As mentioned in a previous post, seeing Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual or Transgender (LGBT) folks in advertising used to be considered marketing poison. General public sentiment against LGBT folks kept advertisers from featuring our community in their ads. Those that did market to us did so quietly; in specific gay-only publications. That is now no longer the case.
Out magazine notes Ad Age‘s highlight of 10 LGBT advertisements of 2015.
My two favorites are the Tiffany’s ad and the Campbell’s Soup ad below. I like them both because they are both pictures worth a thousand words. The Tiffany ad because it highlights the gains we made in 2015 with marriage equality and also because it highlights an everyday, ordinary aspect of a love life whether it be gay or straight; choosing your marriage rings.
The Campbell’s ad I like because it is a clever way to weave in an aspect of our lives; a two-parent, same-sex household with a pop culture phrase. Here, the “I am your father” reference is utilized in a new way to promote a product and provide inclusion of our community. The RealRealLife hashtag phrase reinforces that inclusion. Feeding our kids is the real life of many a gay parent and the real world in which everyone, gay or straight lives. #RealRealLife also further highlights that second point. Gay families exist, and we’re just a valid and as everyday as any other family.
In the gay community, we often talk about how seeing ourselves and knowing their are others like us helps to make us feel less alone; improve our self-esteem; and be more comfortable with who we are. Seeing ourselves in something so commonplace as a commercial vs. seeking it out in a gayborhood is another reason why it gets better.
