Advertising Week’s First-Ever Panel Discussion Focused on the LGBT Consumer
Publicis Groupe and the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) recently held Advertising Week’s first ever panel discussion focused on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) consumers entitled “Gays & Lesbians, Know Them?” The panel, lead by Stuart Elliott of The New York Times, included representatives from Microsoft, American Airlines, LGBT-focused cable channel LOGO and Prime Access Inc.
“Today, many brands have recognized the value in speaking to the LGBT community, but there are many more brands that haven’t,” said Phillip Sontag, MS&LGroup, and co-founder of Egalite, the Publicis Groupe’s LGBT Employee Resource Group. “Our goal is to have a thoughtful, provocative discussion that helps shape the way we as marketers reach the LGBT community.”
“When companies include images of our community in their ads, they send an important message that gay and transgender people are a part of the American cultural fabric,” expressed GLAAD President Jarrett Barrios. “It’s these images that build acceptance and understanding of our community. We are proud to partner with Publicis to advocate for fair, accurate and inclusive advertising.”
“We’re seeing more and more gay and lesbian storylines on TV every day, and it’s not taboo anymore,” said Adam Wasserman, Digitas and co-founder of Egalite. “This recent evolution is encouraging us to increase our deep knowledge about this community, and to find the right ways for an efficient dialogue between brands and LGBT consumers.”
“We created Egalite at Publicis Groupe to unite our brand’s LGBT employees and allies in the New York region and streamline an LGBT approach for our clients,” added Sandra Sims-Williams, chair of the Publicis Groupe Diversity Council in the U.S. “Egalite serves both an internal and external purpose, and our partnership with GLAAD is one illustration of our global Diversity Policy, composed of several initiatives dedicated to various communities.”
Publicis Groupe is the world’s third-largest communications group. In addition, it is ranked as the world’s second-largest media counsel and buying group and is the first global network in digital and healthcare communications. With activities spanning 104 countries on five continents, Publicis Groupe employs approximately 45,000 professionals.