Top Spot of the Week: Wunderman Thompson, Degree Team To Develop Inclusive Deodorant For People With Disabilities

Unilever’s Degree Deodorant--also called Sure, Shield and Rexona--has launched the world’s first inclusive deodorant for people with visual impairment and upper limb motor disabilities: Degree Inclusive. One in four Americans, and one in five Brits, has a disability, but despite being the largest minority community across the globe, products and experiences are still not designed with this community in mind. Across the beauty and personal care industry, there is currently no deodorant product suitable for people with upper limb disabilities to use; twisting a deodorant cap, turning a stick, or pushing down on an aerosol can with limited arm mobility is a real challenge. And sometimes the fear of sweating keeps people with disabilities from moving as much as they would like to.

Degree believes in the power of movement to transform lives--and that everyone should be able to experience the incredible physical, mental and social benefits movement provides. Deodorant helps give people the confidence to move. Therefore, in an effort to provide equitable access to the products and experiences needed to move, Degree partnered with Wunderman Thompson and their Inclusive Experience Practice, alongside occupational therapists, engineers, and consultants with disabilities. Driven by a mission to make the deodorant application process accessible to everyone, Degree Inclusive has been designed with the following revolutionary features as noted in the brand’s product development video: 

• A hooked design for one-handed usage 
• Magnetic closures that make it easier to take the cap off and put it back on for users with limited grip and/or vision impairment 
• Enhanced grip placement for easier application for users with limited grip or no arms
• A braille label with instructions for users with vision impairment
• A larger roll-on applicator to reach more surface area per swipe 

Working in collaboration with award-winning international design studio, SOUR, the Degree Inclusive prototype was co-developed with a cross discipline team at Wunderman Thompson, led by Christina Mallon, Wunderman Thompson’s global head of inclusive design.

“As a disabled person, I’ve experienced first-hand the challenges of living in a world of conventional design, where most products and services are not designed with the disabled community in mind,” said Mallon. “Being unable to access a basic utility like deodorant--something most people take for granted--has a huge impact on your ability to move, and therefore your quality of life in general. That’s why we’re incredibly proud to have partnered with Unilever to create this innovative and life-changing product: the very first deodorant designed by people with disabilities--for people with disabilities. We hope this will inspire more brands to take an inclusive and accessible approach to design.”

As the first agency to build an Inclusive Experience Practice (IXP), Wunderman Thompson partners with some of the world’s largest brands. The IXP team helps businesses create accessible products, services and communications using inclusive design methodology. More than just the right thing to do, inclusive design has been shown to be the best way to drive innovation, with companies 1.7 times more likely to be innovative if they are inclusive. Not only is the disabled community’s disposable income estimated at $8 trillion in the U.S. alone, but 70% of all consumers prefer to buy inclusive brands--meaning it offers both a competitive advantage and increased growth potential for brands.   

The team at Wunderman Thompson Buenos Aires--which came up with the original idea of making an inclusive deodorant--also created an inspiring campaign which demonstrates how an everyday utility product like deodorant can revolutionize movement for people with disabilities.

The campaign includes this spot which introduces us to Nick, an athlete who uses and values the new inclusive deodorant. Martin Donozo of production house LaDoble directed the commercial.