Advertising best practice, evidence and insights

How to market effectively to LGBT audiences

Article • Jenn T. Grace, WARC Best Practice, June 2016

This article explains the factors and considerations for marketers when speaking to an LGBT audience in the United States, including facts and figures around the community and why brands should pay attention.

Coca-Cola defends pro-LGBT ad amid political pressure

News • 07 August 2019

The Coca-Cola Company has faced criticism in Hungary from a member of the country’s ruling ultra-conservative Fidesz party over a series of ads that promote LGBT acceptance, and were timed to run alongside the major international music and ...

Does depicting gay couples in ads influence behavioral intentions? How appeal for ads with gay models can drive intentions to purchase and recommend

Research Paper • Bradley J. Bond and Justine Rapp Farrell, Journal of Advertising Research, Digital First, July 2019

This study examines the behavioral intentions of heterosexual and lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) consumers following exposure to advertising featuring heterosexual or LGB imagery.

New partnerships fuel P&G’s efforts to transform advertising

Article • Stephen Whiteside, Event Reports, Cannes Lions, June 2019

Procter & Gamble, the consumer goods giant, is using a new breed of partnerships to help it transform advertising in compelling ways.

Procter & Gamble: The Words Matter

Case Study • Cannes Creative Lions, Entrant, Creative Effectiveness Lions, 2019

Procter and Gamble, a consumer goods company, proved that it cares about social issues in the US by launching a 19-minute documentary film covering the story of a P&G lab tech and vocal gay rights advocate who took up the fight for equal rights.

Coca-Cola Brazil: This Coke is a Fanta

Case Study • Cannes Creative Lions, Shortlisted, Creative Effectiveness Lions, 2019

Coca-Cola, the carbonated beverage brand, challenged homophobic attitudes in Brazil by releasing limited edition cans that put a twist on a traditional homophobic slur.

The Times Of India: Sindoor Khela – #NoConditionsApply

Case Study • Cannes Creative Lions, Shortlisted, Creative Effectiveness Lions, 2019

The Times of India, an English-language daily newspaper in India, launched a purpose-driven campaign that challenged a 400-year-old tradition in India.

Visit Oslo/Innovation Norway: The Proud Experience

Case Study • SABRE Awards, EMEA, Multicultural Marketing, Gold, 2019

Tourism body, Visit Oslo, invited gay people from not-so-gay-friendly countries, to join the Oslo Pride Parade and position the city as a safe one for LGBQT+ visitors.

Maltesers, BT Sport & Lloyds: Why big brands are bringing diversity to advertising

Opinion • Raafi Alidina, May 2019

Portraying diversity and inclusion in ads is a good thing, says Raafi Alidina, a consultant at Frost Included, but it’s not something to be ‘done on the side’.

Casey House: Healing House

Case Study • SABRE Awards, North America, Multicultural Marketing, Gold, 2019

Casey House, a hospital specializing in HIV/AIDS, changed perceptions of HIV sufferers among the general public in the US and Canada by launching a HIV+ spa that offered treatments from people living with the disease.

Paddy Power: Rainbow Russians

Case Study • Richard Butt, Alydia Noble, WARC Awards, Entrant, Effective Use of Brand Purpose, 2019

Irish bookmaker Paddy Power increased standout by tackling homophobia in football and leveraging World Cup 2018 to drive its LGBT+ charity campaign in the UK.

Australian Marriage Equality: For every bachelor and bachelorette: How we shifted the narrative around the marriage equality plebiscite

Case Study • AME Awards, AME Awards, Gold, 2019

Australian Marriage Equality (AME), the advocacy group for pursuing the legalisation of same-sex marriage in Australia, helped promote marriage equality through a positive TVC.

Vangardist Progressive Men's Magazine: The Pink Triangle Issue

Case Study • AME Awards, AME Awards, Bronze, 2019

Vangardist, a progressive men’s magazine in Germany, reclaimed the Pink Triangle symbol from its Nazi connotations to spark a global conversation about the freedom of LGBT people.

How Mondelez has opened its brands’ eyes to LGBT potential

Article • Stephen Whiteside, Event Reports, ANA Multicultural Marketing & Diversity Conference, November 2018

Mondelez International, the consumer packaged goods company, has fostered engagement with the LGBT community in various ways.

Focus on diversity brings purpose and performance for Carnival Corp.

Article • Geoffrey Precourt, Event Reports, ANA Multicultural Marketing & Diversity Conference, November 2018

Carnival Corp., a company that owns several cruising brands, has seen various beneficial outcomes from its commitment to diversity.

When advertising embraces a purpose, it can change the world

Article • Geoffrey Precourt, Event Reports, Festival of Media LATAM, October 2018

LOLA Mullen Lowe, the agency, used the global attention surrounding the 2018 FIFA World Cup to draw attention to the harsh climate facing the LGBTQ community in Russia, which was hosting the competition.

Doritos: Doritos Rainbow

Case Study • MMA Smarties, Finalist, LATAM, 2018

Dortios, a tortilla chip brand, increased purchase intent and positive brand sentiment in Brazil by launching rainbow Doritos during pride month and raising money for an organisation supporting at-risk LGBT people.

Skol shakes up Brazilian beer category

News • 27 November 2018

Skol, the beer brand, has taken on category conventions in Brazil with marketing efforts that look beyond outmoded stereotypes in favour of truly inclusive messaging.

In Brazil, Skol challenges cultural heritage to reshape the beer category

Article • Geoffrey Precourt, Event Reports, Festival of Media LATAM, October 2018

Skol, the beer owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev, transformed its brand positioning in Brazil as it sought to reflect new shifts in culture.

Bench: The power of winning brand engagement

Case Study • Paolo Broma, WARC Prize for Asian Strategy, Entrant, 2018

Bench, a Filipino fashion brand, increased its connection and relevance among younger people in the Philippines with a campaign around accepting homosexuality.

Boysen: Boysen Girls

Case Study • RJ Paculan, Ryan Caidic, John Ed De Vera, WARC Prize for Asian Strategy, Entrant, 2018

Paint brand Boysen employed an integrated campaign in the Philippines to raise awareness in a low-involvement category.

Equally Welcome: Marriott celebrates LGBT Pride

Case Study • SABRE Awards, Gold, LATAM, Cause-Related Marketing, 2018

Marriott, a hotel and lodging company, partnered with LGBT influencers to make every traveler feel welcome in a campaign spanning Latin America.

Skittles: Breaking conventions with Pride

Case Study • David Mortimer, Institute of Practitioners in Advertising, Silver, IPA Effectiveness Awards, 2018

Skittles, a fruit-flavoured sweets brand, reversed declining sales in the UK by launching a Gay Pride campaign that removed the brand's rainbow colours from its packaging.

NewFest & NYC Pride: Type with Pride

Case Study • Direct Marketing Association - US, Gold, 2018

NewFest, New York's LGBTQ Film Festival, and NYC Pride, an annual New York City LGBT pride march, increased support of Pride Month in New York by launching a free font to celebrate the creator of the rainbow flag.

PFLAG Canada: Destination Pride

Case Study • Direct Marketing Association - US, Gold, 2018

Pflag Canada, a charity for LGBTQ+ people in Canada, created DestinationPride.org – a data-driven search platform that reimagines the Pride flag as a dynamic bar graph, which visualizes the world's LGBTQ+ laws, rights and social sentiment.