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March 31: International Day of Transgender Visibility. A good moment to take a look at transgender people in advertising.

Within my research “Marketing the Rainbow” I developed the formula:

Representation –> visibility –> normalization –> tolerance –> acceptance –> respect.

Although this applies to all members of the LGBT+ community, the “T” has only recently come to the fore and is being put in the spotlight today. That Day of Visibility already indicates that we are not yet far advanced in this ‘customer journey’. In the US the discussion mainly revolves around the use of toilets, recently a wave of discriminatory, hateful bills has emerged and a few hundred transgender people are murdered every year, purely for their ‘being alive’ (!). In the Netherlands we are a step further – with the Constitution to be changed to include sexual identity and the Transgender Law to facilitate the legal side of the transition process – but still far from reaching Respect. Marketing, communication and advertising can play an important role here.

Solidarity

As an economic group – and therefore target group for marketing – the “T” are not very powerful. This concerns about 1% of the population, a group that is often disadvantaged as well. Paying attention to these community members is therefore less important economically than socially. And then you come to Corporate Social Responsibility and loading your brand with Inclusion and Diversity. These are values ​​that are increasingly appealing and are even of decisive importance to, for example, the Millennials – both when buying products and when choosing an employer. And it also contributes to your operating result! (check out my article 4 Reasons To Put Your Diversity Into Practice (Plus Two Bonus Reasons)

Research shows that Dutch transgender people have a vulnerable employment position. Compared to the general population, they are more likely to have a low income (53% vs. 30%), and less likely to be employed or self-employed (41% vs. 62%). They are also more likely to receive disability benefits (12% versus 4%), welfare assistance (11% versus 4%) or another social benefit (10% versus 2%). Possible explanations for the poorer position in the labor market are prejudices about them among employers and colleagues, and increased psychological and physical health problems that make it more difficult to find or keep a job.

We as marketers can do something about the former, the prejudices in particular. Here are three examples of this process of support.

Facilitate: Mastercard

Mastercard launched the ‘True name’ campaign for Pride 2019. In the emotional campaign video, they showed that customers were offered the option of having their card printed with the name they chose for their new identity, not necessarily the name on their passport or birth certificate. They added: “We strive to be a role model for equality and inclusion. That’s why we created True Name™, which allows trans and non-binary people to include their chosen name on their cards. We stand behind the community.”

Mastercard shared research that found that nearly a third of individuals who presented ID with a name or gender that didn’t match their appearance reported negative experiences, including being mistreated, denied services, or even harassment and violence. “It starts with their name, that’s who they are, that’s their identity,” said Randall Tucker, Chief Inclusion Officer at Mastercard. “With Mastercard True Name” you can choose your name on your credit card, your debit card and your prepaid card. We pay it forward not because it’s trendy, but because it’s who we are as an organization.“

The campaign was repeated in 2020 and 2021, with gripping testimonials. Last year, this service – and also the campaign – was extended to Europe, offered by Bank of the Free: bunq, which is now active in 30 countries. The bank’s logo shows the colors of the rainbow, only there are 12 instead of 6.

But beware: at many events, e.g. (World) Pride, there are quite a few corporate sponsors who make charitable donations and use their platforms to raise awareness, but it’s easy to go astray or get the wrong tone. Fortunately, Mastercard didn’t just release a rainbow-colored debit card. Instead, they found a way to start the conversation in a meaningful way and offer a solution to an (LGB)T+ pain point. In addition, the brand has consistently proven itself to be a corporate ally of the community; in 2019 it honored World Pride with the installation of a New York street sign (“Acceptance Street”), and it has an ongoing partnership with LGBT+ media watchdog GLAAD.

Highlight: ABN Amro

In last year’s Pride Amsterdam campaign, the top 3 Dutch bank once again facilitated a platform for a number of LGBT employees to speak, as they have done since 2018. One of them is Luca Dolstra. He is 26 years old when he realizes that he is a transgender man. When he tells his colleagues at ABN AMRO about his transition, he gets a lot of positive reactions. But also questions. “Sometimes colleagues are very curious about personal details about your transition. It took a while before I was strong enough to set my limits.”

Luca has a message for all people who are still struggling with their gender identity: “Everyone should be able to be themselves at work, but in the end it’s your story. No one but you can decide what you want to say about it.”

The winner of the stupidest comment is Martijn R.: “The money from this campaign could also be spent on savings interest.” He has, I assume, applied for the position of CFO.

It’s a nice gesture, those annual Pride campaigns from the bank, but you also have to show your diversity the rest of the year to appear credible. Although the bank was quite late in showing (LGBT) diversity, it has regularly done so since 2015. The way in which it was done was good: very casually and not only in advertising, but also through sponsorships. The timing was right: not just during the Pride period. The rainbow employees are given plenty of space. See my article about ABN Amro for an extensive analysis.

Respect: Starbucks

Starbucks won the Channel 4 Diversity Award in 2019 with a British commercial, together with their agency Iris. It’s a touching story about a boy who for the first time hears his own chosen name in the ‘bucks.

There are a number of spin-offs in which individual young people tell their stories: Cairo, Otto, Eliza and Nicole:

With over 77,000 views, the campaign video on my YouTube channel is one of the most viewed videos there (No. 10) – it has over 700,000 views on their channel. While they have turned the comments off, I have not. A lot of comments I got are about the fact that Starbucks so often misspells your name – which I think is still a marketing gimmick, because people keep talking about it. There is, however, a considerable amount of foul-mouthing, especially to the likes of “let them stick to their product instead of shoving a political agenda down my throat”, and in particular “they have lost me as a customer”. Sure, you’ll get your Venti Brazilian Almond Roast Semi-Skimmed Latte elsewhere… Bye Felicia!

With this campaign, Starbucks supported the Mermaids foundation (fun fact: look closely at Starbucks’ logo!), which helps young transgender people and their families. The campaign won them £1 million in advertising time, and they pledged to raise £100,000 for Mermaids by selling mermaid tail cookies.

Starbucks states: “We have always aspired to be a different kind of company. We are driven by our mission – to inspire and nurture the human spirit; one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time. We work to bring our mission to life by creating an equitable, diverse and inclusive culture. Taking a customer’s name, writing it on a cup and calling it out is a symbol of our warm welcome. Starbucks #whatsyourname campaign celebrates this signature act and the significance it can have for some transgender and gender diverse people as they use their new name in public.“ The advert, created in partnership with creative agency Iris, was inspired by real life experiences of people who were transitioning.

Three different ways of showing and showing support for the transgender friends. This contributes greatly to the journey from Representation to Respect.

Alfred Verhoeven is a marketer and is in the final phase of his PhD research Marketing the Rainbow. He previously wrote for ILOVEGAY about Matchmaking, 5 videos that went viral, From Representation To Respect, Cultural sensitivities and social involvement in marketing, 4 reasons to practice diversity and The Rules of Market Segmentation.