Half of young Aussies would switch to brands with better disability representation – says new Inclusion Imperative Report
Brand loyalty is leaking silently from businesses across Australia, driven by a consumer shift that traditional metrics fail to track: disability inclusion. And 15% of Aussies have switched brands due to inclusive advertising in the past six months alone.
With 1 in 5 Australians living with a disability, the annual household spend of the market segment totals over $13 trillion and is growing with Australia’s ageing population. Disability inclusion is the untapped lever for market growth and the demand is real – 19.4 million Australians are demanding accessible media, which can be as simple as including captions, audio descriptions and alt text.
The new Inclusion Imperative Report delivers a conclusive verdict backed by data: disability inclusion is no longer just a values-based decision, but a commercial necessity.
Developed by Inclusively Made in partnership with Bupa Australia and Atomic 212°, the Australia-first report makes the commercial case for authentic disability representation, demonstrating the way inclusion is shaping the Australian market and the revenue lost by brands that ignore it.
While Australians are seeking brands that value disability inclusion, almost half (49%) cannot name a single brand doing disability inclusion well. The demand is real and the competitive space remains open for authentic representation, not just a tokenistic gesture.
Brands looking to capture the Gen-Z market are at even more risk of losing this key audience segment with over half (53%) of 18-24 year olds are more likely to switch to a brand that advertises more inclusively, followed closely by millennials (50%). As these generations become the dominant consumer cohort, providing no disability representation becomes a brand risk.
Says Paul Nunnari PSM, CEO of Inclusively Made: “This research provides indisputable proof that inclusion drives business performance. Authentic representation is a strategic growth lever, not a charitable gesture. The window for corporate Australia to claim the lead in disability inclusion is wide open right now.”
Says Naomi Driver, General Manager of Marketing for Bupa Australia: “True inclusion is not an add-on at the end of production and must be built into the fundamental process. The Inclusion Imperative Report confirms that audiences expect authentic representation, and the brands moving beyond tokenism are being rewarded with immediate consumer trust and deeper market relevance.”
Says Rory Heffernan, CEO of Atomic 212°: “One in five Australians has a disability, yet they remain severely underrepresented behind and in front of the camera. By shining a light on this audience at the very beginning of a media strategy, brands can stop wasting ad spend and unlock a highly engaged demographic that consumes significantly more media than the general public.”
By providing a framework for standardised inclusive production, Inclusively Made has provided the training and tools to some of the country’s largest brands – including the likes of Woolworths, BIG W, KFC, Telstra, and Aldi – and in 2025 alone contributed over $500,000 directly towards employment pathways for people with disabilities.
With the launch of the Inclusion Imperative Report, Inclusively Made proves the importance of disability inclusion and provides a pathway for brands looking to strengthen consumer brand loyalty and market growth.
Inclusively Made also provides the framework to create real change in inclusive storytelling, such as the recently launched IncluisvelyMade.ai – a groundbreaking tool that removes disability bias at scale to help set a standard for inclusivity within creative production.
To join this inclusive movement, please contact Inclusively Made at [email protected].
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