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By Ellen Ormesher, Senior Reporter

May 9, 2023 | 3 min read

The broadcaster partnered with disability equality charity Scope to bring the campaign to screens.

Disabled people who rely on energy to move around, speak and breathe risk losing their independence, health and wellbeing amid soaring energy prices and the cost of living crisis.

Following the insight that one in four disabled people who rely on medical equipment have had to switch it off to save money, Scope and ITV partnered to raise awareness of the vital work Scope is doing to support disabled people across the UK.

As Paul Fuller, executive director of partnerships at Scope, explains: “Life costs a lot more when you’re disabled. The energy crisis has been tough for us all, but for disabled people it can be about the cost of breathing or the cost of speaking or moving.

“We hope this advert will highlight this, as well as letting disabled people who are facing difficulties know that Scope is here to help.”

The campaign was developed after ITV’s winning entry into the Promax UK Charity Challenge 2022, for which Scope was the charity partner.

The challenge was launched in 2003 by Promax, the industry community for television marketing and creative. Companies pitched their concepts and campaign ideas to Promax UK judges and Scope.

The advert is to air throughout May and June from today, including during tonight’s I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here. It features six disabled actors, in scenarios inspired by the thousands of devastating stories Scope has heard from disabled people since energy costs began to surge.

It will be one of a handful of accessible TV ads, with full captions and the option of audio descriptions to appear on ITV.

Due to the sensitive nature of the campaign, extra precautions were taken during the production process to meet the needs of the actors involved, including accessible sets, bespoke transport for the actors, quiet rooms and limited set times to address fatigue, as well as on-set British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters.

The ‘Cost of Breathing’ campaign will feature on billboards across the UK throughout May thanks to further pro-bono support from the outdoor advertising company Clear Channel UK.

Creative Creative Works ITV

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