We’re the Superhumans

Read the campaign story

For the Rio 2016 Paralympics, Channel 4 revisited an established campaign idea but changed its scope. Its 2012 Meet the Superhumans film had focused attention on elite disabled athletes. The 2016 follow-up, We're the Superhumans, brought sporting performance into a wider celebration of disabled people's abilities. The three-minute film included Paralympians alongside musicians and members of the public, making the campaign a distinct chapter rather than a renamed repeat of the earlier advertisement.

Channel 4's in-house 4creative team conceived the film, which Dougal Wilson directed. A specially assembled band of disabled musicians performed Yes I Can, with Tony Dee singing. Channel 4 described a cast of more than 140 disabled people and scenes spanning sport, family life and everyday activity. It launched the film on social platforms on July 14, followed by a television roadblock the next evening. Posters extended the idea, and subtitled, signed and audio-described versions were part of the campaign's accessibility plan.

The strategic interpretation is that a sequel can preserve recognition while expanding who gets to belong in the story. The music gives varied scenes a common rhythm, while the broader casting prevents the event promotion from depending only on competitive achievement. Accessibility is also part of how the communication reaches its audience, not simply something represented on screen. For marketers, the practical challenge is to identify what an established platform leaves out, then widen that frame without losing the creative element audiences already recognise.

Expand the frame

Before repeating a successful campaign, identify which people or situations its original frame excluded.

Unify without flattening

Give a diverse cast a shared creative structure without treating their experiences as interchangeable.

Build accessibility in

Budget captions, sign-language and audio-description versions as core deliverables rather than late additions.

A small test for another brief

An event organiser commissions consenting disabled adult contributors to shape a short event invitation, with captions, audio description and accessible event information planned from the start.

Measure accurate event understanding and accessible registration completion, alongside paid contributor feedback on representation.

Stop if access needs remain unresolved or the edit treats exceptional performance as the condition for inclusion.

• Before repeating a successful campaign, identify which people or situations its original frame excluded.
• Give a diverse cast a shared creative structure without treating their experiences as interchangeable.
• Agree on one outcome, a reasonable comparison and the stop condition before release.