Promoting the Ability to Play

I am pretty sure you have identified the sign. From Decades, this icon denoting a person in a wheelchair has been used to represent people with physical disabilities. We all recognize the symbol — but does it fully reflect what these physically challenged people are capable of? No, they are capable of so much more.

It's time for us to understand and appreciate their abilities. So, to highlight people's abilities instead, Decathlon Canada developed an initiative called 'Ability Sign', which depicts people in wheelchairs playing sports. The brand celebrates sports enthusiasts who have a physical disability with ability signs.

?The brand took the typical physical disability symbol and gave it a twist, challenging all of us to look at disabilities through a different lens.

The strategy behind the movement is to inspire people and organizations to reflect better the world of possibilities that exist and broaden how we see people with disabilities. Decathlon's mission at the highest level is to make the pleasures and benefits of sports accessible to the many, and that mission affects everything that the brand does. The brand believes that participation in sports should be accessible to a wide range of people and that everyone can benefit from an active lifestyle. That includes people with disabilities, or we can say people with special abilities.

Diversity and inclusion are essential at Decathlon Canada, and a willingness to be open to all people resonates across the organization. Some Decathlon employees are living with disabilities, and Decathlon has devoted energy and resources to ensure these individuals have what they need to thrive in their workplace.

The campaign was a success, the sign launch started with signage to be presented inside Decathlon stores, but the campaign quickly gained traction as people discovered the impact of these ability signs. The idea resonated with people; the brand even had some individuals asking us for additional icons. Some people were also looking for a specific symbol to reflect a loved one's journey with the sport while living with a physical disability.

This latest batch of signs was inspired by winter sports, taking the current total sign count to 18. The number of characters created will continue to grow as the Decathlon team receives more requests. They also made a set of Instagram filters, so to create a new icon, you can point your phone at a traditional disability icon and apply a virtual filter.

The Ability Signs gathered over 227M organic and media impressions four weeks after its launch. There was a lot of media coverage, including La Presse, TVA, and CBC in Canada, Le Parisien, Démotivateur, and Trendwatching internationally. The website generated 5k visitors and nearly 2k icon downloads. The Giphy stickers suite generated 600k impressions on Instagram. (Strategy Awards ★ 2022 Winner ★, n.d.)

This is a perfect example of an experiential store setting, the best value for your money, and a positive community impact. The Ability Signs initiative is a unique way to reinforce this positive community impact. And as aspiring marketers, we need to build communities, look out for existing communities, and talk about growth as a whole.

References –

Strategy Awards ★ 2022 Winner ★. (n.d.). Strategy Awards ★ 2022 Winner ★. Retrieved November 14, 2022, from https://awards.strategyonline.ca/winners/winner/2022/?e=140101&n=Ability+Signs

https://abilitysigns.ca/. (n.d.). Retrieved November 14, 2022, from https://abilitysigns.ca/

Fuhs, D. (2022, March 3). Decathlon Canada Updates Symbol of Access with Ability Signs Concept. Retail Insider. Retrieved November 14, 2022, from https://retail-insider.com/bulletin/2022/03/decathlon-canada-updates-symbol-of-access-with-ability-signs-concept/