Top Brands Nominated for Channel 4's Diversity Award: Absolut and Durex Make the Cut!

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Six brands have been shortlisted by Channel 4 for its seventh annual Diversity in Advertising prize. This year, the prize aims to encourage brands to tackle the issue of insufficient authentic representation of LGBTQIA+ individuals in advertising.

The following six brands and agencies have been shortlisted for the £1m prize: Absolut and Ogilvy UK, the AA and The Gate London, Durex and Havas London, E45 and The&Partnership, Bodyform and AMV BBDO, and Snag and Dentsu Creative.

This year's theme for the prize was selected based on research conducted by Channel 4 and 4Sales. The research revealed that UK brands have been hesitant to depict diversity in advertising due to concerns about potential backlash.

Earlier this year, Outvertising, an organization representing LGBTQAI+ practitioners in advertising, observed hesitation from brands to pursue improved representation, possibly due to the criticism Bud Light faced for partnering with trans model Dylan Mulvaney.

In line with its ongoing Pride campaign highlighting ways to support smaller regional communities, Channel 4's award encourages brands to be 'Proud All Over'. The award emphasizes the importance of promoting diversity beyond major cities and aims to foster significant progress in representation.

Building on the theme from 2019, when Starbucks won the prize for its ‘What’s Your Name’ campaign showcasing a transgender man using his new name when ordering a coffee, the brand that emerges as the winner will be awarded £1m of video advertising space across Channel 4’s channels, including linear TV, streaming, and YouTube. In addition, the winning brand will have the opportunity to collaborate with 4Studio, Channel 4's in-house creative studio, on a complementary piece of social branded content valued at an additional £100k for the brand.

Creative ideas

Ahead of announcing the winner of the 2023 LGBTQIA+ Diversity in Advertising award, Channel 4 has urged UK advertisers to continue their efforts towards increasing diversity.

Veriça Djurdjevic, chief revenue officer at Channel 4 and chair of the Diversity In Advertising Award judging panel, urges the industry to pursue their creative ideas, even if they didn't make it to the finalist list. She emphasizes that while the award scheme may not offer financial support for every campaign, Channel 4 is committed to assisting brands and creative agencies in any way possible to ensure a wide dissemination of these outstanding LGBTQIA+ campaigns across the country.

The winning work will be announced on the 4Sales' LinkedIn Live channel on Wednesday morning, October 18, 2023. Past recipients of the Diversity in Advertising award include Vanish and Havas London for their autism-focused campaign, as well as Tena and AMV BBDO for their campaign addressing ageism.