BBC

The BBC’s annual festive advert celebrated more than just Christmas in 2016. The one-minute film shows a diverse range of people celebrating Christmas together, with the only kiss featured taking place between a same-sex couple under the mistletoe. Viewers took to social media to praise the BBC for its inclusivity and representation of LGBT+ people. Last year, the BBC announced that it would be sewing diversity and inclusion into fabric of everything the Corporation does, on and off air, in order to better reflect the public it serves.

Adidas Pride Pack

Adidas’ Pride Pack sees iconic Adidas Originals shoes, t-shirts, tank tops, bags, caps and apparel splattered with rainbow colours. Adidas donates proceeds from the Pride Pack’s sales to support LGBT causes. In 2016, they supported Stonewall UK, Europe’s largest LGBT rights organisation, in the hope of creating a world where every single person can be accepted without exception. A Stonewall spokesperson said, ”Adidas’ Pride Pack is not just stylish, but a strong statement of support for lesbian, gay, bi and trans equality. We are delighted that the brand has chosen to support our work with the proceeds of its latest collection, and that it continues to stand by the side of LGBT people around the world.”

Dove (Unilever)

Dove has become known for its dedication to promoting better self-esteem and positive body confidence among both women and men. Last year, the Dove Men+Care launched a Father’s Day campaign called the “First Fatherhood Moments” which focused on real dads on their first steps into fatherhood. Featured in the campaign were two same-sex dads rocking an infant to sleep and sharing a kiss. Their Fatherhood campaign the previous year also featured same-sex dads.

The Economist’s Pride & Prejudice

The Economist has a rich history of championing individual rights and advocating for positive change. The brand’s first advocacy for LGBT+ rights came with a cover article on the legalisation of same-sex marriage in 1996 titled “Let them wed”. Last year, The Economist set out to understand the human costs of discrimination against the LGBT+ community by holding a public discussion with a social media campaign and 24-hour livestream, which would bring together leaders from the worlds of business, politics, and civil society to examine LGBT business issues. The campaign became one of the Economist’s biggest, reaching 17 million people on social media.

H & M

Last year H & M launched their inclusive advertising campaign for their fall campaign. The advert featured transgender actress Hari Nef along with other diverse women, ending with a shot of two women kissing underwater. The Swedish brand also featured Caitlyn Jenner as the face of an inclusive sportswear campaign, which aimed to highlight athletes of every gender, size and sexuality, including London-based gay rugby team The Kings Cross Steelers.

Lloyds Bank “He said yes”

In 2016 Lloyds Bank launched an advertising campaign titled ‘For Your Next Step’. The campaign was rolled out across television, cinemas, print ads and outdoor billboards. The ad features a diverse range of people frozen in various stages of life – from a new mother, a man dropping his daughter off at school, and an elderly woman attending a funeral, to a same-sex couple in the middle of a marriage proposal. A still shot of the same-sex couple proposal was additionally used on billboards and posters across the UK with the slogan “He said yes.”

Netflix

During the last five years, Netflix has emerged as a pioneer of LGBT+ content, featuring more than 50 LGBT+ films, television series’ and Netflix originals in its UK catalogue. With original content like Orange is the New Black, Sense8, Grace and Frankie andw The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Netflix has proven that its keen to invest in its LGBT+ viewers. The hugely popular online streaming platform regularly circulates and renews films and television series’ across different countries. A report from GLAAD in 2016, found that streaming services including Netflix included more LGBT+ characters in their original content than all of US primetime network television put together.

Sainsbury’s

In 2016, for the second year in a row, Sainsbury’s featured a same-sex couple in their Christmas advert. ‘The Greatest Gift’, which stars the voice of James Corden, shows a number of diverse families all living on one street, including a lesbian couple and their young child alongside mixed-race and single parent families. Profits from the advertising campaign went to Great Ormond Street, the Hospital for Sick Children. A spokesperson for the supermarket said they wanted to represent “modern Britain”, with a “true reflection of what we see out there every day” in the advert. The company have also released same-sex Valentines cards for the first time in 2017.

Skittles

The Skittles brand is known for its rainbow colours. Last year, in support of the capital city’s pride celebrations, Pride in London, the candy company shed its rainbow colours and released a letter addressed to the LGBT+ community, which read: “You have the rainbow… we have the rainbow… and usually that’s just hunky-dory. But this Pride, only one rainbow deserves to be the centre of attention – yours. And we’re not going to be the ones to steal your rainbow thunder, no siree.” Appearing in the parade in an all-white float, the brand also handed out limited edition monochrome packets of Skittles.

Virgin Holidays

In 2016, Virgin Holidays and Richard Branson unveiled a three-year plan to become one of the most inclusive and LGBT-friendly travel and tourism companies in the UK. After conducting inaugural research, the company identified that one in three British LGBT travellers experience some form of discrimination abroad, and a shocking 80% of the community don’t feel the travel industry does enough to prepare them for local laws. In response, Virgin Holidays launched their ‪#LoseTheLabels campaign, which will stage a LGBT equalities conference in conjunction with international tourism partners, encouraging partners in conservative travel to adopt more LGBT-friendly policies.