Ogilvy, Havas And 30 Ad Agencies Urge Brands To Brave Backlash

Major advertising agencies Havas London, Dentsu, Ogilvy, Mindshare, and 26 others have backed a call for brands to “stand your ground” on LGBTQ-inclusive advertising during Pride Month.

It follows intense anti-LGBTQ prejudice from a vocal but largely unrepresentative minority and a backlash to Pride Month advertising.

The call, organised by UK advocacy group Outvertising, has also been backed by over 60 organisations from the third sector, employee resource groups and publications like Gay Times and QueerAF.

In a year that could be a watershed moment for the rainbow logo and pride campaigns, notable signatures suggest that may not be true.

Significantly it’s been backed by industry groups like the Internet Advertising Bureau and The World Federation of Advertisers, who they say represent 90% of global marketing communications spend.

The groups have pledged to:

• Run Pride adverts
• Protect LGBTQIA+ talent and influencers they’re working with
• Keep any pride events planned
• Display any pride products.
• Back up rainbow logos with meaningful actions and declarations.
• If a brand comes under attack, to “brave it” and now bow to it
• And for brands with media spend to invest in media that match your values.

Crucially, the pledge also says these major agencies will “divest from media that spread disinformation.”

Marty Davies, joint CEO of Outvertising, tells me that having the endorsement of the WFA and ISBA and large media agencies like EssenceMediacom, Mindshare and Dentsu is incredibly significant because “they can help advise and direct advertisers’ ad spend.”

“Their guidance leads to greater investment in media that matches a brand’s inclusive values and divestment from those that do not.”

This final pledge is particularly important to note as part of the broader industry trend to consider the placements of adverts in digital spaces ever since the YouTube hate speech fiasco.

They hope this pledge will see the agencies and brands taking more action to make sure their ads aren’t funding disinformation – and making it profitable.

Brands “have a big role to play” in making the world safer for LGBTQ people

The UK’s largest LGBTQ charity Stonewall, also one of the signatures, told me brands have a big role to play in making a world that is safer for LGBTQ people.

“At a time when real-life hate crimes against LGBTQ people in the UK are rising rapidly year on year, and online hate is everywhere, it’s important that brands are clear with their media partners. They do not want to fan these flames of division and misinformation,” says Nancy Kelley – Chief Executive of Stonewall.

In recent years there has been a shift change in what brands are prepared to say and do about social issues. For many, Ukraine was a watershed moment that saw brands speak out in a way that they would have never considered before.

But the wider context of this is a world where AI will likely be this generation’s printing press moment. Where journalism and trust in the information we receive are going to get a more significant and tighter focus from consumers.

The Bud Light saga is a pertinent example. The brand worked with a transgender influencer leading to a boycott from the right. They rolled back on this action, seeing a boycott from the left. They then donated to an LGBTQIA+ organisation to try and draw a line under it. But all-in-all, their attempt to sit on the fence saw them lose revenue from everyone.

Brands will need to adapt to a time where social issues are deeply embedded in the values of Generation Z. Brands will need to consider where their ad spend is going – and whether this in itself will affect their bottom lines.

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