Cannes Lions 2023 winners demonstrated that creativity can help make brands more inclusive. Discover how learnings from the winners can help you close the inclusion gap in your advertising.

This year’s Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity held up a mirror to the industry. What is the current state of diversity, equity and inclusion inside marketing organisations and how they connect with people on the outside?

Externally, advertisers are feeling more confident in inclusive representation related to women, race and ethnic groups, and in some cases, even disabilities. Yet, on the other hand, there are acute pain points. LGBTQ+ representation has been a weak area for marketers and advertisers aiming to be inclusive, and #Pride2023 has brought this concern to new heights. This sentiment is echoed in Kantar’s Media Reactions study, which suggests over 6 in 10 marketers are confident about their organisations’ advertising avoiding stereotypes, including gender balanced content or inclusive and diverse representation, and notably confidence in producing racially balanced content has increased by 12 percentage points. However, that confidence is slashed in half when it comes to LGBTQ+ inclusive representation.