Are you a marketer’s dream? You might be more than you think!
Whether it’s the pressure of missing out on a great deal that seals it for you or the euphoric promise of model-like looks or effortless charisma that you have come to associate with a particular product or certain service, you are constantly interacting and engaging with ads. Ads are everywhere, everywhere, all at once.
Increasingly now, advertising is being designed, timed, personalised and placed just for you specifically. The psychology behind marketing strategies is all to do with catching your attention, influencing your decisions and being a magnet for your senses.
So, what happens when one of those senses gets taken away?
For example, am I as a disabled woman less easily swayed by advertising campaigns? Am I really more free to make my own choices? Could your company be missing out on my money, (and indeed many millions of my disabled peers) simply due to you not gearing your commercial content to us?
It would seem bizarre at best in our modern-day world where we are so constantly analysed as individuals and where some of our most frequently shopped websites seem to know us better than our besties to allow disability to stand in the way of making a sale. And yet it does – all the time!
Here are some of the mistakes you might well be making when it comes to your marketing which is leaving billions of pounds in blind and visually impaired people’s consumer spend on the table – and totally up for grabs.
Firstly, have you ever been casually scrolling through your favourite social media account of choice, only to stumble upon a trendy new product that seems intriguing? No answer needed – I’m pretty confident that you have. You’re compelled to click the link, the webpage appears on your device and then – just as you’re about to get stuck in – you are CONSUMED by pop-ups advertising and promoting deals, newsletters, discounts and more. Filling your screen like video game fighter pilots, one after the next, blocking your view.
Immediately, you’ve gone from calm, compliant customer to stressed out, disenfranchised ‘fumer’. This is a feeling we are all far too familiar with and, if you can believe it, it’s even more frustrating for someone with low vision.
Many times, these pop ups are so obnoxiously large that they become completely inaccessible, both to screen reader users and to those who use larger fonts on their phone. In other words, they are impossible to do anything with, effectively meaning that we are now locked out from purchasing your products. It’s like a shopkeeper spotting someone strolling down the street straight to their door and then just as they reach for the handle, the shopkeeper automatically leaps up and slams down the shutters. Both parties leave empty handed and down-hearted.
When it comes to television advertising, let’s try an experiment.
I challenge you to close your eyes the next time a show you’re engrossed in cuts to an advert break and see how many of the brands or services you can easily identify. The first thing you will likely notice is how much music is used in advertising as the only sound included. Many times commercial breaks have basically turned into the Top 40 for me – enjoyable to listen to, but I’m totally oblivious to what you’ve spent a hefty chunk of your budget on trying to offer me!
The lack of audio description when it comes to broadcast advertising is eating into your profits. It’s like building the most impressive ship, but never making a sail.
As a result, both sides are missing out on the advert your creative team crafted.
Even simple tweaks such as having an audible ident which can be associated with your brand can make the difference between somebody like me having no idea where I can purchase the product being advertised from to being able to build a meaningful connection with your brand as a consumer who feels valued.
This brings me on to what I think is a point which is most overlooked and underrated, when it comes to appealing to those of us with a disability.
As any keen marketer will know, people buy into your story, into who you are and what you stand for as a brand.
We have all heard many times that people buy from those they know, like and trust. Building that trust takes time.
Often, as a disabled woman, I find myself relying on trust more than the average person would. By the same token, that heightened trust is often matched with a heightened sense of loyalty. In other words, when I find something I like, I tend to stick with it.
While logos, taglines, lettering and flashy lights can of course make a difference, they frequently fade into nothing when compared with making people feel that they have been considered, cared for and that they belong. Making your consumers feel that they matter, whatever their background will compel them more than any amount of fancy fonts, clever puns or persuasive language ever could.
This connection grows in moments where representation, consultation and inclusion are felt by your low vision audience. In the moments where your blind viewers really feel seen by you.
Disability or no disability, we want to be courted when it comes to advertising and promotions. Teased and enticed, engaged and intrigued. Just like the mysterious and charismatic stranger who captures our attention on a blind date, appealing to all of our senses. If you’ve got it, flaunt it. And if you can deliver on your promises on top of that – well, we’re all yours!