Lion-winners show different creative approaches for brands seeking to promote a more inclusive world. Draw inspiration from their experiences and apply the actionable insights to the brands you work on.
Lean into a tension point
Inclusion means challenging your own behaviours and biases. Ask the difficult questions and listen to the answers. Be committed to exploring these tension points and using them in your work.
Better by design
The last five years have spawned great strides in inclusive design. Consider how your product could be at the vanguard of inclusivity to broaden its appeal.
Use your influence
Brands can carry huge sway, particularly if they are instantly recognisable and global. If you work for a large multinational company, use the might of your organisation to help drive progress on inclusion.
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Lean into a tension point: Beats By Dre: ‘You Love Me’
Many brands were criticised either for staying silent in the immediate aftermath of George Floyd’s death in 2020 or for making a token effort such as the black square on social media platforms. Headphones brand Beats By Dre took a different approach. It released a short film that addressed a tension point within the Black community: while many people idolise Black people in culture or sport, they are less supportive of non-famous Black people.
It resonated with the brand’s primary audience, Black youth worldwide, generating 22 million views. Black influencers and celebrities voiced support for it and shared it on their social channels.
YOU LOVE ME | BEATS BY DRE
TRANSLATION NEW YORK
TITANIUM LIONS | 2021
Trevor Robinson OBE
Executive Creative Director & Partner | Quiet Storm Juror | Titanium Lions 2020-2021
“As a creative, I'm aware when people are looking at or laughing at my work. But then they're terrified to sit next to me on a tube train, or they walk across the road when they see me. ‘You Love Me’ made this statement with artistry, panache and style.”
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Better by design: ‘Womanikin’
Women are 27% less likely than men to receive CPR from bystanders due to anxieties over touching a body with breasts in a way that could be misinterpreted. Womanikin is an attachment to transform male mannequins into a body with breasts so that students practising CPR can familiarise themselves with a non-male body.
With its mantra ‘learn on a woman, save a woman’, Womanikin was produced at scale thanks to a partnership with American Heart Association training venues. The design was also made open source to encourage people to make their own.
Jamie Robinson, Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer, Joan Creative, said: “The odd-looking attachment prompts CPR instructors and their classes to have a conversation about this gender disparity. So not only is it functional, it's also instigating conversation.”
Takeout: Make product design open source. Share strong, inclusive ideas so they can be replicated at scale.
WOMANIKIN | DESIGNED TO SAVE WOMEN’S LIVES
JOAN CREATIVE, NEW YORK GOLD GLASS LIONS FOR CHANGE | 2020
Bozoma Saint John
Hall of Fame Marketer and Author, The Urgent Life: My Story of Love, Loss, and Survival
Jury President | Glass Lions 2020-2021
“This situation of not getting CPR help simply because there isn't training based on a woman's body is terrible. This is not just a campaign to help build awareness, but also a product created on top of it. That’s powerful.”
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Use your influence: Coca-Cola ‘Black Santa’
More than half - 54% - of Brazil’s population is Black. Yet 92% of characters on TV are white.
Coca-Cola wanted to make a statement on behalf of the country’s Black population. It became the first brand to partner with Latin American TV behemoth Globo on its special Christmas Eve show. All the main characters in the programme - including Santa - were Black. And Black Santas appeared on Coke’s IRL Christmas trucks.
It exceeded all goals of attracting and engaging with new consumers and increased the user base by more than 1.7 million, a result 70% higher than expected.
Takeout: Partner with an influential media owner to drive reach. Globo is present in nearly all Brazilian homes, meaning that this show was watched and discussed throughout Brazil and on social media because it mirrored the audience so effectively.
BLACK SANTA | COCA-COLA
WMCCANN, RIO DE JANEIRO GOLD ENTERTAINMENT LIONS | 2020
Jae Goodman
Founder and Board Advisor | Observatory Jury President | Entertainment Lions 2020-2021
“It was hard not to be bowled over with emotion to see a Black actor play Santa in Brazil. He had been passed over for roles or asked to play a slave or someone goofy throughout the course of his career. ‘Black Santa’ is an important message from a big global brand that is culturally relevant and resonant.”