The ‘Unofficial Discipline’ - OTTOBOCK and PRESENCE Studios launch an initiative during the Paralympic Games about the daily competition that shouldn’t be one for people with disabilities
As the world gathers for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, OTTOBOCK is launching a symbolic new discipline. In this ‘Unofficial Discipline’, people with disabilities face involuntary challenges every day. It’s about ‘competitions’ in everyday life: broken elevators, missing ramps, stairs, cobblestones, narrow doors… alongside prejudices they are constantly up against. Such challenges go unnoticed by most of us. The initiative started by Ottobock is supported by the International Paralympic Comitee (IPC).
During the Paralympic Games in Paris, Ottobock and the creative agency PRESENCE are making the ‘Unofficial Discipline’ the talk of the town – with billboards, posters and video projections in public spaces across the city on the Seine. Headlines like these grab attention: Can we break the record for breaking barriers? / You can’t rise to the top in a broken elevator. / Inaccessibility won’t make it to the finish line. A subline and QR code invite visitors to learn more about the accessibility campaign and its mission. The campaign messages are strategically displayed near inaccessible places that pose a barrier for people with disabilities, such as staircases, as well as on billboards in Metro stations and at popular tourist attractions. The ’Unofficial Discipline’ has its very own pictogram, designed specially for use in all assets of the initiative.
In addition, more than 20 top Paralympic athletes and 50 Ottobock brand ambassadors are bringing the ‘Unofficial Discipline’ to life and into the digital world. With the hashtag #UnofficialDiscipline, personalities from around the world are sharing their day-to-day challenges on Instagram and TikTok. They are encouraging their followers to share similar moments, and by doing so, creating a social media movement. Among them are stars including Ezra Frech, an American Paralympian who holds the world record in high jump, German para athlete Léon Schäfer, who has already won multiple world and European championship titles, as well as Samantha Kinghorn, the fastest ever female British wheelchair racer and gold medalist, to name just a few.
“Our goal is to make everyone aware of the barriers that people with disabilities face in their everyday lives,” says Martin Böhm, Chief Experience Officer at Ottobock. “Paris is just the beginning. The campaign will soon be expanded to other cities in Europe and the United States. We are aware that our mission to break down barriers is a marathon, not a sprint.”
The new discipline may not be official, but it is real. It is not about medals or records – it’s about real life. The competition takes place on the streets, in subways, offices, and cafes around the world. “The ‘Unofficial Discipline’ is more than just a symbolic gesture. It is an appeal for change, a wake-up call that we need a more inclusive world so that people with disabilities can live their lives as they choose,” says Martin Böhm. “We can only win in this discipline if we work together to put an end to it.”
“It’s great to see such enormous support from para athletes for the initiative. It gives the idea so much more momentum,” Lucas Schneider, CCO of PRESENCE, tells GoSee. “Using the global stage of the Paralympic Games in Paris to communicate such an important matter is extremely gratifying for us from both a social and creative perspective.”
CREDITS
Ottobock: Hannah Grempe, Martin Wider, Jan-Alexander Wahl
Concept and Creation: PRESENCE
Creation: Alena Boack, Lucas Schneider, Lukas Rohde, Malte Bülskämper, Manfred-Elias Knorr, Tom Staples
Strategy: Fanny Riegel, Gustavo Kievel
Account: Dina Dedic, Nina Ivanova
Producer: Marina Präger
Photographer: Julien Barbès
Director: Alex Göcke
Production: BWGTBLD
Website Rollout: ctrlQS
Media: Hungriger Hirsch
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