: Ads for All: Inclusive marketing comes of age with Audio descriptions this Super Bowl #IndiaNEWS #Global Samosa With Tide becoming the first brand to air a spot with audio descriptions during Super

Ads for All: Inclusive marketing comes of age with Audio descriptions this Super Bowl #IndiaNEWS #Global Samosa
With Tide becoming the first brand to air a spot with audio descriptions during Super Bowl, we take a look at what brands stand to win with inclusive advertising.

If you have ever boarded a train from a suburban station in Mumbai, it is likely that you have heard a beeping buzzer near the spot where the coaches meant for Divyanjan are supposed to halt. It is supposed to help visually impaired commuters in locating the coach. The idea behind the installation is that sound can be used to help make spaces and communication inclusive. In the digital world, this is something that can be achieved with the help of audio descriptions, to make both content and advertising, inclusive.

Audio descriptions are a form of narration that described everything on the screen. The visual description makes the content richer, and more accessible to those who depend on just audio to access it. Usually, it is an added audio track that goes parallel to the dialogues and other sounds.

Netflix has made several titles available in the audio-described format. Facebook and Twitter have also been working in the space, using AI for automatic alternative text (Facebook) and by nudging users to add image descriptions in tweets that contain pictures.

Saksham Trust is an NGO that is working towards making Indian movies accessible in a similar format — they were the ones responsible for getting Dangal audio-described and available for broadcast.

Proud moment for SAKSHAM!#Dangal to be available for the visual & hearing impaired on Zee Cinema on 15th August at 12 pm#IAmSaksham pic. twitter. com/iijI4woubP— SAKSHAM (@SakshamTrust) August 14, 2017

One of the hurdles in such efforts is that the audio descriptions are usually added after the entire content piece has been made, instead of having the format in mind while conceptualising the idea. Another major issue is that these ads require more technological advancement for being broadcasted properly — something digital ads can bypass easily.

P&G is a company that has been putting in efforts to change this, on a global level with Sumaira Latif, Company Accessibility Leader at Procter & Gamble, spearheading the efforts.

Back in 2016, when P&G released a Flash ad featuring a singing dog, Latif, a blind person, was unable to understand the humour in it. While the song could be heard, it was only after she saw the ad with the audio description that she could truly appreciate the ad. It had helped complete the picture, making it more meaningful — for all.

It led her to work on the issue at P&G, helping the brand realise the importance of making their ads accessible in the audio-described format.