In this week’s egtabite we explore an initiative carried out recently by ITV on the occasion of the Deaf Awareness Week, which included a special silent ad-break takeover.

Well-loved by ITV’s audience and reaching millions of viewers every weekday, Loose Women has made its mark by providing a platform for women of all walks of life to discuss issues that are important to them. It is not just a talk show, but a vibrant celebration of womanhood, embracing the diversity and complexity of the female experience in a wonderfully refreshing way.
From breaking down stereotypes, and championing body positivity, to tackling hard-hitting topics with grace, humour and empathy, Loose Women has firmly placed itself at the heart of the UK’s daytime TV schedule. Each ‘Loose Woman’ brings her unique voice to the table, ensuring that a wide variety of viewpoints are explored and celebrated. This lends to the show’s dynamism, keeping the discussions fresh, relevant, and reflective of British society.

Collaboration with the deaf community

As part of Deaf Awareness Week, running from the 2nd – 8th May 2023, a fully accessible special episode of Loose Women aired, featuring a fantastic panel including Rose Ayling-Ellis – BAFTA winner and Strictly Come Dancing star. Rose brought a poignant first-hand perspective on the realities of everyday life as a deaf person, sharing her experiences with humour, honesty and warmth, and bringing a refreshing and memorable energy to the show.
The Loose Women team worked alongside charities Royal National Institute for Deaf People, Sign Health and The Deaf Collective, and the show’s audience was made up of the deaf community, along with family, friends and BSL (British Sign Language) signers, with captions available to the live audience to make the live show accessible. During the episode, Loose Women fans were able to watch a linear feed with subtitles, or access a version on ITVX with subtitles and an ‘in vision’ signer.

Silent ad-break

To further emphasise the themes of accessibility and inclusion that the episode embodied, ITV Commercial also worked with advertising partners, including Cadburys, Aldi, Boots Hearingcare, McCain’s and HSL, to create a very special silent ad-break.
The ad break takeover emulated the deaf experience by presenting all audiences with silent TV commercials. Captions and sign language interpretation were included to make the ads accessible and to highlight the value of these access services.

More on this topic

Discover egta’s special Expert Series on ad accessibility. The series showcases thought-provoking interviews with esteemed industry experts who have been at the forefront of driving change and championing accessibility, featuring Josh Loebner (Global Head of Inclusive Design, Wunderman Thompson), David Padmore (Director of Accessibility, ITV), Chris Goldson (Director of Commercial Marketing & Pitch Development, ITV) and Taide Guajardo (Chief Brand Officer P&G Europe).

Listen on Spotify or watch the videos.

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