Made By Dyslexia: Dyslexic Thinking
Made By Dyslexia and the Virgin Group wanted to change the global perception of dyslexia, which was historically viewed as a learning disability. They tasked FCB Inferno with finding a way to help dyslexic individuals feel empowered and to encourage employers to recognize the unique cognitive strengths of neurodiverse talent within the professional world.
Creative Idea
Formalized Dyslexic Thinking as a legitimate, selectable professional skill on the world's largest career platform.
To shift the perception of dyslexia from a disability to a superpower, the campaign partnered with LinkedIn to officially recognize Dyslexic Thinking as a professional skill, empowering millions to reframe their neurodiversity as a competitive advantage in the workplace.
Turning a Disability into a Global Professional Asset
The 810 Million Member Skill Drop
The campaign achieved unprecedented scale by integrating directly into the infrastructure of LinkedIn. Within the first week, over 10,000 professionals added "Dyslexic Thinking" to their profiles - a number that doubled to 22,000 by late 2023. This shift triggered a massive swing in public discourse; positive sentiment toward dyslexia skyrocketed by 1,562%, while negative mentions plummeted by 4,450%. The initiative reached LinkedIn’s entire global user base of over 810 million members, fundamentally altering how neurodiversity is indexed in the global labor market.
Challenging the Gatekeepers of Language
A pivotal moment in the production was the "Dictionary Challenge." FCB Inferno lobbied Dictionary.com to officially recognize and define "Dyslexic Thinking" based on its strengths - such as creativity and problem-solving - rather than its deficits. Lexicographers typically wait years for cultural trends to solidify before updating definitions, but the agency presented exhaustive research to prove the term was a vital evolution in modern English. This marked the first time a major dictionary changed a definition based on a social media - led advocacy campaign.
Intelligence Agencies and A-List Advocates
The campaign film featured a diverse collective of talent, including Sir Richard Branson, Keira Knightley, and chef Jamie Oliver, alongside historical icons like Thomas Edison and Leonardo da Vinci. Beyond celebrity support, the UK’s intelligence agency, GCHQ, became a key institutional backer. They revealed that dyslexic thinkers are four times more likely to be recruited for their apprentice schemes due to superior pattern-recognition skills. This high-level endorsement helped convince corporations like Microsoft, HSBC, and EY to actively recruit for "Dyslexic Thinking" as a competitive advantage.
Creative Strategy Deconstructed
Company
A global charity backed by influential leaders with the credibility to challenge outdated definitions of neurodiversity.
Category
Advocacy usually focuses on awareness and support rather than systemic integration into professional recruitment platforms.
Customer
Dyslexic individuals felt stigmatized by a deficit - based narrative and wanted their unique cognitive strengths to be valued.
Culture
The modern workplace increasingly prizes human skills like creativity and problem - solving to stay competitive alongside AI.
Company
A global charity backed by influential leaders with the credibility to challenge outdated definitions of neurodiversity.
Category
Advocacy usually focuses on awareness and support rather than systemic integration into professional recruitment platforms.
Strategy:
Transform a perceived systemic disadvantage into a formalized professional asset to redefine value in the labor market.
Customer
Dyslexic individuals felt stigmatized by a deficit - based narrative and wanted their unique cognitive strengths to be valued.
Culture
The modern workplace increasingly prizes human skills like creativity and problem - solving to stay competitive alongside AI.
Strategy:
Transform a perceived systemic disadvantage into a formalized professional asset to redefine value in the labor market.
Results
The campaign achieved significant global impact, including 10,000+ people adding the skill in the first week. Positive sentiment towards 'dyslexia' rose by 1562% on social media. The initiative reached 13,553 Heads of HR. Major global companies including HSBC, Microsoft, EY, and Facebook began actively seeking candidates with 'Dyslexic Thinking' skills. Additionally, Dictionary.com officially added 'Dyslexic Thinking' as a term, defining it as an approach to problem-solving and lateral thinking.
1562%
increase in positive sentiment
10,000+
skill additions in week one
13,553
Heads of HR reached
Strategy Technique
Reframe the Problem
The campaign rotated the narrative of dyslexia from a learning deficit to a vital workplace skill. By changing the context from education to professional recruitment, it turned a perceived weakness into a strategic opportunity for innovation.
Explore Technique
Creative Technique
Label
By creating and formalizing the Dyslexic Thinking label, the campaign transformed a medical diagnosis into a desirable professional asset. This new terminology allowed individuals to reclaim their identity and highlight specific cognitive strengths to employers.
Explore Technique
Craft Breakdown
The campaign's brilliance lies in its strategic use of digital craft to change a global platform's infrastructure, combined with powerful copywriting that reframes a 'disability' as a 'skill.'
Integrating a new, permanent skill category into LinkedIn's global architecture turned an awareness campaign into a functional utility.
The term 'Dyslexic Thinking' perfectly reframes the condition from a deficit-based medical term to a value-based professional asset.
