Inclusive Campaign and Exclusive Workplace: A Comparative Study of Indian Companies’ Audio-Visual LGBTQ Advertising Campaigns and Their Workplace Equality

Abstract

A company's advertising campaign is generally considered the conduit through which it communicates its ethos and ideology to consumers. This paper aims to ascertain whether a company's marketing activities accurately reflect its business practices. Specifically, it investigates whether businesses with LGBTQ marketing initiatives actively advocate for and uphold workplace equality. The research compiles a list of companies, regardless of nationality but with offices in India, featuring at least one audio-visual LGBTQ marketing campaign that is broadcast on TV or the internet. The study consults workplace equality index reports, the company's website, or its available job descriptions to determine the extent to which these companies practice workplace equality. The research reveals that approximately half of the companies running LGBTQ advertisements do not actively promote workplace equality. Conversely, companies listed in workplace equality index reports do not incorporate LGBTQ advertisement campaigns. The findings demonstrate no discernible correlation between a company's advertising campaign and its workplace equality policy.