2013 winner: Channel 4, Customer Insight - case study

Are we equal yet?

Channel 4 has a public remit to champion alternative voices and make us see the world differently. With the Paralympics, we saw the opportunity to advance this approach.

Unlike other broadcasters we would champion the Paralympics as the equal of The Olympics. Not only that, we would schedule them as a mainstream event, seeking out huge audience figures.

Changing your perception

However, audience research told us that viewers were uncomfortable being presented with disability, and interest in the Paralympic Games was very low. So we set about understanding exactly what was causing people to feel so negatively towards the Paralympic games.

We used innovative, longitudinal research to devise and shape a challenging strategy and compelling creative campaign in the face of much scepticism, which forced people to sit up and pay attention to Paralympic athletes, tackling prejudices head on and delivering a compelling reason to watch the Games.

Paralympics proving to be an inspiration

And it worked. We more than achieved our viewing targets, delivered a 251% increase in viewers over the previous Paralympic Games. The vast majority of viewers agreed that Paralympic athletes were just as talented as their Olympic cousins. And we demonstrably and positively shifted public perceptions towards disability in the UK.

This paper details how research, and the audience insight it generated, was fundamental to that success.

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