We recently read an article shared by Adweek on the best LGBTQ-inclusive Marketing campaigns. This article mentions “True Name” by Mastercard and “Hair has no Gender” by Pantene as some of the most inclusive campaigns of this year. But I wanted to focus on the why, something that I feel is frequently ignored.

“True Name” by Mastercard is a campaign that feels truly authentic. And that is key in any type of advertising – but especially in LGBTQ-inclusive marketing campaigns. It doesn’t feel like an ad, and beyond calling out a new product or the company itself, it is talking about how the company is changing to show customers they are true supporters of the community. It makes us feel the ad is about the them, the LGBTQ community and not about selling us anything. This is what valuable marketing is really about.

Pantene, on the other hand, has a history of supporting the LGBTQ community, and that alone makes it authentic. It is not about one ad, but instead you will find they have several ads showing their support. And this is the best representation of showing their support for more than just one month – making it a constant, part of their DNA and part of their culture.

Apart from these, I would definitely include Nike with its #BETRUE collection, and Campbell’s “I am your father”. Nike is an excellent example of how marketing initiatives can go beyond your typical ad.

So what can you do to show your support in an authentic way? Make it about the community, not about your product or brand. You have to understand and empathize with them before . And make it a constant, not about one ad to show support because it happens to be “Pride month”. This is what inclusivity is about.

We, at OOB Agency, are always rooting for true marketing, valuable marketing, heart marketing 💛💙💚❤️💜

And if you have campaigns that are worth mentioning, please write it in the comments or contact us to share them. We would love to take a look at them!