A recent US study by agency J. Walter Thompson has found that most people are accepting of transgender people appearing in ads.
The study by JWT and OPAM (Out Professionals in Advertising and Media) surveyed 5000 US adults with 74 per cent agreeing that showing transgender people in ads simply reflected the society we live in while 65 per cent agreed that brands that did use transgender people were brave and progressive.
The report comes at a time when Caitlyn Jenner, Laverne Cox, Jazz Jennings and Geena Rocero have all made strong headway for transgender people in recent times.
An ad for Marriott Hotel’s featuring Geena Rocero is below:
The groups to most likely be positive to transgender people where Millennials, females, and gay and lesbian respondents; however, some 77 per cent of people agreed that they rarely or never saw transgender people in ads.
JWT global director of brand intelligence Mark Truss said, “Our survey is a helpful tool for marketers looking to understand the state of inclusive advertising, with examples from top brands, and consumer feedback on how to execute inclusive ads effectively. In this day and age, it’s not a question of should you be inclusive in your advertising, but how.”
OPAM president Bob Hickey added, “Breaking out the L from the G and the T in LGBTQ and understanding the nuances of each group is now more important than ever. What’s interesting about our survey is we uncovered that a lot of people think they know what transgender means, when in reality they really don’t. These findings show that advertisers have an opportunity to educate people about this demographic and breakthrough, as long as their creative executions are on-brand, authentic, and most importantly, accurate.”
