by Campaign UK
Despite the heartbreak of England’s defeat in the European Championship final, the summer of sport is far from over. Channel 4 has taken up the baton and begun campaigning for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.
The new Paralympic campaign, "Considering What?", marks a fresh start for Channel 4 in Paralympic marketing, moving away from the "
" trilogy that supported the 2012, 2016 and 2020 events. Created by Channel 4’s in-house creative team, 4Creative, the latest campaign builds on previous successes but goes further, challenging viewers to do more.
Like a sprinter taking on his rivals on the track, the campaign challenges people’s reasons for watching the Paralympic Games. In Channel 4’s survey, 60% of people said they watched the Paralympic Games to “see athletes overcome their disabilities”, while only 37% thought the Paralympic Games were an “exciting sporting event”.
A 140-second film shows how Paralympians tackle the same challenges as able-bodied athletes, with 60-, 40-, 20-, and 6-second versions available. Using gravity, friction and time as narrative tools, the film tells the story of Paralympians Aaron Phipps, Sarah Storey and Emmanuel Oyinbo-Coker. The characters symbolise the forces that the athletes need to overcome, rather than "their disabilities", to cross the English Channel with gold medals. The film's director, Steve Rogers, via Biscuit Filmworks UK and Revolver, immediately grabs the audience's attention by sending various living room objects to the ceiling with seemingly supernatural forces.
Breaking the Rules and Challenging Yourself
The film's soundtrack is particularly striking, ditching the catchy, inspirational (and often award-winning) songs of the past in favour of gripping sound design created by Jon Clarke at Factory. The rhythm of objects colliding (friction), eerie laughter (gravity) and clocks ticking (time) gather pace as the audience prepares for the Paralympics.
Compelling outdoor advertising
The outdoor advertising that accompanies the film is also powerful, using striking imagery and concise, powerful copy to convey its message. Phrases such as "That's amazing considering" and "She's incredibly fast for someone in a wheelchair" highlight that praise for these athletes often comes with strings attached. In this ad, these strings are blurred or blocked by the athletes, emphasising that they are unnecessary.
Continuous innovation and progress
Channel 4 has always been innovative in its Paralympic campaign and has never stood still. Its "Super. Human" film won the Grand Prix at the 2022 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, its "We're the superhumans" campaign also won the Grand Prix at the 2016 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, and its "Meet the superhumans" campaign won the Gold Lion in 2012.