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Nov 19, 2024 | 
adweek.com | Graham Nolan
ADWEEK House is headed to Las Vegas on January 8! Our house is your house to unwind, recharge and network during the industry’s largest consumer tech moment. RSVP.
In 2023, NHL policy around sanctioned Pride jerseys was reconsidered because seven players—less than 1% of NHL players—publicly refused wearing them.
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Jun 3, 2024 | 
campaignlive.com | Graham Nolan
While characteristic joy and creativity shined from the LGBTQ+ community and its allies, we are unfortunately accustomed to the ongoing struggle that comes with asserting our rights and humanity. Sitting at the center of mass-market headlines highlighting the divide were brands, as The North Face and Anheuser-Busch were examined as cases of “what to do” and “what not to do,” respectively, to reach the community. This year, however, the mood is just…quiet. Honestly, that feels worse.
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Oct 17, 2023 | 
adweek.com | Graham Nolan
When a campaign focused on LGBTQ+ communities wins on the awards circuit, the reality of industry rainbow-washing forces me to ponder: What was the motivation for entering this work? Look, for example, to the Effie Awards. For those with an eye on market impact, they set the bar high for whether intended strategies become brand realities.
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Jun 25, 2023 | 
musebycl.io | Graham Nolan |Tim Nudd
In the course of my work, as I mull LGBTQ+ representation in the creation of advertising, I realized I've seen campaigns featuring trans, gay and lesbian people, but either... 1. No commercials featuring bi people, or... 2. Hundreds of commercials featuring bi people. No one, IRL or fictional, has a sexual identity defined by any one act. No one kiss or handhold or more intimate interaction defines sexual orientation.
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May 31, 2023 | 
adweek.com | Graham Nolan
Brandweek will feature live discussions with marketing pros at ULTA Beauty, Converse, UPS and more. Meet us in Miami Sept. 11–14 to boost your business and elevate your brand. The latest from Gallup places LGBTQ+ people at roughly 7% of today’s population, with roughly 20% of Gen Z identifying as part of the community. We’re increasingly recognized as a mass market that’s been falsely dismissed as a niche.
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May 19, 2023 | 
cbr.com | Christopher Glennon |Chuck Dixon |Graham Nolan |Eduardo Barreto
Batman has possibly the most iconic rogues gallery of any superhero. Batman and his best known villains go all the way back to the Golden Age. It's hard for a new Batman villain to really make his mark after decades of history. Bane managed to achieve this feat. Bane was created in 1993, 50 years after the Joker. With his intensity, strength, and brilliant mind, Bane made a huge impact by being the villain behind Knightfall, one of the biggest Batman story arcs ever.
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Apr 30, 2023 | 
musebycl.io | Graham Nolan |Tim Nudd
There are effective, inspiring ideas I've developed—for corporate social media strategy, for on-stage presentation coaching, for the creation of memorable events—that have nothing to do with my sexual orientation. And yet they're all ideas I very likely would never have formulated if I wasn't gay.
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Mar 13, 2023 | 
adweek.com | Graham Nolan
Join marketing leaders from Amazon, Macy’s and more at Commerceweek to learn how to create engaging experiences that deliver value for customers. Sign up by March 20 to save 50%. I find that much of the world defines my queerness primarily by attraction to men. Fellow gay men know the stereotypical assumptions well: “My friend is gay, too. And he’s single!” “Moving to Austin, eh? You must have met a cowboy!” “You’ll love this ad.
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Feb 9, 2023 | 
musebycl.io | Graham Nolan |Tim Nudd
I've been witness to many conversations about whether people can truly love brands. I actually think they can. But like many people in the dating pool, they expect love and don’t do much to earn it. Dates send a few nice words in a profile, post some perfectly filtered photos and may invite you to one tailored meet-up—and then think that warrants deep affection? But that doesn’t sustain love in dating and it doesn't work with the ads you create.
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Feb 1, 2023 | 
musebycl.io | Graham Nolan |Tim Nudd
My only time seeing a Super Bowl ring in-person was at an NYC gay leather bar. To borrow an old joke, let’s get one thing straight: professional football isn't. Carl Nassib is the out face of queer players on the field, as representation of what's next but also what’s past: LGBTQ+ players who remained in the background (and sometimes in the bars) since the game's earliest days. Last year's Super Bowl logo was created by an accomplished trans woman designer.
