• by Richard Whitman , Columnist, August 26, 2020

After collaborating on various projects, ad agency Translation and Disney Advertising Sales have struck a multiyear deal to create advertising for Disney clients that better connects with diverse audiences.

Translation, founded in 2004 by former music-industry executive Steve Stoute, will work with Disney Ad Sales’  branded content studio and in-house creative agency CreativeWorks to develop creative ideas designed to help brands tell their stories to diverse audiences.

“Our goal is to create a better dialogue that better serves underrepresented communities that make up almost 40% of the U.S. population, but account for only 5% of total media revenue,” the partners stated.  

Over the past year, the partners have worked on a number of projects, including State Farm’s Neighborhood campaign and on the ESPN/Netflix documentary "The Last Dance," about the career of NBA legend Michael Jordan.

“How can we redefine our approach to business by identifying like-minded partners whose work complements that of our existing team?” asked Stoute and Rita Ferro, Disney’s president of advertising sales and partnerships, in a joint letter. 

“How can we create a better dialogue that better serves the underserved?” the duo added. 

The partnership is designed to address those questions and to “empower our industry to think differently and engage in a new dialogue.” 

Disney Advertising Sales brands include ESPN, ABC, FreeForm, FX, National Geographic Channel, Disney Channel and the owned-and-operated ABC local TV stations.