Once again, Outvertising gathered leaders from media, creative, brands and journalism for a half-day of insight and honesty, exploring what LGBTQIA+ advocacy looks like in a year when political headwinds are fierce, cultural tensions are high and inclusive work has never mattered more.
From data-backed optimism to sharp humour and necessary truth-telling, this year’s Outvertising Live demonstrated exactly why representation in advertising still changes lives- and why the industry cannot afford to look away.
Here are a few highlights:
Advertising is sneaky stuff
Chris Dunne, CEO of Outvertising, opened the afternoon with his trademark blend of pop-culture references, humour and straight-talk. He acknowledged the turbulence of the past year, from DEI rollbacks to rising hate crime, while reminding the room of something vital:
“Not only is inclusive advertising and marketing proven by multiple studies to deliver positive business results, it also has the power to create societal change. Because it's sneaky stuff, this advertising business. You know, it can get into spaces that other content can't. It can reach audiences that would never willingly expose themselves to queer-centric content or content with positive, dynamic queer storylines and characters. Frequent, authentic LGBTQ representation in advertising could help smash stereotypes and chip away at prejudice.”
Brands must stay the course
If anyone arrived assuming LGBTQIA+ media was struggling, Stream Publishing’s Darren Styles was ready to dismantle the narrative, and he did so gloriously. Contrary to market myths, advertisers haven’t fled. In fact, long-term partners, Virgin Atlantic, Bentley, M&S, British Airways, are doubling down.
“Attitude is thriving… record revenues, record returns, record growth,” Darren noted.
His message to the industry was crystal clear:
“If brands are staying the course, and many are, others will be encouraged to do the same. Don’t talk the market down. Talk it up.”
In his conversation with comedian and M&S Food ambassador Tom Allen, this rang even more true, with Tom calling for brands to double down on queer inclusion:
“The more we embed ourselves as queer people into the national psyche—as people who are simply everywhere you go, like M&S sandwiches on everyone’s desk at lunchtime—the more impact we have. By showing up like that, we’re not only meeting a commercial aim, which is what advertising is about, but also a cultural one: to be here, to be among everyone, to be fully embedded.”
A reminder that visibility is a statement.
Shame grows in the dark
Advocacy Director Cassius Naylor led a powerful discussion with Rosie Kitson (Chief Impact Officer, Havas), Marty Davies (CEO, Smarty Pants Consulting & Founder, Trans+ History Week), and Matthew Chu (UK Co-Chair, WPP Unite).
They discussed a major shift in advocacy: it hasn’t stopped, it’s simply changed form. Three truths stood out:
Psychological safety is the new frontline: Internal cultures are where inclusion must start. Rosie shared that employees demanded more substance and fewer performative gestures: “If they're not feeling it internally, there’s no press release in the world that can fix that.”
Leadership sponsorship now matters more than ever: Matthew described how WPP now has senior execs actively sponsoring LGBTQIA+ groups, something “unthinkable eight years ago.”
Visibility still matters and silence is dangerous: Marty reminded the room that we must not become comfortable with a lack of visibility because “Shame grows in the dark.”
Privilege isn’t about guilt; it’s about awareness and responsibility
Hosted by Communications Co-Director Sonnie Spencer, attendees were asked to confront the lived experiences behind the words power, privilege and identity.
It was raw, revealing and often uncomfortable- which was precisely the point.
Paddle-raising moments exposed stark differences in lived experiences- from being misgendered to hiding a partner at work.
Sonnie offered a practical tool anyone can use:
“The power of the pause. When someone says something unacceptable…pause. You don’t have to say anything to say everything.”
Agencies must step up when brands step back
Media leaders across the industry tackled the hardest challenge: How do you deliver inclusive media when DEI isn’t in the brief?
For Natalie Tyre, Director at BRiM, brands still want to reach broad, diverse audiences—they’re simply using different language to describe it:
“They’re not calling it DEI… but they are talking about marketing effectiveness.”
Jerry Daykin, International Head of Media at RBI, reinforced that while few marketers actively oppose inclusion, many are overwhelmed and need help seeing beyond their own blind spots, reminding the room that media is both a commercial investment and an investment in shaping the media ecosystem of the future.
With that in mind, agencies now have a responsibility to lead when brands pull back. As Kara Osborne, Global Product Architect Officer at dentsu, put it:
“If you’re doing the right job, you should still be advocating for representation, even if it’s not in the brief.”
And the danger of retreating is significant:
“We must avoid creating a vacuum. If we don’t show up, we feed the narrative.”
Key takeaways from the day
Representation drives effectiveness and growth
Safety and inclusion begin internally
Listening is leadership
Measurement is the next frontier for progress
Visibility remains an act of courage and resistance