We’re pleased to announce our brand-new Audio Description (AD) service, designed to help blind or partially sighted people to engage with advertising.
Making ads accessible isn’t a “nice to have” – it’s essential if campaigns are to truly reach and reflect the whole of the UK. Access services like subtitles or audio description allow your ad to reach the millions of people living with sight or hearing loss. And while this additional reach is obviously a huge win for inclusion, it’s also a huge win for business. Accessible advertising can affect brand perception, trust and loyalty, strengthening both commercial and cultural value.
For more, see the Ad Accessibility Network’s eight reasons for prioritising accessibility.
At Clearcast, we’ve been championing this for years – we even won the Social Impact EASA award for our #AdsForAll campaign in 2024. In encouraging the industry to take accessibility seriously, we launched our very own Subtitling service, which aimed to reduce some of the barriers to use, by making it cost effective and simple to order.
And while there’s been some definite progress around subtitles, most notably with Channel 4’s recent mandate which requires all ads on their channels to carry closed captions, we feel its time that audio description gets some attention too.
We’ve encouraged the adoption of audio description and explained why embracing it is worthwhile. However, we haven’t offered our own AD solution. Until today. We’ve now expanded our commitment to accessibility by partnering with The Voiceover Gallery to launch Clearcast Audio Description – supporting brands to make sure no audience is left behind.
What is AD?
AD is an additional voiceover track that describes what’s happening on screen. When switched on by the consumer, it’s plays alongside the original audio to ensure the story, meaning and key details are delivered. Really good AD is written specifically for each ad, capturing visual cues such as actions, body language, setting and text. It must also be precisely timed, fitting naturally into pauses in dialogue, so that it complements – rather than disrupts – the creative. This isn’t simple, but when done well, it’s very effective. Clearcast Audio Description is expertly written, recorded, mixed and edited to integrate seamlessly with your ad in this way.
Does it really help?
Around 3% of people in the UK live with sight loss – more than 2 million people – and AD is recognised as a critical access service for them. To understand why it matters, try this: next time you’re watching an ad break, close your eyes. Do you know what products are being advertised? Can you follow what’s happening on screen? Are you still informed, entertained and engaged?
Let’s recap
Clearcast Audio Description:
- Has just launched (although its something we’ve championed for a while!)
- Genuinely helps people to engage with advertising
- Is great for business
- Is created by experts with care
Seems like a bit of a no-brainer.
So, get in touch with us today for great‑quality audio description for your ad.
And just let us know if you’d like the ultimate dream team of audio description AND subtitles, so that people with hearing and sight loss are both considered.