‘Blackout Friday’: Guide Dogs launches blind shopping activation, via Keep Left
Guide Dogs NSW/ACT has created a pop-up event ahead of Black Friday to raise awareness of what it is like to shop as a person with low-vision or blindness, via Keep Left.
The social experiment – ‘Blackout Friday’ – invites Sydneysiders to browse curated, pre-loved items from fashion marketplace Uturn. The catch? All the items are hidden, with packaging only displaying limited written descriptions.
Demonstrating a real, frustrating barrier for Australians with low-vision or blindness, the pop-up shows the challenges these shoppers face, especially during busy periods like Black Friday.
“Blackout Friday is more than a pop-up shop; it’s a disability awareness experience that gets people thinking about the barriers that exist in online shopping for consumers who are low vision or blind,” chief marketing officer at Guide Dogs NSW/ACT, Michael Apte, explained.
“Many e-commerce brands aren’t aware of small changes that would make a significant difference to the community. We have found a way to clearly explain the issue with actionable steps to create real change.”
Keep Left produced the integrated campaign activation from concept to design, including the shop fit-out, OOH, social creative, web design, partnerships management, earned media, and influencer engagement.
“The retail frenzy that is Black Friday provided the perfect backdrop for us to co-opt this day and create an immersive, earned creative experience in Blackout Friday. While our store may be the only one in Australia actively promoting products consumers won’t be able to see, thousands of other e-commerce stores across the country will be doing this unaware,” said Blair Kimber, executive creative director at Keep Left.
“We hope this activation sparks conversation among consumers and retailers to ultimately create a more accessible and inclusive world for people with blindness and low vision. While we can’t fix every website this year, we can raise awareness, so businesses are inspired to prioritise accessibility and stop leaving millions of consumers in the dark.”
In addition to educating consumers, Guide Dogs is also encouraging retail brands, particularly e-commerce brands, to make their stores easier to navigate, especially by simply offering more inclusive online product descriptions. The charity has free website guidelines available to help brands get started.
Credits:
Keep Left
Caroline Catterall, CEO
Blair Kimber, Executive Creative Director
Ruby Gill, Senior Copywriter
Johanna Murray, GM Integration
Jessica Williams, Client Services Director
Tiffany Simon, Client Partner
Laura Agricola, Director of Strategy
Larissa Thorne, Director of Planning & Performance
Rebecca Shaw, Senior Account Manager, PR
Zach Edwards, Strategist
Harris Galloway, Strategist
Hannah Palmer, Designer
Bryce Ford, Production Design
Guide Dogs NSW/ACT
Dale Cleaver, CEO
Michael Apte, CMO
Sarah Watts, Campaigns Manager
Tori Larosa, Senior Event Coordinator
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