Advocating for More Transgender Representation in Advertising
Comcast Advertising
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The purpose of Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV), is to raise awareness about transgender people and contradict pervasive negative stereotypes. But more than that, this is a day to celebrate the lives and contributions of trans people, while also drawing attention to the poverty, discrimination, and violence the community faces.
It started back in 2009 when Rachel Crandall-Crocker was looking for a little happiness. All too often when trans people are featured in the media or in the news it is due to a trans person being the victim of violence. Crandall-Croker had been waiting for someone to create a special day for the trans community, a day for good news, and ultimately decided she was that someone. According to USA Today, she said, “I wanted a day that we can celebrate the living, and I wanted a day that all over the world we could be all together.”
Today millions of people recognize Transgender Day of Visibility every year on March 31 as a day to acknowledge and honor transgender people, including media industry leaders.
“Millennials and Gen Z are the most sexually diverse, gender-accepting generations, and combined, they make up nearly 50% of the US population,” explains Damian Pelliccione, CEO of Revry, who is also non-binary. “LGBTQ+ is the third largest consumer purchasing group in the U.S., with $1.7 trillion in disposable consumer income.”
“If networks and brand marketers aren’t already planning or understanding what non-binary and transgender communities are, and what they mean to Millennial and Gen-Z consumers... they’re not ‘future proofing’ their brands,” Pelliccione adds.
LGBTQ+ Representation on TV shows
A key component of visibility, however, is representation on TV, media and advertising. According to GLAAD’s “Where We Are on TV” report, nearly 11% of all scripted characters on TV during primetime in 2022/2023 season were LGBTQ+. This is a slight decrease from the peak set last season. In all, there are 596 LGBTQ+ characters on scripted primetime television this season, 32 of which are trans characters, which equates to slightly more than 5% of LGBTQ+ characters overall.
For the first time in the 18-year history of the study, more than 50% of all LGBTQ+ representation on TV is with people of color, a sign that diversity and inclusion on all fronts is on the rise.
These numbers have plenty of room for growth, especially when you consider that 63% of trans characters appearing in a scripted broadcast network series can be attributed to one network, The CW. Streaming platforms took the largest step forward with the highest number of transgender characters appearing on scripted shows, triple what was seen on broadcast or cable.
As for trans representation in advertising...
According to a survey done by Nielsen in 2021, advertising during Pride Month made up the bulk of LGBTQ+ advertising. Only 1% of ads had LGBTQ+ characters or issues represented outside of June, suggesting that many companies haven’t made this part of their core marketing efforts when it’s not in the national spotlight.
It’s important for brands to avoid being seen as insincere in their support of gender rights by showing support only during Pride Month and going invisible the rest of the year, or worse, by “rainbow washing.”
While some larger brands like Starbucks, Orbitz, and Lexus have featured transgender people or characters in their ads, it goes far beyond simply showing diversity. It’s just good marketing strategy.
“The work we did for Lexus with Michaela Jae Rodriguez wasn’t just about partnering with a celebrity or personality,” says Raul Rios, SVP of Strategy for Walton Isaacson, the agency that produced the campaign.
“The strategy of that [Lexus Model IS] spot spoke to a trailblazing, bold, innovative style. In other words, it aligned with what makes Michaela Jae so compelling as a person – not just as a performer. So, if the strategy is driving the idea, these celebrities are people and using them can be deeper than a superficial partnership. They also open the door for non-celebs. In fact, that’s what happened with future Lexus work where we were able to feature transgender and LGBTQ cast members in leading roles for authentic storytelling.”
LGBTQ+ representation is still an evolving proposition for marketers. Brands – particularly larger ones – are predominantly careful with how they are perceived by the plurality of consumers, which often can result in a slower evolution than society might expect. But as the demographics continue to speed towards inclusion, it will not be long before LGBTQ+ representation becomes a standard consideration for mainstream advertisers and their media buys.
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