1 in 4 Americans has a disability, yet rarely products and experiences are designed with this community in mind. This is unacceptable.?

How could we send a rallying cry to the whole world, that signals the start of a revolution in product design?

With PR news of Degree Inclusive reached 2 billion earned impressions in 12 days.

Degree Inclusive?is?the world’s first deodorant for people with visual impairment and upper limb disabilities - we show people with disabilities their needs are being listened to. And challenge the industry to consider the needs of people with disabilities when developing products.

Most people take deodorant for granted. But if you’re a person with a disability, doing things many other people take for granted – going out, getting to work, exercising - can take real effort. People with disabilities often apply deodorant multiple times daily, but trying to unscrew the cap, twist a stick or press a spray with physical limitations is a challenge, if not impossible.

We believe the 22 million Americans with permanent disabilities affecting their arms and/or vision should be able to take care of their hygiene needs independently.

Degree, the world’s #1 deodorant, has an inclusive purpose – “To inspire confidence in everyone to move more.” The brand recognizes that movement matters for both physical and mental health, but the product itself wasn’t accessible to people with a disability.

How could we send a rallying cry that signals the start of a revolution in product design?

We wanted to revolutionize deodorant design to include everyone, however they are able to move. Degree Inclusive is the world’s first inclusive deodorant for people who are blind or have limited sight and for people with upper limb mobility difficulties – and many of us who lose vision or mobility as we get older.

By co-creating with the disability community, we have designed a deodorant that’s easier to handle, identify, open, close and apply. It can be opened and used even without hands by using your mouth or feet.

We believe that inclusive design is simply better design, and the result is also gender neutral and refillable.

Our aim was to drive US-first mass media awareness for Degree Inclusive, and focus our awareness and build credibility with people living with disabilities.

We reframed disability positively within the media and challenged conventional design by getting the world excited about the first deodorant designed for people living with disabilities by people living with disabilities.

A simple but effective strategy:

- Earned media: mass outreach to generate maximum impact at launch, while leveraging product creators and C-suite executives at Unilever to speak to product design and commitments.

- Earned social: leveraged influential people with disabilities to generate awareness and excitement within the disabled community.

- Collaboration with expert partners: built credibility by working with key NGO’s like Muscular Dystrophy Association, The Lighthouse Chicago and Open Style Lab.

- Collaboration with consumers: invited 200 people with disabilities to trial the prototype design and give their feedback on concept, product features, messaging.

We put people with disabilities, their needs and their stories front and centre of the communication.

The process of developing the product was inclusive from the beginning. We ideated, co-created and launched this design together with the disabled community.

Similarly, the communication was inclusive. The key media spokesperson was the agency’s disabled designer who led the product development. The launch featured two hero films telling the story of Nick, a barber with no hands who is also a boxer and Maria, who is blind and roller skates beautifully. We framed their narratives positively by portraying the truth of their experience in an unflinching and empowering way.

Their stories and the story of the product and its co-collaborators were told on social media and were embraced and amplified by the disabled community - as well as by some of the most high-profile media outlets in the US and beyond.

The results include 2 billion earned media and earned-social impressions in the first 12 days. 130+ articles were 100% positive, included 100% brand messaging and nearly every article included Degree in the headline. Key coverage included Good Morning America, The Wall Street Journal, ABC News, Fast Company, Forbes, CNET, ELLE, Allure, Glamour, The Daily Mail, The Independent, Adweek and many more.

The brand also doubled the average organic engagement on a Degree post or the competition with a rate of 9.8%.

These earned media results and shareability on social media led to a significant impact: the wider disabled community responded to the brand in droves. Degree received thousands of messages, social posts and comments from the people who were inspired by the brand showcasing this testament to just how vital this product innovation is, and how long the community has waited.