Stopper Guest Lectures at UNT

Partner Mike Stopper visited the University of North Texas recently where he was a guest lecturer in the Frank W. and Sue Mayborn School of Journalism. He spoke on the topic of representation of people with disabilities in advertising –part of Dr. Marta Mensa’s upperclassman course on “Inclusivity in Advertising.”

Stopper discussed how 26% of Americans have some form of disability (physical, sensory, cognitive, emotional), yet only 4% of ads feature talent with disabilities and just 1% featured disable talent as the primary character. He also showed some of his favorite inclusivity work from Subaru, Apple Tommy Hilfiger. And he concluded with his own nationally recognized work with Clay’s Color Crew (Autism), Blake’s Snow Shack (Down Syndrome) and the Adaptive Training Foundation (Disabled Veterans). 

“Mike spoke passionately about the vital role of accurately representing nonprofits and individuals with disabilities. We hope to see him again soon!” said Dr Mensa, Assistant Professor of Advertising at UNT.

“It is important for us in the industry to be reminded on the importance of inclusivity in advertising,” said Mike Stopper. “In developing creative content, we should see talent with disabilities beyond their disability, but without ignoring the fact they have one.” 

The Mayborn School of Journalism at UNT is among the nation's top schools for journalism and mass communication, with undergraduate and graduate degree programs that prepare students for careers in print & digital journalism, broadcast journalism, advertising, public relations, and photojournalism. The Mayborn faculty brings more than 400 years of combined experience in real-world settings to our classrooms, informing and inspiring our more than 1,000 students. 

Dr. Mensa earned her PhD from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) and has been teaching at UNT since 2023. Her research focuses on Hispanic/Latinx representation in advertising, advertising in Latin America, and gender stereotypes in advertising. She is currently collaborating with the President of the Hispanic Marketing Council to address the barriers faced by Hispanic and Latinx women in the advertising industry.

Stay connected with HACK by visiting their website or following them on Facebook, LinkedIn, X and Instagram.