Free live event on LGBTQ+ marketing; July 22

After the dust has settled from the flurry of Pride Month promotions, what progress has been made by the industry for the LGBTQ+ community? Some brands, including Mastercard, Unilever and Procter & Gamble, continue to build on their efforts to address critical gaps in representation and inclusion, while the Association of National Advertisers is developing standards for the portrayal of LGBTQ people in advertising. RSVP and submit your questions for the Ad Age Town Hall on LGBTQ+ representation. Yet marketers are still falling short when it comes LGBTQ+ visibility in both their work and the decision-making process behind that creative. Last year, a study by the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media revealed only 1.8% of characters in ads from the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity were LGBTQ and the Alliance for Inclusive & Multicultural Marketing found that LGBTQ and people with disabilities were largely absent from this year's Super Bowl spots, representing just 1% of casting in the ads. At the July 22 Ad Age Town Hall, agency leaders, media owners and other industry executives will explore where marketing and advertising need to change—and how. Now is your chance to ask the hard, but important questions. The Ad Age Town Hall is a free virtual event; RSVP and submit your questions today.

Where is the ad industry failing the LGBTQ+ community?

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