At Purple Goat Agency, we are proud to be the world’s first disability-led, social-first marketing agency. We guide brands in creating the most progressive and inclusive, marketing campaigns, representative of our diverse world. Our speciality lies in influencer and creator-first marketing. We believe by individuals sharing their unique lived experiences, we can add a personal touch to content, making it more engaging and creative for a broader audience. It’s all about genuine and impactful connections. As the Global Client Director at Purple Goat Agency, I am proud to be a part of their journey to creating a positive impact.
About Purple Goat Agency
Purple Goat Agency, founded by our CEO Martyn Sibley, recognised a unique opportunity to authentically represent the disabled community in advertising by utilising the community themselves. By harnessing the power of disabled creators and influencers, we create the most engaging, progressive, and representative campaigns. We recognise the concerning levels of representation in media, which often portrays a polarised view of disability—either triumphing over adversity or eliciting pity.
At Purple Goat, we see people as people, embracing their intersectional identities with disability as just one part of who they are. Beyond our social-first content creation, we provide a safe space for organisations to explore and embrace inclusion. We’re here to support brands as they dip their toes into inclusive practices, encouraging them to ask any questions they might have. This approach helps brands grow more comfortable and confident, leading to more naturally inclusive decisions as they move forward.
Common misrepresentations of disability
One major issue we face is the glaring lack of good disability representation in the media, if we use TV ads as an example—only 0.9% of them feature disabled individuals. Of that small percentage, only 16% showcase what we’d call normalised or incidental representation. A common mistake is depicting disability solely as someone in a wheelchair, despite wheelchair users comprising only 8% of the disabled population. This narrow portrayal fails to reflect the reality that nearly 80% of disabled people have non-visible disabilities. Proper representation requires direct engagement with the disabled community to capture the true diversity and richness of their experiences.
Brands often miss the mark because they aren’t working closely with disabled individuals. Engaging with these communities is crucial; they provide insights and nuances that outsiders wouldn’t naturally consider. For instance, community members can share how they would approach various scenarios, bringing authenticity to the representation. Without this collaboration, brands are likely to continue perpetuating stereotypes and missing out on the opportunity to connect with a disabled audiences.
Another misconception is the assumption that living with a disability is inherently negative. For many, including myself, life with a disability is not a negative experience. The media has long perpetuated the idea that disability is something to be pitied or overcome, creating a false dichotomy where disability is bad and non-disability is good. This simplistic narrative fails to capture the complexity of real life. Disabled people experience relationships, joy, and everyday activities like anybody else. It’s time to move beyond one-dimensional portrayals and recognise the full spectrum of human experience.
Good representation
A good representation of disability starts with involving the community from the beginning of any process. Research shows that the most diverse teams yield the best results, fostering happiness and creativity. If we had proportional representation in every space and company, we would naturally consider these communities in all decisions. The ultimate goal is to ensure that disabled individuals have a consistent presence and voice at the table, making inclusion an inherent part of the conversation. This approach would remove many barriers we currently face in achieving authentic representation.
Effective representation leans into the lived experiences of disabled individuals without trying to simplify or sanitise their stories. It’s about making these narratives as human as possible. We shouldn’t push disability to the forefront unless it’s naturally part of the conversation, nor should we shy away from it. Instead, we should embrace the full spectrum of human experience, including the ups and downs. Authentic representation acknowledges that disabled people have diverse, rich lives that aren’t defined solely by their disabilities. This nuanced approach helps combat the limited and often misleading portrayals we see in the media.
Good representation ultimately requires individuals and brands to commit to doing better work. This means not only increasing the visibility of disabled people but also ensuring that their stories are told accurately and respectfully. It’s about recognising that everyone has good and bad days and that disability is just one aspect of a person’s identity. By directly involving the community and respecting their voice, we can create more genuine and thought-provoking narratives. This commitment to authenticity in representation is crucial for fostering a more inclusive society.
Lagging behind
Many industries lag in implementing inclusion and accessibility because they are resistant to change and uncertain about the outcomes. When we advise brands to shift from their current practices to more inclusive ones, it often requires them to step out of their comfort zones. This transition can be challenging, especially for organisations that are uncomfortable with uncertainty. They might fear the unknown results of adopting new practices and prefer to stick with what they know. This reluctance to change can significantly slow down progress towards genuine inclusion.
To overcome this, we encourage brands to adopt a mindset of openness and flexibility. Organisations must be willing to evolve, learn, and iterate their practices over time. By being open to new inclusive opportunities and processes, they can gradually improve their approach to inclusion and accessibility. Embracing this iterative process allows them to adapt and grow, ensuring that they are doing better work and also creating a more inclusive environment. This willingness to learn and evolve is key to moving industries forward and achieving inclusion and accessibility.
Incomplete knowledge
A lot of exclusionary and inaccessible decisions stem from not knowing better. Many people don’t make inclusive choices because they aren’t educated about being representative. If everyone had complete knowledge about disability and inclusion, they would naturally make more inclusive decisions. This is why educating people and building their disability confidence is so crucial. The IDEA handbook plays a vital role in this education process. Through providing comprehensive information and insights, it helps individuals and organisations gain the confidence and understanding needed to break down barriers. As people become more informed, they start making naturally inclusive decisions, leading to a more equitable and accessible world.
As organisations and individuals, we must take steps to educate and upskill those around us, understanding that achieving a naturally inclusive environment will take time. Tools like the IDEA handbook are crucial in this journey, as they help build resources that foster better engagement, understanding, and representation of disabled individuals. Through collaboration with the community to create these resources, we can start a more progressive conversation. This is not just a ‘nice-to-have’; it is a fundamental aspect that should be integrated into every decision and activity from start to finish. By prioritising this approach, we will see powerful and valuable results in developing more inclusive and accessible workspaces for the future.