People are more than how they’re defined, and Egale Canada is emphasizing the idea in its latest campaign, “SeeThePerson,” which challenges viewers to look beyond the “trans” label.
The campaign kicked off with newspaper ads that tell the stories of three trans individuals: Lucas, a major label recording artist; Jessica, a former professional hockey player; and Jazmine, a model and performer.
The print ads are designed to be read in two different ways, forcing the reader to rethink the way they look at trans people. Accompanying video spots in the campaign tell the stories with more depth.
“There are people in the world who only see trans individuals as angry advocates,” explains Allen Kwong executive creative director of agency partner, VML Canada. “But Egale’s research found that the more an audience knows about a trans person’s story, their hopes, their dreams and their accomplishments, the less likely that audience is to support anti-trans initiatives.”
Kwong also notes that advocacy campaigns often feel quite sad and serious, which VML wanted to avoid. Instead, the agency wanted to highlight how remarkable Lucas, Jazmine and Jessica are.
“They could be seen as role models by anyone, and not because they are trans. The aesthetic of the campaign was in part inspired by the world of music and sports, “where people are seen as heroes,” Kwong says.
Egale’s latest campaign is running on social, OLV and on TV, activated through the summer to coincide with Canada’s biggest Pride festivals.
The rationale is to target a diverse audience and not just people interested 2SLGBTQ+ issues. In fact, Kwong says that the campaign’s primary target is people outside the 2SLGBTQ+ community who not even know a trans person.
Kwong adds that Egale has effectively used both print and OOH in their past campaigns, in combination with social and video. VML Canada first started working with Egale four years ago. In the past four years, the shop has launched several campaigns for the advocacy organization, including “Pride Unravelled,” which was just recognized with a Cannes Lion nod.
