Nearly two-thirds of Australians have boycotted brands over poor or offensive representation of LGBTIQA+ people in advertising, according to a new study.
What’s more, more than four in five people do not believe that current depictions of LGBTIQA+ people in advertising and marketing reflect authentic LGBTIQA+ experiences and 78 per cent of Australians are more likely to support brands that accurately depict LGBTIQA+ identities.
More than half of Aussies are willing to pay more for products and services from brands that frequently and authentically represent LGBTIQA+ people.
The study of more than 300 Aussies was conducted by indie full-service creative shop Young Folks in collaboration with Queer Town, a queer-led grassroots organisation delivering LGBTIQA+ inclusion training, education, and consultation in workplaces and schools across the country. The findings were revealed at the inaugural Beyond Rainbows event in Melbourne last night featuring Queer Town founder and CEO Archie Beetle, 2021 AGDA emerging designer of the year Amery Oke-Johnston and copywriter, comedian and creative Emily Weir.
Young Folks managing director Erin Morris said, “Making marketing and advertising more inclusive of LGBTIQA+ people and experiences should be a priority, not just a ‘nice to have’. True inclusivity starts long before a campaign goes live – diverse voices and identities should be brought to the table in the campaign planning stage to weed out any unconscious bias, and truly reflect the diversity of the community it’s marketing to. We created this guide to give brands, marketers and agencies a practical tool to get representation right.”
Queer Town boss Beetle added, “Too often, the advertising industry recycles the same, worn-out representations of LGBTIQA+ lives, missing the diversity and day-to-day experiences of our community today. I don’t see myself reflected, so I don’t engage. This guide is a call to action for agencies everywhere to elevate their game. We don’t need rainbow colours in June; we need authentic reflections of our multifaceted lives all year round. With this resource, we aim to empower creatives to design and create content that embodies queer stories, rather than mimicking them.”
