[ad_1]
When a campaign focused on LGBTQ+ communities wins on the awards circuit, the reality of industry rainbow-washing forces me to ponder: What was the motivation for entering this work?
Look, for example, to the Effie Awards. For those with an eye on market impact, they set the bar high for whether intended strategies become brand realities. You’d imagine this forum celebrating the proven fulfillment of consumer needs might include LGBTQ+ community representation, as we’ve made plenty of our needs known.
Yet their trends report shows that “more progress is needed,” as only 2% of entrants included LGBTQ+ group members. This is commensurate with the industry, sadly: Less than 2% of mainstream ads include queer people.
Cast aside the glaring disparity for a moment, given that LGBTQ+ people are a self-reported 7.1% of the country, and that 34% of consumers say they’re more likely to buy from brands supporting LGBTQ+ rights. Then consider this number in the context of expanding marketing visibility: Yes, 2023 brought notable missteps and marketer trepidation, but we’re seeing more LGBTQ+ representation than we did years ago, and we’re being discussed more.
This begs the question: Are brands creating LGBTQ+ campaigns simply to placate the community? When work is put forward for recognition, we know the goal for the brand and agency, but what’s the goal for the community? If we’re actually advancing LGBTQ+ inclusion, but still face this low volume of entered queer cases, there are three scenarios to consider:
- Campaigns crafted for LGBTQ+ communities are not being designed with tangible, strategic goals.
- Campaigns crafted for LGBTQ+ communities are not created in a way that delivers on those goals.
- Both.
I’m going to guess it’s option 3, not out of cynicism but from a perspective that humans aren’t always great at stating objectives. People talk more about buying a house but less about contacting a realtor, more about having abs but less about finding a trainer. We know what we want, but the steps to get there feel daunting.
It’s easier for the humans who make brand decisions to say, “We want to support and uplift the LGBTQ+ community,” than to state a first step: “To do that, we’re ready to create a campaign that provides jobs to 25 underprivileged, young queer people.” Both statements are positive, but the latter makes you accountable.
