TV is a powerful force for social good, and inclusive TV advertising has the power to shape the cultural landscape, to enlighten and inspire, and to help create equity. Positive and authentic representation of diverse communities in advertising can challenge stereotypes and help remove prejudice by driving familiarity and acceptance.
And there’s a growing body of work to demonstrate that inclusive advertising offers brands the opportunity to unlock new, positive business effects; that it’s not just the right thing to do for society, it’s also good for business.
But in the age of culture wars and increased fear of public backlash, brands are more apprehensive than ever to take any perceived risks in their creative work. So it’s important to elevate and celebrate those brands that are doing it well, and to inspire advertisers and their agency partners to strive for frequent, central and authentic representation of underrepresented groups in their campaigns.
We asked some creative leaders – all passionate and vocal about equity, diversity and inclusion in the industry – to give us their top inclusive TV ad picks from the last year.
Laura Jordan Bambach, Founder & CCO, Unchartered
Video: E45: This is me. This is my space - T&Pm
his one is probably my favourite queer ad of the last 5 years. When I saw this for the first time it absolutely delighted me and I searched it out to watch again. Perfectly observed, emotionally poignant and with a universality that only comes from real specificity of experience, you can’t help but be put in the shoes of the amazing queer cast on screen.
Amongst all the noise and vitriol being stirred around trans identity it’s a thoroughly modern and wonderful ad that enhances the brand and delivers a message about its efficacy in hydrating and caring for the most sensitive skin. Hearing about how deeply they worked with the trans community to produce the campaign and how seriously they took their overarching commitment made me even more impressed. This is not only a brilliant ad, but a north star on how to work with any community to deliver a piece that speaks to everyone, through their voice.
Tash Beecher, Creative Director, Syneos Health; Creative Co-Director, Outvertising
Video: Pandora: Be Love (Holiday 2024) - inhouse
As someone who is a living breathing Venn diagram of often marginalised lived experiences, picking an ad that speaks to all of me is a difficult thing. I’m also a Creative Director - specialising in health - so any TV ad that jumps out to me needs to deliver on craft, story, execution and originality… it’s a tall order, but not impossible.
I don’t want to see queer ads just for Pride month, I don’t only want to see black people for Black History Month, I don’t want to see brands rolling out visible disability representations solely because it’s the Paralympics. I want to see, and our society needs to see, brands and campaigns that really emphasise their core values to speak to audiences to ultimately make them buy things. When showing people, show people doing real everyday things, being real, everyday people. I personally like things that make me laugh or cry or think or bring joy, even just for a moment - that’s the way to get me to buy shit both figuratively and literally.
Having said all this, my pick is the surprise… it’s the Pandora holiday ad. Pandora has great form for inclusive advertising with their Love Unboxed campaign. They showed, in amongst various people giving one another valentines’ gifts, a non-white lesbian couple with a necklace who look at each other, hug, then kiss briefly as the camera pans out.
Pandora’s 2024 holiday ad feels considered and driven by what the brand wants to stand for, with celebrity ambassadors like Pamela Anderson and her more recently lauded natural ageing; Chloe and Halle Bailey, supermodel Agyness Deyn and model Jocelyn Corona. But the celebs are not why this ad is my pick. Nestled in amongst this globally-recognised cast is a young, affluent and attractive Black family with the CUTEST smiling little toddler. Yes they (appear to be) a heterosexual family, but I can count on my hands the number of dark-skinned, Black families I have ever seen in a UK TV ad. Seeing this representation just thrown in like that stood out to me in the best possible way. It was just there: simple, subtle but noticeable to those, like me, for whom it matters.
Matt Davis, ECD, Red Brick Road
Video: World Down Syndrome Day: Assume that I can - Small (NYC)
Inclusion is, rightly, a bit amorphous. Many brands ply their trade ‘inclusively’: positive vibes, ‘all in’, trusted. And there’s an ease to toe-dipping inclusivity that made thinking of an ad dominating this space difficult.
So believing it can be simpler to go singular, I hit the opposite button. Have I seen anything that confronted the cold injustice of exclusion? Madison Tevlin’s polemic for World Down Syndrome Day is in its own galaxy.
Indeed, despite not part of her script, Tevlin is advocating for a group so excluded, their right to exist is questioned before they’re born. This contributes, surely, to her roughing up of society’s cosy life-sapping assumptions.
Tevlin blares at us in devastating detail the almost pathological pitying and patronising behaviours shown to people who have Downs Syndrome. Each one a thin facade for what are actually the many levels and shades of exclusion faced. School, home, out and about. The impact and storytelling is amplified by faultless production values.
The exquisite shift in pace, tone, visual oomph and a perfectly placed f bomb display how her community’s world changes when assumptions are flipped to the positive and possible. Forcing inclusion an all viewers.
Sarina Da Costa Gomez, Creative Director, T&Pm
Video: JD Sports: The Family Portrait - Uncommon Creative Studio
After a little round robin at the agency, the ad that came up the most was JD Sports’ ‘The Family Portrait’ Christmas ad. An ad that so cleverly sidesteps cheesy clichés about family, opting instead for a refreshingly realistic portrayal of modern kinship. Something we’re all so acutely aware of but is done in a subtly diverse and inclusive way, without making a big song and dance about it.
This ability to mirror society without feeling patronized is so rare and this understated approach feels authentic and avoids the usual tokenism pitfalls. The team working with JD clearly understands that true inclusivity isn't about checking boxes, but about reflecting the rich tapestry of their customer base, and leaning into a universal human insight. Let’s not forget their 2023 "Bag for Life" campaign, which hit similar notes of self-awareness and cultural relevance, so clearly, JD's got a knack for this.
Asad Shaykh, Head of Strategy, GREY London and Pride in London
Video: GAP: Get loose. Now live.
Best line I heard in 2024?
“You might know me from my album BRAT. But don’t worry if you don’t. There is nothing wrong with being straight.” – Charli XCX on Saturday Night Live.
This was the ad industry’s vibe in 2024.
Not many made queer-centric ads, but many did make queer-supportive ads. Volkswagen’s SuperBowl spot celebrated a traditional yet very lesbian wedding, calling it part of ‘The American Story’. The safest high street brand, GAP, chose to work with the raunchiest gay star, Troye Sivan, for their Summer campaign. Jaguar (not on TV, but everywhere else!) announced their vision of a modern world includes all gender identities.
I call it ‘softer inclusivity’. Although not the loudest, this trend gives me hope for a new landscape, where queerness is not just spotlighted, but also cemented into popular culture.
Maybe this is the ad industry’s way of telling the world that there’s nothing wrong with being gay.
Source: thnikbox.tv
