Big Brands Shun Straights, Whites In Advertisements

McDonald’s has run TV commercials that feature hardly any white faces

Some Advertisers in the U.K. are so worried about being accused of racism or homophobia they are shying away from using images of white people and straight couples.

According to The London Times, marketing departments are even putting diversity above relevance to their target audience to avoid accusations of bigotry, a survey of 500 companies has found.

A third of advertisers questioned said they had used fewer white models and heterosexual couples over the past year. More than a third of these said they were taking this approach to “prevent perceived discrimination”.

The findings are likely to trigger accusations of political correctness but show a marked change in attitudes in the advertising industry, which has until recently had a reputation for under-representing ethnic minorities.

Brands that have featured gay couples include Lloyds, which ran a “he said yes” campaign and Tiffany, the jeweller, which ran a “will you” gay proposal.

The study by Shutterstock Inc, which provides commercial images and music, found that almost half of marketing departments had increased their use of racially diverse images over the past year and a third increased their use of homosexual couples.

The overwhelming majority that used images of gay couples or “non-traditional” families admitted doing so even if it did not fit with their brand. Half said they were using fewer white people because they no longer represented “modern society”.