Get marketing news you'll actually want to read
Marketing Brew informs marketing pros of the latest on brand strategy, social media, and ad tech via our weekday newsletter, virtual events, marketing conferences, and digital guides.
Sincere question: Did Citi’s latest ad spot have anyone else crying in the club on the couch?
If you haven’t come across it yet via print, broadcast, digital, or OOH ads, including NYC Citi Bike stations (cue an ”Ohhh, that’s why they’re called Citi Bikes!” from half of you), the omnichannel campaign celebrates that Citi now lets U.S. cardmembers use their chosen name on credit cards without a legal name change.
- “Transgender representation in advertising has been virtually nonexistent, with only 0.3% of advertising featuring transgender people for a community making up at least an estimated 1% of the population,” per a study by U.K. public service broadcaster Channel 4 that Citi shared with Marketing Brew.
- A May 2020 GLAAD and Procter & Gamble report found that, among U.S. non-LGBTQ+ adults, 68% said they feel better buying from companies that include LGBTQ+ individuals in ads.
My takeaway: Between Citi’s meaningful product change, highlighting an underserved group with its Transgender Awareness Week campaign, and simultaneously making itself look better to non-LGBTQ+ consumers, this campaign works on multiple levels.