LGBTQ+ Forum

Open to Client-Side Marketer members and Platinum/Gold/Silver members (MSP or Nonprofit) only

The LGBTQ+ Forum exists to educate marketers on best practices for inclusion of LGBTQ+ in advertising, provide support for LGBTQ+ marketers, and drive more meaningful community-brand connections. As more brands embrace targeted advertising to the LGBTQ+ community and feature community members in their advertising, it is more important than ever that the industry learn how to meaningfully engage the LGBTQ+ community and their purchasing power.

The LGBTQ+ Forum meets virtually every other month.

ANA staff managing the LGBTQ+ Forum is Greg Wright (he/him).

Committee Co-Chairs:

• Katie Levesque (she/her), VP and supplier diversity director – Truist Financial Corporation
• Suresh Raj (he/him), Global Chief Growth Officer – Virtue, the creative agency powered by VICE

Resources:

• 2022 ANA Multicultural Excellence Awards Winners
• Presentations and recaps from the 2022 ANA Multicultural Marketing and Diversity Conference 
• ANA's Alliance for Inclusive and Multicultural Marketing
• List of Certified Diverse Suppliers for Marketing/Advertising

Discussion Topics

• Best Practices for LGBTQ+ Inclusive Marketing
• Increasing Representation of LGBTQ+ in Advertising
• Optimizing LGBTQ+-owned media spend
• Supplier Diversity
• Diversification of the Marketing and Advertising Supply Chain
• Importance of Employee Resource Groups
• Increasing LGBTQ+ Inclusion in Staff

Leadership Initiatives

LGBTQ+ Marketing Inclusion Report
This report provides an initial look at the state of LGBTQ+ marketing inclusion and representation among client-side marketer members. As more brands enter public conversations on societal movements, they are highlighting how to authentically support the LGBTQ+ community through their marketing campaigns. The report shows positive overall movement toward greater LGBTQ+ marketing inclusion in the advertising industry and provides key action items that can further enhance positive brand perception within the LGBTQ+ community. (December 2021)

A Diversity Report for the Advertising/Marketing Industry
This fourth annual report from ANA and ANA's Alliance for Inclusive and Multicultural Marketing (AIMM), based on three separate studies among ANA members, concludes that finally, there has been progress in increasing ethnic diversity in the advertising/marketing industry. The overall ethnic skew of the marketing/advertising industry is more diverse than ever, at 30.8 percent, yet despite the progress, there is still work to be done. (November 2021)

The Power of Supplier Diversity
A supplier diversity program is a proactive business program which encourages the use of women-owned, ethnic/minority-owned, veteran-owned, LGBTQ-owned, disability-owned, and small businesses as suppliers. This report covers the findings from quantitative and qualitative research conducted by the ANA. The purpose was to gain an understanding of the incidence of supplier diversity programs as well as benefits, challenges, spend, goals, measurement, influence, and more. (May 2020)