Marketers are forever looking for ways to boost the performance of their campaigns, and deliver the best possible results for their brands. However, many appear to be missing out on an opportunity to do this through a lack of inclusive messaging.
UK-founded skincare brand E45 set out on a mission to create a campaign which helped a particular group of people feel more comfortable in their skin. The brand, working with communications and influencer marketing agency Halpern, identified that the trans community is the group that feels least comfortable in their skin.
“With any brand that boasts such heritage comes a real need to drive relevance today, and relevance with that younger audience that may not be as familiar with the brand. So, we had a job to do,” said Georgia Mundy, Marketing Manager UK & Ireland at Karo Healthcare, the owner of E45, speaking at Advertising Week Europe 2025.
“There’s nothing more uncomfortable than being born with a gender you don’t necessarily resonate with, and there are also a plethora of skin effects and experiences of discomfort that can occur that can be an effect of your transitioning journey as well.”
The brand partnered with Channel 4 to deliver an ad campaign that featured an entirely trans cast, highlighting the changes their skin goes through when transitioning. The creative idea – which won the Channel 4 Diversity in Advertising Award – was born out of one of Halpern’s transfemme, non-binary members of staff. It was shot with an entirely female production team.
The campaign – part of E45’s ‘Me45’ brand platform – also saw research commissioned with the goal of updating NHS guidance around transitional skincare.
Karo and Halpern worked with trans and queer former journalists to gain an insight into what the earned media impact may look like, and also worked with a doctor who is a trans woman and trans healthcare specialist.
The Diversity Standards Collective helped to get feedback from over 200 trans people in the UK, and there was input from LGBTQIA+ groups from across WPP. This insight was used inform all elements of the campaign.
“We really wanted to make sure that making that work was done in a really considered and inclusive and, frankly, safe environment for our trans talent that we cast,” said Rachel Bowen, Director, Client Services at Halpern.
“We also wanted to make sure that there was diversity in the transfemme people that we were casting as well. Because, yes, they’re a minority in and of themselves, but we also know that there is a diversity within any community, no matter how big or small they are.”
This approach helped to deliver impressive results for E45.
The campaign led to a 77% increase in ad awareness, a 64% increase in brand buzz, a 40% increase in attention, an 11% increase in brand consideration, and saw purchase intent up by almost 30%.
“Throughout the rest of last year and into this year, we’re seeing metrics across our brand funnel all grow, which is brilliant to see. And they’re growing even faster for the younger audience,” said Mundy.
Why was the campaign successful?
In March 2025 alone, there was 1,200 homophobic and transphobic comments on the comments sections of mainstream media outlets. However, a quarter of people don’t identify as being completely heterosexual. And this figure grows to over 50% among 18- to 24-year-olds.
With such a large number of particularly young people identifying as not being entirely heterosexual, it’s fair to say that increasing queer representation in advertising will make campaigns more indicative of the world we live in today.
“We’re not saying make queer ads for queer people; make queer ads for everyone, because it makes everyone more responsive, attentive, and feeling good about themselves and society,” said Lucy Rennie, Strategist & Connections Director at Outvertising.
“It really makes everyone feel better, not just the community, and disarms a lot of people of bigotry. And it’s good for business… There is evidence that shows inclusive marketing – diverse and authentic – really unlocks positive business effects.”
Many of the steps taken by Karo and Halpern are reflected in Outvertising’s Advocacy Playbook. This guide, created in partnership with the Conscious Advertising Network, is there to help anyone within the advertising and marketing industry to embed inclusion into their workplaces and the work they create within these environments.
“Any systemic challenges require a systemic solution, so we’re looking at all parts of the supply chain – whether you’re a creative agency, whether you’re a brand – because we know inclusive work does work, and we’re here to build inclusive workplaces that fosters that really inclusive work,” said Anthony Leeds, Communications Co-Director at Outvertising.
“We’re a big, big group. We have a lot of money to spend… It boosts sales. It has a multiplying effect. It’s futureproofing your business. It’s linked to performance and innovations there. It builds trust in your consumers. And, ultimately, I think we want businesses that have the best talent – inclusive workplaces attract the best talent.”
