Bupa’s latest campaign, 'Beyond the Games', is making waves as the first commercial production to be officially certified by Inclusively Made. Created by Thinkerbell, the campaign marks a significant stride in inclusive advertising, prioritising diversity and accessibility at every stage of production.

Inclusively Made certification ensures that people with disabilities are represented both on-screen and behind the scenes. The campaign positions Bupa as the official healthcare partner of the Australian Paralympic Team. The collaboration with Inclusively Made allowed Thinkerbell to include inclusive mentees on set and address accessibility challenges during post-production.

The success of the campaign underscores the importance of planning for inclusion from the outset and challenges the industry to view inclusivity as an enhancer of creativity, not a hindrance.

Jim Ingram, Founder and Chief Tinker at Thinkerbell, reflected on his own journey towards understanding the role of diversity and inclusion in his work. “I realised I had been overlooking the role of diversity and inclusion in the work that I’d been creating," he said.

Ainsley Campbell, Bupa’s Senior Manager of Brand Campaigns, emphasised the importance of authenticity in representing inclusion.

“Inclusion was non-negotiable from the start of this project, and that's why we wanted to work with a partner like Inclusively Made so that authenticity of that inclusion was represented throughout the project.”

Sean McNicholas, Head Tinker at Thinkerbell, highlighted the benefits of partnering with Inclusively Made.

"Often we don't consider inclusivity until kind of further down the track, but partnering with Inclusively Made allowed us to think about that from the outset, which made including an inclusive process really easy and seamless throughout," he said.

Di Nash, Head Production Tinker at Thinkerbell, shared her initial apprehensions about inclusion and how the process became more manageable.

“Inclusion seemed a little overwhelming to start with, but as we worked our way through the program, we realised that little by little, just small changes through the whole production process really added up to a lot by the end.”

Ingram expressed his hopes for the future of the industry, urging other agencies and brands to embrace inclusion and diversity.

“My hope for other agencies and brands is that they just embrace inclusion and diversity in the same way that we have, and see it not as a barrier to success or creativity, but as something that can actually amplify all those things.”