We brought together 9 brands to collaborate on our special initiative for #PurpleLightUp Day.
#PurpleLightUp - supporting people with disabilities in the workplace
The Big Idea
At Channel 4, diversity and inclusion is in our DNA –we give away £1M’s worth of airtime each year through our Diversity in Advertising award, and our innovative coverage has brought the Paralympics into the mainstream. Both have helped to bring exposure and challenge perceptions of an importantly underrepresented group in media and advertising but sadly, in everyday life disabled people continue to face prejudice and misrepresentation.
This is especially prevalent in the workplace. 1 in 5 people feel they need to hide their disability from their employers and a reported 59% of people with disabilities feel at risk of losing their jobs because of their disability.
We are a proud member of the charity Purple Space, and wanted to help raise awareness for the second annual #PurpleLightUp initiative - encouraging businesses to “Go Purple” in support of people with disabilities, and celebrating their importance in the workplace.
We knew that Channel 4 would be the perfect partner for this campaign and they surpassed all expectations. “I Don’t Work Properly” was the result of their insurmountable drive and ambition to be a part of real world good. As a result, PurpleSpace received unprecedented levels of positive feedback and engagement in the UK, as well as globally, and we very much look forward to continuing this great success with them again in the future.” – Kate Nash OBE, Founder & CEO, PurpleSpace.
Making it Happen
Working with our creative framework, PL4Y, we created a film that would make people and businesses across the UK take notice and implement change. Our key message was to create a direct, bold call-to-action and let disabled people know that businesses need then.
The film, provocatively entitled ‘I Don’t Work Properly’ featured real employees that thrived in the businesses of our 9 contributing advertisers, and provided a powerful portrayal of the shocking fears that are faced by many disabled people on a daily basis. These myths and fears were then dispelled by The Last Leg’s Adam Hills and the contributors themselves.
Giving the film an impactful environment was key to its success. We created a special break in the Channel 4 News on the day of #PurpleLightUp to launch the film and for the first time EVER, our presenters signed the entire episode of the news live. The film also featured in the breaks of The Last Leg and Sunday Brunch, where Simon Rimmer and Tim Lovejoy celebrated by making purple cocktails, and introduced the clip in editorial time.
The film directed audiences to a bespoke landing page which featured information on how to support the #PurpleLightUp initiative, profiles on the contributors as well as careers pages for the brands featured.
Raised awareness of PurpleLightUp by 136%
to over a quarter of the UK
Increased weekly users of Purple Space by a staggering 944.18%
The Results
The impact of this film was beyond our wildest expectations!
•Raised awareness of PurpleLightUp by 136% to over a quarter of the UK, increasing their weekly users by a staggering 944.18%
•Drove positive action among viewers with 79% of viewers feeling more positive contribution that people with disabilities make in the workplace – a massive 22% shift
•Viewers were empowered to make change – 52% inspired to do more to support colleagues with disability, with 16% planning to set up a disability support group at their place of work
•Most importantly, the film had a profound impact on disabled people – 1 in 3 felt more confident about their own contribution in the workplace, and 42% felt more confident about applying for roles.
•The campaign reached over 2.4m viewers in linear broadcast
Channel 4 are now in discussion with Purple Space about potential careers fair that will bring together disabled talent and businesses. This is just the beginning!
