumers would pay a 5% premium or more for an inclusive brand, and 34% of consumers stop supporting brands when they feel it doesn’t represent them.

I believe it goes one further. The recognition this sort of work achieves also inspires the next generation of people to want to join this industry because they know they can be themselves in it, meaning the diversity spreads through every department. This results in new hires who continually want to raise the bar on inclusion, and a passionate and driven workforce that propels the culture in the right direction. Purpose driven work doesn’t just change an agency’s year, it has the potential to change their entire future.

I have no doubt that the future is infinitely more diverse and accessible than it currently is. The agencies that recognise this today and act on it will reap the rewards for a long time to come, but they must also be patient as change will not happen overnight. It is imperative that the industry does not make the perfect the enemy of the good, and rewards progress. Which, to come full circle, is exactly why I was so pleased to see just how special the accessibility related campaigns were at Cannes this year, and why they won the best awards. They were not cliché or easy, but brilliant examples of work with an impact both within and beyond a jury room. Companies that are able to add to this movement are in for a very exciting journey, and society will be richer as a result.