In this op-ed, Marion McDonald, global wellness practice lead for Ogilvy and co-chair of WPP Unite Network Australia, explains why a Pride brand tie-in is so important, rather than simply being contrived pinkwashing.
LGBTQ+ inclusion is a powerful differentiator that, when leveraged across the whole organisation, can drive significant value – in talent attraction and retention, brand advocacy, sales and societal impact.
Brands have been activating in the LGBTQ+ space for decades, so what may seem like a big deal for your brand may not actually be the case in the eyes of the consumer. Make sure you’re creating work that truly stands above the rest and avoid generic messaging that attempts to appease straight communities first.
You may be thinking that by including LGBTQ+ stories in your campaign, heterosexual audiences will be less engaged. But it’s simply not the case. When your brand embraces diversity in all its forms, consumers are more likely to become emotionally engaged and recall your brand in a positive light. In WPP Unite’s Beyond the Rainbow 2022 research, we found 3 out of 4 LGBTQ+ people and half of non-LGBTQ+ people think brands should do more to support queer people outside Pride month.
What does it mean for brands?
Progressive and inclusive brand ads and activations are far more likely to generate positive engagement. There is a wealth of unique and provocative content to be created by working with queer people to tell LGBTQ+ stories, which can easily outperform more conventional ads in driving brand recall.
LGBTQ+ representation not only speaks to an under-represented minority group; it makes your brand attractive to a broader audience – one which is increasingly open towards LGBTQ+ visibility.
For example, a Gen Z brief is a queer brief. Gen Zers are much more likely to demand LGBTQ+ inclusion of brands, act as allies, more likely to personally know someone who uses gender-neutral pronouns, and far more likely to ask about your LGBTQ+ employee network in job interviews. It’s become basic brand hygiene, now more notable in its absence.
However, because brands are afraid they will say the wrong thing, they often end up either saying nothing or deliver a message so generic that it not only fails to gain engagement but often incites ridicule.
What do brands need to consider?
“Nothing about us, without us” is a phrase you should remember. Once you’ve set your objectives for visible support of LGBTQ+ communities, then actively engage with the queer community to develop ideas in partnership and make sure you’re not pinkwashing. Don’t leave it to the marketing team to brief a communications piece.
Representation matters. By creating spaces for LGBTQ+ people, you’re enacting change. Studies have shown that featuring LGBTQ+ people in advertising can help erase prejudices towards the community. GLAAD and Procter & Gamble found 80% of non-LGBTQ+ people said they had become more supportive of equal rights for LGBTQ+ people after being exposed to them in media.
You can’t paint with vanilla. Queerness spans gender, race, income level, those who live with a disability, family arrangements, religion, age and other factors. The variety of identities and lived experiences is vast and visual stereotyping is an easy and lazy trap. This is a particular challenge for marketers who like to group audiences for maximum 1+ reach.
As with any CSR initiative, poor alignment between a company’s internal culture and their content is what puts their brand at risk. Fully inclusive internal policies will not just benefit staff and make your business a better place to work, but also demonstrate your commitment to diversity and inclusion.
Brands should also be aware that LGBTQ+ inclusion needs to start from the top of an organisation. CEO visibility as an ally or LGBTQ+ role model reflects that this is a business issue aligned with brand values. If a leader says nothing on the subject, the reverse may be assumed true – that they are not supportive of LGBTQ+ inclusion.
Brands also should not borrow a marginalised group’s lived experience as an empty marketing gimmick. If you saw Scottish craft beer maker BrewDog’s world-first “non-binary, transgender beer”, you’ll know what I mean. But unfortunately, a beer made with hops that naturally change sex during growth does not endow you or your brand with a diverse understanding of the trans community…
