14748: The Pride Of PowerPoint.

This campaign of divertisements looks like it was produced by an account person using PowerPoint.

14200: False Pride.

Havas Chicago created posters and gave out free ice cream to celebrate Pride Month 2018. Can’t help but think this White advertising agency is more interested in patronizing self-promotion than progressiveness. Havas has a lot of self-pride, yet lacks self-respect.

13746: Absolut BS From BBH.

Campaign spotlighted a new Absolut advertisement—created by BBH London—that really underscores how Absolut has gone from iconic, breakthrough advertising to awful bullshit. Absolut Global Communications Director Gaia Gilardini explained the campaign launched with Pride in London, but its message goes beyond LGBTQIA acceptance and inclusion. “We wanted to bring to life one of our core values and beliefs, which is that everyone should be free to love who they choose,” said Gilardini. “It uses a kiss as a metaphor for this expression of acceptance. But it’s a broader idea of acceptance—it’s not just tied to sexuality. Freedom to love who you choose goes further than just sexual preference.” Huh? To declare the vodka brand’s core values and beliefs include “that everyone should be free to love who they choose” sounds like, well, not sober thinking. The sentiment certainly isn’t among the values stated at the company website. And, sorry, but the orgy-like behavior depicted in the video makes the characters look as if they’ve had one Absolut Vodka Martini too many. Drink responsibly, but feel free to engage in irresponsible, unsafe sexual behavior. What makes it all even more obscene is that the “free to love who they choose” concept is reflected by BBH London in ways that run counter to the Absolut spirit of acceptance and inclusion. That is, BBH London exercises its right to freely choose whom to love by exclusively hiring a specific type of people. White people, that is. Acceptance and inclusion are MIA at BBH.

13639: Scarcity & Scarier.

Digiday interviewed Karmarama Chief Strategy Officer and PrideAM Founder Mark Runacus, who stated, “…People often fear the bigoted minority who will create a backlash.” Okay, but the scarier problems usually come from the bigoted majority. Digiday also pointed to research indicating LGBT people constitute only .06% of people in ads. Not sure how the figure could be valid, as commercial actors are not typically required to supply such personal data. Wonder how the true percentage compares to similar stats for racial and ethnic minorities underrepresented in adverts.

Agency exec on scarcity of LGBT people in ads: ‘People fear the bigoted minority’

By Grace Caffyn

As Kendall Jenner’s ad catastrophe at Pepsi illustrates, those who hitch their wagon to socio-political causes (however vague) can, and do, get burned.

Agencies’ fear of this, according to chief strategy officer at Karmarama and PrideAM founder Mark Runacus, is what’s holding the industry back from better representing its audiences, including those lumped together in the LGBT umbrella: lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual and other variations of sexual and gender identity.

Case in point: According to research from Lloyd’s Banking Group, which examined 1,300 ads from 40 top-spending brands, LGBT people make up just .06 percent of people in ads.

We spoke to Runacus about his thoughts on the issue. Answers have been lightly edited for clarity.

You’ve said previously that agency planners are holding back representation of LGBT people in advertising. Tell me more.

It comes from both sides, but agencies are more often the blockage than the client. This happens for two reasons: ignorance and fear. First, there is an expectation you only include LGBT content if you’re targeting the so-called “pink pound.” But the community doesn’t like being ghettoized, and that term is actually offensive. We don’t think of ourselves in that way. Second, people often fear the bigoted minority who will create a backlash.

Give me an example.

They know who they are, and they’ll have heard my comments. Hopefully they have managed to work through that ignorance.

So some planners still see LGBT audiences as niche?

Often it’s because they think their brand isn’t relevant to LGBT audiences. It’s right that as planners we should think of how to target and better communicate with an audience, but it’s wrong to only include LGBT content if you are targeting LGBT people. We know that 49 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds don’t identify as straight or gay; this is part of everyday life for them. So for modern brands with purpose, it’s important to use this diverse content to create better engagement.

What are the challenges for agencies wanting to get this right?

The main challenge is understanding how to communicate without falling into stereotypes. But LGBT people don’t always have to be front and center, just part of real life. When it’s done well, like the recent Lloyd’s Bank advert, it’s fantastic. It can be done.

Does a lack of diversity inside agencies make this harder? You’ve mentioned before that the ‘scariness’ of making inclusive ads is amplified by agencies that aren’t diverse.

Agencies are still not inclusive enough. There are leaders in the advertising community who are predominantly white, middle-class men. It’s proven that when you remove homogeneity, you create an environment that’s more creative. If we’re reflective of our target audience, I’m confident we’re much less likely to witness this fear and ignorance I’ve talked about.

How so?

Agencies should challenge the existing recruitment process, for example, by reviewing CVs anonymously and doing one-on-one interviews. Young people aren’t convinced in you saying you’re actually doing it; they want to see it. For instance, does your website look inclusive? Do you have gender-neutral toilets? This all shows you’ve paid attention to the detail. However, I’m optimistic as I’m surrounded by young people who believe we have to change.

Do brands care enough?

There are loads of people who want to do this because trust in advertising is at an all-time low. Brands are vying for attention, and if they do this authentically and sensitively, they will connect better with consumers. But brands aren’t challenging agencies enough to accurately reflect their current and aspirational audience with an understanding of how progressive the U.K. population is today. In their briefs, brands need to include a challenge. Agencies will then be empowered to respond.

What’s your advice to brands?

It’s important that you’re authentic, which starts by looking within. If consumers can see that the brand’s external manifestation is a genuine representation of what happens inside its walls, they shouldn’t be fearful. If companies have an LGBT network, they should ask how they want to be portrayed and use them as a powerful insight and advocacy tool. Then, in an unlikely event of a backlash, they’ll have ready-made supporters.

13114: Nepotism Trumps Diverted Diversity.

Campaign spotlighted an ad campaign jointly created by Sir John Hegarty and his son. The diversity advocate is essentially a nepotistic asshole. Oh, and their commercial sucks too. It’s patronizing pap probably produced to pander to PrideAM Award jury participants. The entire scenario is a bizarro blend of nepotism trumps diversity and diverted diversity. Give the Hegarty clan credit for originality in perpetuating exclusivity.

Watch: John Hegarty and son’s first joint ad campaign for men’s fashion service

By Omar Oakes

John Hegarty and his son are today unveiling their first joint ad campaign after writing an inaugural spot for a men’s fashion service.

The ad, by Hegarty’s incubator business, The Garage Soho, has been written for The Chapar, which aims to provide an alternative to the “torture” of shopping on the high street with the help of a personal stylist.

After curating a selection of premium items to suit the shopper’s own personal taste and body shape, The Chapar then delivers a bespoke ‘trunk’ direct to the customer’s home or office.

The 60-second spot was written by John Hegarty and directed by Elliot Hegarty through Royle Productions. It was art directed by Rosy Thomas.

The ad is being launched on cinema and will be unveiled by Picturehouse Central in London this afternoon during an exclusive movie screening of Hail, Caesar!, the new movie by the Coen Brothers.

13091: Patronizing With Pride.

Can’t help but think JWT in Australia is angling for a PrideAM Award.

From Ads Of The World.

12888: New Award, Old Idea.

Brand Republic reported the UK advertising industry is launching its first LGBT award via the Marketing Agencies Association (MAA) and PrideAM. PrideAM President Scott Knox reiterated, “I began the PrideAM project saying that I wanted it to have bite.” So the inaugural initiative involves creating an award…? Yep, that bites all right. In lieu of actual, measurable and revolutionary change, let’s hand out more trophies.

MAA launches ad industry’s first LGBT award

By Omar Oakes

The Marketing Agencies Association has created the adverting industry’s first award to celebrate work supporting equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

Following last month’s launch of PrideAM, the ad industry’s leadership group for LGBT people, a new PrideAM award as been incorporated into the annual MAA Best Awards.

PrideAM was co-founded by Scott Knox, the managing director of the MAA.

Knox said: “I began the PrideAM project saying that I wanted it to have bite.

“By building an award that celebrates work that reflects and targets LGBT people in a way they want, should be rewarded and heroed.

“I am truly proud that this will be the UK industry’s first ever advertising and marketing award for LGBT strategy judged by senior LGBT people.”

The award will be given to a campaign or project that shows a brand representing or targeting the LGBT community in a different way.

The MAA said the judges will be LGBT marketing and advertising professionals who will be looking for fair, accurate, inclusive and genuine representations of LGBT people in the work submitted.

They are also looking for work that could challenge and support LGBT equality.

The deadline for entries for the PrideAM award is Tuesday, 20 October. The MAA Best Awards ceremony will take place on 3 March 2016.

12389: Tiffany Engages LGBT.

From The New York Daily News…

Tiffany features gay couple in engagement ad for the first time

The upscale jewelry retailer’s new ‘Will You’ marketing campaign includes a real-life same-sex couple — a first for the company.

By Victoria Taylor

A new engagement-themed Tiffany & Co. campaign has people buzzing.

For the first time, the luxury jewelry retailer is featuring a gay couple in one of its ads.

The photogenic grooms-to-be, who are a real couple living in New York, were shot by photographer Peter Lindbergh.

The company’s “Will You” marketing campaign includes black-and-white images of six other pairs who will one day tie the knot.

Tiffany Vice President of Northern America PR Linda Buckley said the ads reflect “a modern approach to love and romance.”

“Nowadays, the road to marriage is no longer linear and true love can happen more than once with love stories coming in a variety of forms,” she said in a statement to the Daily News. “The Tiffany engagement ring is the first sentence of the story that a couple will write together as they create a life that is deeply intimate and exceptional, which is the message we hope to convey through this campaign.”

11393: Samsung Smart TV Is Dumb.

Can’t tell if this Samsung Smart TV commercial depicts an interracial family or a gay couple with Asian housekeepers.

11250: They’re Magically Prideful.

From The New York Daily News…

General Mills celebrates LGBT Pride with Lucky Charms-inspired campaign

The company’s #LuckyToBe social media campaign features the magically delicious cereal’s rainbow marshmallow and encourages people to tweet about what they are thankful for and the things that make them special.

By Victoria Taylor / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Lucky Charms is perhaps the perfect cereal to celebrate lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Pride since it already includes a rainbow.

General Mills and advertising agency McCann Always On saw their chance and used the colorful marshmallow as the face of their #LuckytoBe campaign, which asks people to use the hashtag to post pictures and tweets about what makes them, well, lucky.

“We’re celebrating Pride month with whimsical delight, magical charms, and two new rainbow marshmallows,” the company said on the campaign website. “If you’re lucky enough to be different, we’re celebrating you.”

The campaign also includes a cute video, which was posted to YouTube on June 18.

General Mills executives recently came out in support of marriage equality in the company’s home state of Minnesota.

A number of companies launched Pride-inspired campaigns both before and after the historic Supreme Court rulings on Prop 8 and DOMA earlier this week. Nike released its latest line of rainbow-colored #BeTrue sneakers in honor of LGBT Pride month. Looking up words including “gay,” “lesbian” and “homosexuality” currently triggers a rainbow around the Google search bar and YouTube spotlighted the LGBT community in its #ProudtoLove campaign.

American Apparel, Red Bull, Marriott and Bud Light are some of the many brands that have also expressed their support for marriage equality and Pride.

11209: Kraft Shaft.

Copyranter exposed that One Million Moms are not happy over the Kraft ad above. Maybe it’s actually an LGBT Pride Month salute.

11204: Royalty-Free Pride.

Corbis celebrates LGBT Pride Month.

10923: Straight Stereotypes…?

Do these LGBT ads for Las Vegas stereotype straight White people?

From Ads of the World.

10336: Queer American Apparel Ad Placement.

In the latest issue of the Chicago Reader—sandwiched between the cover image and table of contents featuring a story on homeless prostitutes—is an American Apparel ad hawking the apparent wardrobe of prostitutes…?

9876: Miller Lite Non-General Marketing.

While MultiCultClassics is on the subject of Miller Lite, here’s a Google view of the beer-maker’s cultural campaigning.


The Latino market gets hot Latinas and soccer.






The LGBT market gets hot guys, gals and event marketing.






The Black market gets scholarships and civil rights tributes.