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The inaugural WPP Unite South Africa Awards took place in June, recognising the best work in support of LGBTQIA+ rights across WPP South Africa over the past three years.
Image courtesy of .
The awards are organised by WPP in partnership with Mamba Online and The Other Foundation, and are led by WPP Unite, the company’s global LGBTQIA+ community, championing inclusion and belonging across the web and beyond.
Outstanding Work
The awards recognize outstanding work in a variety of categories, including:
- Unity in Craft: Mindshare by Avon: Hydramatic Matte Lipstick
- Unity in the digital realm: Vuse’s VML x Drag Queens: Be Every You
- Unity in Film: VML at BMW #GenerationJoy
- Unity Campaign: Grey of the Steppes: The Legend of Chakalaka Norris
- Cultural solidarity: Vodacom’s VML #SafeSpaces
- Unity Spaces: VML #SafeSpaces by Vodacom
- Solidarity through influence: The Diva Report by Kantar for Diva Mag
- Uniting South Africa: The Diva Report by Kantar for Diva Mag
In addition to celebrating creative excellence, the awards also provide valuable insights into the current state of LGBTQIA+ representation in South Africa’s advertising and communications sectors.
Uncovering deeper opportunities for LGBTQIA+ inclusion
Judging criteria included relevance, authenticity, empowerment and effectiveness in breaking stereotypes, with a key focus being on increasing the number and depth of entries.
Dono White, strategy director at VML South Africa and a member of WPP Unite, said: “The limited number of LGBTQIA+ focused campaigns submitted highlights the need for agencies and clients to do more.”
“We must challenge ourselves to incorporate authentic representation into our creative work on an ongoing basis, not just at certain times.”
The judging panel, comprised of industry leaders and LGBTQIA+ advocates, identified key areas for improvement, including greater diversity at the client level and shifting perspectives to ensure LGBTQIA+ stories are told within the community.
To emphasize the importance of community voices, more than 5,000 members of the LGBTQIA+ community participated in judging and providing direct feedback on the event through Mamba Online.
Tebogo Skwambane, Country Manager for WPP South Africa, highlighted the business case for true inclusion.
“WPP research shows that diverse and inclusive marketing resonates better with audiences,” said Skwambane.
“The Unite South Africa Awards demonstrate WPP’s commitment to not only reflecting the country’s diversity but also driving business outcomes for our clients.
Skwambane added: “We believe that authentic LGBTQIA+ representation is not only a social need, but also a strategic business advantage in today’s market for brands looking to break through and reach traditionally underserved audiences.”
Driving meaningful change
To guide future efforts, WPP Unite SA unveiled its “Do More” strategy at the awards ceremony, a 10-point guide to creating impactful LGBTQIA+ affirming work.
The strategy emphasizes authentic representation, deeper storytelling, community engagement, and bold, disruptive content.
“The ‘Do More’ strategy is a call to action for our industry. By following these principles, we can move beyond symbolic gestures and create meaningful change to foster a more inclusive and representative creative environment in South Africa,” said White.
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