“Changing Perceptions”: Inclusive Campaigns as Tools against Identity Stigma
(A2025-124581)

AUTHORS

Nikhita Tuli, Institute of Management Technology, Ghaziabad; Harish Kumar, Great Lakes Institute of Management Gurgaon; Saurabh Upadhyay, Management Development Institute Gurgaon; Erica Ciszek, Stan Richards School of Advertising, Moody College of Communication, University of Texas at Austin, USA

ABSTRACT

The emergence of inclusive marketing strategies has changed the landscape of marketing communication. Thus, the mainstream acknowledgment of vulnerable consumers and the identity-based stigma warrants attention. This study attempts to explore how the stigma unfolds for the marginalized Indian LGBTQIA+ consumers where inclusive campaigns can be used as tools to mitigate such stigma. Using twenty-four in-depth interviews, this study decodes how the stigmatization of LGBTQIA+ identities occurs wherein these identities are segregated, discriminated, and deprived of the basic resources. It is also proposed that LGBTQ-inclusive campaigns can mitigate the effects of the stigmatized social identity of the LGBTQIA+ consumers by the virtue of providing them visibility, legitimizing their consumer status, sensitizing the heterosexual cisgender consumers, act as a proof-of-value for the idea of inclusion, and create a safe space for LGBTQIA+ consumers. This study lies at the intersection of identity-based stigma and marketing communications, providing novel insights for the academia, practitioners, and society.