June Johnson Managing Director of Adtext, the leading commercial subtitling company in the UK writes:
It is an anomaly that Adtext is asked to subtitle UK commercials destined for the Republic of Ireland, but receives disappointingly few commercials from Irish advertising agencies and post-houses for their own domestic market.
UK agencies have recognised for nearly twenty years the value of ensuring that the largest disability group is included in the advertising message. The deaf and hard-of-hearing are consumers with money to spend and in this challenging economic environment, advertisers need to reach as many potential customers as possible. A commercial would not be sent to broadcasters without its soundtrack, but to the hearing -impaired, this is exactly how they view a commercial without captions.
The ethical argument is also compelling. Subtitling helps a brand appear inclusive and caring. Without them the reverse is true, and if you have hearing difficulties, would you rush to buy such a brand?
The lack of budget is frequently cited as the reason why subtitling is not included. But on many occasions, the very same brand is subtitling in the UK, which is also facing hard times. I in 5 people, 20% of the Irish population are hearing-impaired. The question to be asked is not how can the advertiser afford subtitling, but rather how can they not. The cost is a small one when compared to the benefit gained and the overall cost of making the commercial. Over 5,500 commercials are subtitled in the UK every year. Can all these clients be wasting their money?
Here is an M&S commercial created and texted in the UK for the Irish market:
And here is an example of one of the few commercials that have been subtitled by an Irish advertising agency:
Try adding subtitling to your quote, and you may be surprised how easy it is to receive approval.
If you would like to know more about commercial subtitling contact junej@adtext.tv
