Australian research has highlighted a significant and largely overlooked representation gap in advertising – just 14 per cent of Australians recall seeing hearing devices represented in advertising for everyday products or services in the past year.
Commissioned by GN Hearing, and conducted by YouGov, the research reveals that while other forms of diversity and inclusion have become increasingly visible in advertising, hearing loss remains one of the last frontiers of visible inclusion for brands—despite millions of Australians using hearing devices in everyday life.
The Australian findings reveal that representation of people with hearing loss in advertising is not just limited—it is exceptionally rare. When hearing loss does appear, portrayals are often inaccurate, reinforcing stigma and contributing to delayed help‑seeking. Only seven per cent have seen a brand campaign featuring someone wearing a hearing aid or cochlear implant outside of hearing‑loss‑specific advertising.
In response to these findings, GN is calling on global marketers, advertisers and casting agencies to include more authentic representation of people with hearing loss, to address this blind spot in advertising.
GN has also launched an expanded, free‑to‑use global image library – New Norm Vol. 2 – designed to show the real, diverse lives of people living with hearing loss – including students, professionals and young people simply getting on with everyday life.
