Why you should connect your marketing campaigns to diversity

As Mardi Gras is just around the corner, organisations are ramping up their support for Australia’s gay community.

But it’s not just about the better cause, there’s a business strategy behind as well. ANZ is one of the frontrunners and are now famous for their “GayTM” campaign. 

By sponsoring and supporting Mardi Gras and Auckland’s Gay Festival, ANZ has improved its own brand and reputation, while reaching a larger market breakup.

Not only does ANZ profit from this strategy, they’re also pushing for broader societal acceptance of the LGBTQI community, and for the allowance of equal marriage.

While it might be easy to think that “sure, let’s just create a campaign with some gay people in it, and that will improve our brand and grow our market” it’s not quite that simple. Despite the fact that ANZ had already proven successful with their campaigns, they don’t drop the guard.

“We take a lot of care in testing it and sounding out these ideas and making sure what we are doing achieves its purpose but also hits the right mark, because the last thing we want to do is miss that mark and offend anyone,” Carolyn Bendall, Chief Marketing Officer of ANZ’s Australia division, told Mumbrella.

This year they have created a campaign called “Hold Tight”, includes a video featuring members of the LGBTQI communities, who let go of each other hands because they feel uncomfortable in public.

“It is a really important part of us as a brand, the issue is important and nobody would dispute that, and it has enabled ANZ to have a more authentic voice because we’re talking about something that is true to our DNA and it is absolutely true,” Bendall continued.

ANZ, along with organisations such as Meat & Livestock Australia, Western Sydney University, AFL, Optus, Cricket Australia, will present their diversity and inclusion strategies and how to effectively connect those to business growth, at Akolade’s National Diversity and Inclusion for Business Growth Forum.

Mimmie grew up in Sweden and first came to Australia as a backpacker after high school. After travelling around the country for two years she returned to Europe and pursued a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism in London. But the longing for Australia and the sun became too strong. After having worked for some time in the media industry, Mimmie decided to make a change and swap the news for conferences. She now gets to do what she loves the most, meeting new people and keep learning about cultures and issues while producing conferences on current topics.