When Currys rolled out its 'Sigh of Relief' campaign on May 29, 2025, no one expected a tech retailer’s ad to become a cultural touchstone — but it did. The 60-second spot, which aired during Taskmaster on Channel 4, didn’t just sell appliances. It redefined how brands talk about disability — with humor, heart, and zero pity. Now, as Christmas shopping heats up, the campaign’s return on November 18, 2025, across cinemas, YouTube, and TV isn’t just a marketing move. It’s a statement: accessibility isn’t an add-on. It’s the product.
Why This Ad Wasn’t Just Another Commercial
The brilliance of 'Sigh of Relief' lies in what it didn’t do. No one’s crying in the aisles. No one’s being heroic. Instead, three customers — one blind, one deaf, one with mobility challenges — each let out a comically exaggerated sigh of relief when a Currys associate understood their needs without being asked. The audio description? It’s not a separate track. It’s spoken by the salesperson. The British Sign Language? Not tucked in a corner. The interpreter stands right beside the customer, fully framed, part of the scene. Subtitles? Integrated into the visual rhythm, like graffiti on a wall in a London flat. This wasn’t compliance. It was creativity.
It’s rare to see a campaign where accessibility features aren’t treated as afterthoughts. Most brands slap on captions and call it a day. Currys didn’t just include them — they made them the punchline. And the punchline landed. An estimated 17 million adults in the UK saw it in its first week. By the time it hit YouTube, it had over 8 million organic views. People weren’t just watching. They were sharing. Commenting. Saying, “That’s my mum.” “That’s my brother.” “I didn’t know tech could be this human.”
The Team Behind the Sigh
The campaign was born in the creative suites of AMV BBDO, led by Chief Creative Officers Nicholas Hulley and Nadja Lossgott, with Creative Directors Jez Tribe and Dave Westland steering the vision. But the real architects were the people who aren’t usually in the boardroom: disabled co-creators from Open Inclusion, the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), and the Royal National Institute of Deaf People (RNID).
Christine Hemphill, Managing Director of Open Inclusion, put it plainly: “It’s fun while fostering positive awareness.” That’s the magic. No guilt. No grandstanding. Just a man in a wheelchair grinning as a robotic vacuum finally stops bumping into his coffee table — because the Currys rep *knew* to set it on a different floor plan. “It required courage,” she added. “And real connection.”
Stephanie Simon, senior strategist at AMV BBDO, explained their philosophy: “True inclusion isn’t about three versions of the ad. It’s one version everyone enjoys.” That’s the quiet revolution here. No separate “disabled version.” No “accessibility mode.” Just one ad — brilliantly designed — that works for everyone.
Beyond the Screen: Real Change in Stores
What made this campaign stick wasn’t just the ad. It was the infrastructure behind it. Currys had already launched its Quiet Hour initiative — quiet, low-stimulus shopping times for neurodivergent customers — and rolled out an accessibility web-app that lets users filter products by compatibility with hearing aids, screen readers, and voice controls. The ad didn’t invent these. It celebrated them.
“Accessible experiences must extend far beyond the creative work itself,” noted Creative Salon. And they’re right. Currys didn’t just make a commercial about inclusion. They built a business model around it. The campaign’s extended 80-second cut, which includes behind-the-scenes footage of the co-creation process, shows real customers testing prototypes, giving feedback on button placement, and correcting misrepresentations. One woman with low vision insisted the product labels be in high-contrast yellow — not just because it helped her, but because it helped others too.
Why It Won — and Why It’s Back
Currys and AMV BBDO became the ninth recipient of Channel 4’s Diversity in Advertising Award, joining the likes of E45, Maltesers, and FIFA. But here’s the twist: AMV BBDO is now the only agency to have won the award three times. And this time, they didn’t just win. They reset the bar.
The decision to bring back the campaign for Christmas 2025 wasn’t just smart marketing. It was necessary. With retail traffic peaking, Currys knew this was the moment to show that their commitment wasn’t seasonal. “Ads about accessibility don’t have to be serious or sombre,” said their November 18 press release. “They can be funny.” And they were. A man with a guide dog laughs as the dog steals a demo tablet. A deaf customer signs “I need this” while the salesperson nods, then pulls out a tablet with live BSL translation. No translation needed. Everyone gets it.
What This Means for the Industry
This isn’t just a win for Currys. It’s a blueprint. For every brand that’s been afraid to tackle disability with humor, this proves it’s possible. For every agency that thinks “inclusive” means “safe,” this shows it means bold. For every retailer that sees accessibility as cost, Currys proves it’s a competitive advantage.
And the ripple effect? Already, two other UK retailers have reached out to Open Inclusion to replicate the model. One is even considering a “Sigh of Relief”-style in-store training program. The campaign’s submission to Ads of the World five months before its relaunch has sparked global interest. Brands in Germany, Canada, and Australia are watching — not just to copy, but to learn.
Frequently Asked Questions
How did Currys ensure the campaign was authentically representative of disabled experiences?
Currys worked directly with over 40 disabled co-creators from Open Inclusion, RNIB, and RNID throughout the entire process — from script development to casting and filming. Real customers tested product interactions, reviewed dialogue for accuracy, and even suggested visual tweaks, like high-contrast labels and timing for sign language cues. No character was based on a stereotype; each was drawn from lived experience.
Why was it important to integrate accessibility features into the main ad rather than create separate versions?
Creating separate versions reinforces segregation. AMV BBDO’s strategy was to design one ad that works seamlessly for everyone — sighted, deaf, blind, neurodivergent — without requiring users to toggle settings. This mirrors real life: disabled people don’t live in separate worlds. The ad reflects that. Audio description isn’t a track — it’s dialogue. BSL isn’t a corner — it’s central. Subtitles aren’t optional — they’re part of the rhythm.
What impact has the campaign had on Currys’ sales or customer feedback?
While exact sales figures aren’t public, Currys reported a 37% increase in website traffic from users filtering for accessibility features during the campaign’s initial run. Customer service calls related to accessibility inquiries rose by 52%. More tellingly, social sentiment analysis showed a 68% spike in positive mentions from disabled communities — a group historically underrepresented in brand advertising.
How does this campaign compare to previous winners of the Channel 4 Diversity in Advertising Award?
Past winners like E45 (for age representation) and Maltesers (for LGBTQIA+ inclusion) focused on identity. 'Sigh of Relief' went further: it showed inclusion as a functional, everyday experience — not just a visual one. It didn’t just depict disabled people; it redesigned the interaction. That’s why it won. It moved beyond representation to re-engineering the customer journey.
What’s next for Currys’ accessibility initiatives?
Currys plans to expand its accessibility web-app to include real-time in-store navigation for blind customers using Bluetooth beacons, and is piloting a new training program for staff called “See It, Feel It, Fix It,” based on feedback from the campaign’s co-creators. They’ve also partnered with RNIB to install tactile product displays in 200 stores by spring 2026.
Why is this campaign considered a milestone in advertising?
It’s the first major retail campaign to treat accessibility as core to the creative concept — not a compliance checkbox. It proved that humor and humanity aren’t mutually exclusive with inclusion. And it showed that when disabled people are involved from day one, the result isn’t just ethical — it’s commercially brilliant. That’s why it’s being studied in marketing schools across Europe.
