Shift 20 Launches ‘80 for 20’ For Media Owners to Support Disability Rep in Advertising

The Shift 20 Initiative, in partnership with PHD and Special, will today unveil a powerful new program, ‘80 for 20’, designed to accelerate disability representation in advertising by unlocking added value media space for any brand across Australia, regardless of agency.

Launching on 'International Day of People with Disability' (IDPWD), the partnership unites Australia's largest and most influential media owners, creating a new, large-scale brand incentive.

Continuing to reshape the industry, '80 for 20' will directly amplify brands that cast inclusively of disability, including from Shift 20’s world-first, open-source TikTok casting platform ‘Shift 20 Casting Call’.

'80 for 20' will see each media owner committing up to 20% added value media to every advertiser with a paid campaign, for including people with disability in their creative, showcasing their commitment to increasing disability representation.

80% of each media placement will support each brand’s creative, while 20% will be used to showcase the brand’s involvement in shifting perceptions around disability through Shift 20.

With support including Amazon, ARN, Foxtel, JCDecaux, News, Nova, oOh!, Paramount, QMS, SBS, SCA, SEN, Seven, TikTok, Val Morgan Cinema, and VMO, a significant amplification fund has been established for brands to draw down from in exchange for their commitment to disability representation in the advertising industry.

This includes featuring talent with disability within their ads, which research shows is a proven driver of growth -- with campaigns seeing 18% higher engagement and 65% higher return on investment.

Moving beyond the single-day focus of IDPWD, the program will be running for 12 months, highlighting the fact that inclusion of people with disability should be a year-round standard.

The incentive gives brands access to additional outdoor, radio, social, screens, print, and digital media placements, and is a move that creates a powerful commercial incentive for brands to accelerate disability representation.

The data shows that casting inclusively can lead to 33% higher strong consideration and Shift 20’s research with The Research Agency, found that 48% of Australians are more likely to purchase from brands that include people with disability in their advertising.

Driven by PHD across some of Australia's largest media channels, '80 for 20' will see significant advertising space diverted to brands featuring talent with disability, making this one of the country’s most sizeable commitments to inclusive representation, a commitment the Shift 20 Initiative is keen to further encourage, inviting any media partners looking to join the '80 for 20' program to contact the PHD team.

Simon Lawson, managing director at PHD, said, “This partnership proves what's possible when the industry comes together to support genuine, positive change and I want to acknowledge and thank all the media owners who've so generously committed their support.

"This is a great example of media owners and agencies working together to create a positive impact on society. Inclusive ads don't just feel better though, they perform better, driving over a 16% uplift in long-term sales according to Oxford University.”

Dylan Alcott, AO said, “This is bigger than one campaign or one brand. This is about responding to a clear demand from the Australian public, with research showing that 2/3 of consumers feel more positively about a brand that includes people with disability.

"This incentive is not just about giving people with disability the opportunities they deserve on screen, but also about all of us as an industry working together to make a lasting impact and closing the gap between what we see on screen and everyday Australians with disability. To see so many different parts of the media landscape coming together for this is bloody incredible.”

Peter Cvetkovski and Adam Ferrie, creative directors at Special, added, “We're seeing ads that are inclusive of disability generate huge positive engagement. '80 for 20' isn't just about offering free media, it's about amplifying creativity that genuinely cuts through for those who should be able to see themselves represented in everyday advertising -- but we know also builds brand affinity, and starts conversations."

This launch marks the next major step for the Shift 20 Initiative, founded by the Dylan Alcott Foundation, which has gained significant traction since it began in 2023. The first phase, the 'Unignorable Ad Break', successfully placed the issue on the industry's agenda by partnering with major brands to swap hero talent.

This was followed by the launch of 'Shift 20 Casting Call' last year, which eliminated barriers and provided the industry with the access to talent with disability around the country. '80 for 20' now provides a powerful incentive to ensure it is adopted at scale.

The Shift 20 Initiative, alongside leading partners like Uber, THE ICONIC, and Anytime Fitness who are utilising 'Shift 20 Casting Call' for their ongoing campaigns, is paving new avenues for representation and opening up real industry opportunities for people with disability, a movement that will now be significantly amplified by the introduction of '80 for 20'.