Overview
- Tapestry’s sixth annual review of the top 500 TV adverts, sampled over two four-week periods, found that more than half featured black people.
- Disabled people appeared in 4% of ads despite comprising nearly 18% of the population, a level unchanged since 2018.
- Over-70s were shown in 2% of commercials and pregnant women in 0.1%, while south and east Asian representation rose to 17% and 11% respectively.
- Industry leaders, including Marcus Ryder, attributed the imbalance to decision-maker bias and highlighted issues such as colourism and limited role types.
- Recent context includes the ASA banning a Sanex shower gel ad for a negative racial stereotype and praise for Currys’ RNIB-partnered accessibility campaign.