Yesterday kicked off the fifth annual Advertising Week in New York, with the best and brightest from Madison Avenue and all corners of the globe converging on the city to discuss the current state and future of this long standing form of communication. Yet with all of advertising’s advances and innovation, some outdated stereotypes and references still make their way into today’s print and television spots.
Today, our client Mike Wilke, president and founder of Commercial Closet Association, a leading educational organization for the advertising industry on the proper inclusion of LGBT references in advertising, issued a call to action to Madison Avenue’s leading executives. Backed by a host of New York government officials and advertising industry leaders, the letter calls for an end to any lingering lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender stereotypes, homophobia and transphobia in commercial advertising. It coincides with a diversity hearing being held today by The New York City Committee on Civil Rights to examine the progress made in the advertising space.
Hoping to encourage action from top firms and advertisers everywhere, Wilke noted in a recent Advertising Age story that a “critical mass of things that have been followed by the media” recently show great potential for advertisers to change their ways. New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, and others are backing Commercial Closet’s call-to-action in the hopes to create a more aware and accepting society of LGBT people.
This call to action, if heeded, can deliver great benefits to both the LGBT community and businesses in general. From the Super Bowl blockbusters to the daily spot that flashes across the screen during our favorite show, we’re constantly internalizing messages, images and themes about our world and those in it. And while consumers should do their part to be cognizant of inappropriate uses of a particular stereotype, advertisers are equally responsible for providing appropriate references of all diverse people.
I encourage you to take a look at Commercial Closet’s Web site, which houses a library of recent and older commercials from around the globe. Some inspire, some disappoint – but all are examples to the power of communication and the need for appropriate references of LGBT people. After you’ve taken a look, let us know what you think.
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