Once in a while an advert comes along that wields the power to pause our doom-scrolling, as we mind-numbingly gaze at images of friends' of friends' baby showers, influencers' IKEA hacks, and #GetReadyWithMe videos. We had goosebumps after watching Women’s Aid’s 'He’s Coming Home' video in 2022 – to raise awareness of the fact that incidents of domestic violence rise by 38% when England loses a World Cup match – and had to take a moment to compose our thoughts after watching Norwich City Football Club’s powerful suicide prevention campaign video last year, which encourages people to check in on those around them. Having the potency to inform, persuade and remind a viewer is a rare and long-dreamed for goal for advertising companies and brands across the world. And it's one the National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS) has effortlessly achieved with its latest campaign.
To mark World Down Syndrome Day on March 21, CoorDown (an Italian non-profit that promotes and protects the rights of people with Down's syndrome) and the creative agency Small New York released a new advert titled ‘Assume That I Can', which sees model and actor Madison Devlin, 22, addressing a bartender.
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‘Hey bartender, you assume that I can’t drink a margarita so you don’t serve me a margarita so I don’t drink a margarita,’ Devlin says in the video. ‘Your assumption becomes reality.’
Devlin goes on to chastise others, from teachers to parents, who live with unspoken assumptions about what those with Down's syndrome can and cannot do, from having sex to living on their own, inadvertently limiting what they can achieve. It’s a feeling model Ellie Goldstein knows all too well.
‘It’s important to treat us with respect, know our capabilities, and provide support when we need it,’ Goldstein, star of Gucci's Unconventional Beauty campaign, tells ELLE UK days after the video went viral. ‘I remember at school and the doctors assumed I wouldn’t be able to walk, talk, and go to college,’ she says, hours before heading off to college and show her love of dancing and singing.
Referring to the advert, which see fellow model Devlin on a night out with friends at a club, boxing in a gym, and being forced to learn the song 'Old MacDonald' in class instead of recite Shakespeare, Goldstein noted that her favourite clips are of seeing the girl ‘on a night out, going to get coffee and hang out with friends’. ‘Equal respect,’ is all that Goldstein says she and others living with Down's syndrome want from society.
The video has prompted praise on TikTok, with several users championing the campaigns message. ‘Why have I never seen ANY positive message about Down's syndrome like this. Beautifully done,’ one user commented on the video. ‘Damn she even made me feel empowered. This is probably the best awareness campaign ad I’ve ever seen for anything.’ ‘This is the type of ad we need for disability inclusion awareness thank you for this you played so hard with this ad. Individuals with disabilities everywhere are thanking you (me included),’ another wrote.
The campaign is partially inspired by Marta Sodano, an Italian woman with Down's syndrome, who spoke at the World Down Syndrome Day Conference at the United Nations about the effects of ‘self-fulfilling prophecy’, according to a NDSS press release.
‘I discovered that in psychology there is a concept called "self-fulfilling prophecy," whereby a teacher who thinks that a student cannot understand would just act accordingly and therefore would not teach the student. And there you go: the prophecy self-fulfils,’ she said. ’In my opinion, there are not difficult or easy concepts, there is always a simple way to explain things. If I think of all the things that were not explained and taught to me, well I get really angry.’
In addition to hoping the video ends stereotypes about those living with Down's syndrome, Kandi Pickard, the president and CEO of NDSS, has said she hopes it highlights how the wants and needs of such individuals are just like anyone else’s.
'This video is opening up these conversations in such a healthy way for public to see not only the beauty but the ability of people with Down's syndrome,’ Pickard says. ‘This is what we do as an organisation day in and day out. We want to shift the public perception of Down's syndrome.'
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Katie O'Malley is the Site Director on ELLE UK. On a daily basis you’ll find Katie managing all digital workflow, editing site, video and newsletter content, liaising with commercial and sales teams on new partnerships and deals (eg Nike, Tiffany & Co., Cartier etc), implementing new digital strategies and compiling in-depth data traffic, SEO and ecomm reports. In addition to appearing on the radio and on TV, as well as interviewing everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Rishi Sunak PM, Katie enjoys writing about lifestyle, culture, wellness, fitness, fashion, and more.
