(Image: Canva/Daniel Adams diversifylens)

Have you ever thought about how accessible your TV ad is for someone with hearing loss?

With subtitles now a familiar part of social media and video-on-demand, the expectation for accessible content is higher than ever. But what happens when an advert begins and someone is excluded from the message because they’re unable to hear or understand it due to hearing loss, tinnitus, or deafness?

According to RNID (a charity supporting people with hearing loss), 1 in 3 adults in the UK are deaf, have hearing loss or tinnitus. That’s the equivalent of 18 million adults who may struggle to engage with or understand TV ads.

The easiest way to make your ad more inclusive is to add subtitles. They don’t require you to change your creative or narrative, and can be submitted as a separate file to ad clearing services which means they won’t delay the approval of your campaign.

So why not take a simple step that could open your ad up to 18 million more people? Adding subtitles isn’t just about accessibility, it’s about inclusivity.

Credit: Caitlin Blue, AV Planner/Buyer