Brands need to bear minority groups in mind all year round if they really want to be allies towards structural change
The yearly calendar is increasingly used to highlight topics related to inclusion, diversity and representation. LGBTQIAP+ Pride Month is celebrated each year in June, for example – an important window to position your brand as a supporter of the cause and grant visibility to the movement. The problem is, many companies only do so in June.
The LGBTQIAP+ community exists the whole year round, in every part of the world, and expresses views on just about every subject. So why diminish these people by talking only about their pain, and only at a specific time of the year? It can be infuriating to watch brands tweet rainbows and hire LGBTQIAP+ representatives for campaigns in June, only to forget the community’s existence for the rest of the year.
Companies that limit their communication around diversity to a scheduled date may be considered opportunistic by the end consumer, whose opinion is increasingly critical. If support is restricted to just one month a year, or to other landmark dates throughout the year, then brands risk coming across as hollow and insincere. These pre-scheduled periods are important for discussing the pressing issues that these groups experience, but debate – and action – needs to take place all year round.
This is the only way to build your brand’s reputation as an ally that is genuinely concerned with the LGBTQIAP+ community. And in doing so, you will gain loyal consumers who believe in your brand and ideals, and who will often become allies themselves, defending and celebrating your company. A branding strategy, yes… but one with tremendous social appeal.
Another point to remember is that the LGBTQIAP+ acronym encompasses multiple experiences – so there is no point in using Pride Month to highlight the experiences of cisgender, disability-free white men only! This is often the case, since this archetype is relatively close to the typical “standard”. But in reality the LGBTQIAP+ community and its experiences are much more diverse.
Where are the black people, trans people, lesbian women? We need to think about intersectionality, as another article here on the blog makes clear. As we pursue diversity in communications, let’s think critically about all these insights, and commit to working towards a better, more representative reality.
A recent global survey by Getty Images in partnership with Glaad, Visual GPS, corroborated this lack of representation. Only 20% of respondents said that they regularly see members of the LGBTQIAP+ community represented in images, and often in a stereotypical light. According to respondents, 30% of these images portray gay men as “feminine”; 29% show LGBTQIAP+ people displaying the rainbow flag in some way; 29% portray lesbian women as “masculine”; and 28% portray gays as “extravagant”. In other words, visual representation is scarce, and doesn’t necessarily preclude stereotypical views.
It is not enough to post and talk about LGBT people from the comfort of one’s home. They are more than just their sexuality and gender identity, and have plenty to say and contribute in other areas.
LGBTQIAP+ community members need to be included in companies, among the decision makers. Bear this in mind when forming teams and seeking to establish diversity, by creating processes and environments that will ensure the well-being of these staff members.
It’s important to listen and constantly seek out new information, to connect different agendas. Get involved with the cause, talk to those who are part of it (paying these professionals for their consultancy, of course!) and your company will succeed in broadening the discourse, and avoid tired tropes throughout the year.
Finally, it is your social responsibility to raise this important agenda among your company’s employees. Sherlock Communications considers it essential to highlight representativeness and plurality throughout the year. To do so, we set up a Diversity & Inclusion team, whose goal is to discuss these issues with our consultants and on the agency’s social media channels, to help promote representation in our clients’ campaigns without resorting to stereotypes, and also to create a safe space for our team.
