Layla Lusby
Universal Parks
This is an assignment from my People Centered Copywrite class. This unit was on age & ableism, and we were challenged to find the best way to represent older people or disabled people in advertising.
Research
Research Question: “How can physically disabled people be better represented in spaces that are not designed for them?”
Since we’re working backwards with this unit, I thought it would be interesting to look at theme parks, since a lot of them aren’t very accommodating with the way their attractions are designed. On the topic of anti-deficit language, I thought it would be interesting to make ads centered around what physically disabled people can do and what’s already available to them rather than being like ‘oh sorry, we’ll do better!’
Strategy
The conclusion I came to was that in advertising (and media in general) the best way to approach representation is to allow people to exist without being framed as out of the ordinary or as a problem to be solved. The personas and language rules I created follow these principles.
Ad Executions
#AllInclusiveUniversal
"Everyone deserves a chance to live their fantasy. Join us at Universal for a chance to get away and slip into some of your favorite classic movies."
With this campaign, and this ad specifically, I merely want to include people of different abilities along with a collective. I want to avoid visually pushing a disabled person into the spotlight so that the ad doesn’t read as performative or pandering. Instead, I just want to show them having fun in the world of one of Universal’s iconic media properties. I think showing them in a group of other people creates a connotation of setting a norm, and putting them on the same page and platform as everyone else. I also think that the environment of this ad specifically is indicative of how immersive and multi-sensory the attractions are. Showcasing different Universal properties across the campaign is also a great way to capture different audiences and display the variety of experiences and rides at the theme park.
"Embrace your inner child with us at Universal Studios. With different experiences and worlds to explore, everyone is sure to have a great day."
So, all of these ads are the same premise, where I just have people who are disabled enjoying the parks like everyone else.This ad in particular depicts one of the features of the park, meeting costumed characters, that the previous one doesn’t. This is a part of theme parks that are typically marketed toward children (hence the line ‘embrace your inner child’ in the body copy), but I wanted to show adults engaging with it too. I’m an adult who loves superheroes, and I almost cried meeting Baymax at Disney in 2019. Let’s normalize those experiences. I also chose to include Marvel in these ads because it’s a very very popular franchise that takes up a lot of physical space at the Universal theme park.
"Still waiting on your letter from Hogwarts? Skip the wait, and make the journey to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter."
Once again, just some people enjoying a theme park. But, in case you haven’t noticed, all of my main copy headlines are rewritten iconic quotes from the properties within Universal that are being advertised. I think this one is the most obvious, so I’m choosing to mention it here. It’s meant to reinforce the association of the theme park with loveable and widely recognized media franchises. That way, people who aren’t necessarily into theme parks or feel inclined to ride the rides will still be drawn to it and understand that there are still things to enjoy at Universal.