Ahead of World Sight Day (Thursday, 9 October, 2025), McCann Manchester has launched Alt by Default, an initiative created to close the significant accessibility gap in advertising for visually impaired audiences.
With 16% of the global population living with some degree of visual impairment (WHO, 2023), only 10% of TV ads worldwide currently include accessibility features, and in the UK, the figure is just 1% (both figures XR Global Ad Accessibility Report, 2025). More than two million people are currently living with sight loss, a number expected to double by 2050 (RNIB, 2025).
To mark World Sight Day, an international event that raises awareness of blindness and visual impairment, McCann’s Alt by Default initiative aims to address this stark imbalance by integrating audio description (AD) into all TV adverts with participating clients and brands wherever possible, and setting a new standard for inclusive advertising across the industry.
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Jordan McDowell, head of strategy at McCann Manchester and co-chair of the agency’s DE&I Council, spearheads the initiative. He said: “Advertising has the power to connect, inspire and include, but for too long whole communities have been left out. People living with sight loss experience the world differently, yet the majority of TV campaigns still fail to consider how they engage with them. With Alt by Default, we’re challenging the industry to do better. We’re proving that accessibility doesn’t have to be an afterthought – it can be built in from the start, enriching the creative process, broadening reach, and making campaigns more meaningful for everyone.”
Leading the charge, Jammie Dodgers has become the first of McCann’s clients to embrace the initiative. The brand’s ‘Jam-packed with mischief’ advert is now airing with audio description across a host of BVOD channels and streaming services, including ITVX, Channel 4, Sky, Amazon Prime, Netflix, and Disney+. This move sets a powerful precedent for others in the industry to follow.
Davina Valetti, marketing controller for Jammie Dodgers, part of Fox’s Burton’s Companies (FBC) UK, said: “We’re proud to be part of the Alt by Default initiative. This is about making sure everyone can share in the joy and mischief of our brand. We hope this inspires others to join the movement and make accessibility a priority.”
The creative vision for Alt by Default is championed by Hannah Tudor, senior social creative at McCann Manchester. Her personal experience as a visually impaired advertising professional was crucial to the project’s development.
“As someone living with sight loss, I’ve experienced first-hand how it feels to be on the outside of cultural moments that so many people take for granted. I know how powerful and validating it is to feel included, and that’s what this initiative is all about,” she explained. “Alt by Default is a commitment to ensuring that advertising is accessible to everyone. It means that brands like Jammie Dodgers aren’t just seen – they’re heard and felt, allowing the visually impaired community to connect with them in a meaningful way. This is a huge step towards fostering a genuine sense of belonging and making inclusivity the norm within the industry.”
Audio description provides a narrated track that details key visual elements, such as actions, settings, and body language, not delivered through dialogue or sound effects. The feature allows those with visual impairments to fully experience the richness and intent of each advert.
Working in collaboration with CRAFT Manchester as a production partner and XR Extreme, closed captions and audio description specialists, Alt by Default aims to prioritise AD-ready creative concepts from the beginning, enabling audio description on all viable campaigns, and establishing subtitling as standard practice. With other McCann offices in the UK also looking to adopt the initiative, the agency is poised to set a new benchmark for modern advertising. As more clients get involved, the agency is calling on other brands and agencies to make AD-ready TV campaigns the new industry standard.
McDowell added: “Campaigns designed to work with audio description, avoiding dense dialogue, limiting excessive jump cuts, and focusing on visual clarity, are the same campaigns that land emotionally and stay with people. At its core, Alt by Default isn’t just about doing the right thing. It’s about making better, more resonant work. Accessibility and effectiveness go hand in hand.”
