British broadcaster Channel 4 has launched its new campaign film ‘Considering What?’ ahead of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. 

Created by Channel 4’s in-house agency 4creative, the campaign seeks to challenge the public's perceptions of Paralympians, encouraging viewers to see them as elite athletes rather than competitors “overcoming” their disabilities.

The campaign launched on July 12, and comes after research commissioned by Channel 4 revealed that nearly 60 percent of viewers watch the Paralympics to ‘see athletes overcoming their disabilities,’ whereas only 37 percent watch it for ‘exciting sporting competition.’ 

The campaign aims to shift this narrative, focusing on the athletes' sporting excellence.

The video personifies the elements of the world — gravity, friction, and time — showing that these elements make no exceptions for any athlete, regardless of disability. 

Gravity is depicted as a taunting, shirtless man, friction appears as an abrasive racer in a yellow sports car, and time is personified as a woman with a stopwatch.

The elements, respectively, are shown challenging wheelchair rugby star Aaron Phipps, multi-gold medallist Sarah Storey and sprinter Emmanuel Oyinbo-Coker. 

The spin here is that the film shows athletes overcoming these elements, not their own disabilities. 

Simultaneously, the film is capturing the reactions of audiences watching the Paralympics, some of whom - although well-intentioned - say things like: “He’s incredible… for someone like that.” and “They’re so brave, considering…” 

“Considering what?” the ad asks. 

Lynsey Atkin, Executive Creative Director of 4creative, explains: “Excellence is excellent, no caveats. How strange that as audiences we watch one of the world’s most elite sporting events with our heads tilted and our amazement seemingly tempered. Gravity, friction, time — the unchangeable forces of our world dictate what it means to be the best on the pitch, in the pool, on the court, on the track. They offer no head starts, no free passes, no patronising pat on the head and another go around.”

Supporting the TV campaign is an out-of-home campaign, featuring posters of Paralympians and a mural by disabled artist Florence Burns. 

These collaterals convey the ‘Considering What?’ message by adding a strikethrough across well-meaning but patronising phrases that are commonly associated with Paralympic athletes. 

Channel 4’s Chief Marketing Officer Katie Jackson highlights the significance of the campaign: “... The Paralympics is one of the greatest sporting events in the world, drawing many millions of viewers. And that’s just it. This is sport, where athletic prowess takes centre stage and excellence wins above all else. As we show Paralympians battling against the very real forces of our world, we wanted to highlight the pure power and energy of world-class athleticism. Because at the end of the day, sport doesn’t care about disability. Paris, we’re coming for you.”

Watch the full film here and let us know your thoughts below.