Standing Proud with… Chris Dunne

With over two decades working alongside some of the UK’s most successful media brands in radio, print and digital publishing, Chris Dunne, head of marketing at Thinkbox, knows exactly what it takes to create effective advertising. So, it’s with great confidence that he’s able to say, the creative industry requires diversity to prosper, especially when it comes to ensuring queer talent is made to feel welcome, included, and able to thrive.

Something he advocates for consistently, as part of his push to not only make the industry accessible for all, but truly representative of the people it reaches, it’s safe to say that he’s someone who not only talks the talk, but also walks the walk.

This is further demonstrated through his second position, chief executive officer of Outvertising, a volunteer organisation advocating for a 2SLGBTQIA+-inclusive marketing and advertising industry, and authentic representation of queer people in ads. Aiming to strengthen it while growing its influence, Chris invests time to help drive multiple initiatives, including its annual conference, Outvertising Live, and its mentorship programmes. Most recently, he also helped with the launch of the Advocacy Playbook – the first-ever comprehensive 2SLGBTQIA+ advocacy resource for the UK advertising sector, which provides the frameworks to reinforce and bolster inclusive action. Action which stands in stark contrast to the business leaders who’re shrinking away from concepts like DEI, it all serves as testament to his belief in fighting to make a difference, even at a difficult time.

To learn more about all of this, and hear his story, LBB’s Jordan Won Neufeldt sat down with Chris for a chat.

LBB> Hi Chris! Please introduce yourself and tell us your story!

Chris> Hello! I’m Chris Dunne (he/him pronouns), and I’ve worked as a marketer in the media and advertising industry for the last two decades. My bread and butter is marketing media brands and channels, which over the years I’ve done in radio and audio, print, online publishing, and currently, TV.

Alongside the day job, my ‘gay job’ is CEO of Outvertising, which is the UK marketing and advertising industry’s 2SLGBTQIA+ advocacy group. I live in West London with my American husband of nine years… with no dog, much to his extreme dissatisfaction.

LBB> What has your professional journey been like? Speaking candidly, have you faced any discrimination, and as a whole, is there anything you might like to have done differently along the way?

Chris> I’ve been pretty lucky to have worked largely in inclusive spaces. I started my career at a PR agency, which was mainly populated by lots of fabulous women and gays. When I moved into media organisations, things were a little different. Media sales teams can be very alpha environments, so at times it was challenging. I don’t recall experiencing much in the way of overt discrimination or harassment, but there certainly was the presence of what we’d now call micro-aggressions.

I was also a lot more guarded back then about revealing who I fully was in those environments. I remember fearing that if I came across as ‘too gay’, I wouldn’t be taken as seriously as a professional, so there was definitely a good deal of self-editing going on. I’d be lying if I said that fear has dissipated entirely, even today when my queerness led me to my work with Outvertising and assuming a prominent industry leadership role.

LBB> Let’s talk a little more about Outvertising! How did you get involved, and what are you hoping to accomplish?

Chris> Well, if you don’t know Outvertising, we’re a volunteer organisation that has a twofold mission: we advocate for a more 2SLGBTQIA+ inclusive marketing and advertising industry, and for more frequent and authentic representation of queer people in ads.

I started out as a volunteer around four years ago, coming on board as events co-director in 2022, and moving into the CEO role in 2024. My goals for my tenure are built around strengthening and professionalising the organisation, and growing its awareness and influence. I passionately want to make our industry a more queer-inclusive place to work, attract more 2SLGBTQIA+ talent, and ultimately, lead to more queer-inclusive creative work and media practices.

LBB> On a practical level, what does the pursuit of these goals look like? How are you approaching these challenges day in and day out?

Chris> To deliver on our mission, we have four tactical pillars under which everything sits: Equip, Inspire, Empower, and Challenge. Over the years we’ve created a number of guides, reports and frameworks to better equip our industry to drive 2SLGBTQIA+ inclusion. Moments like Outvertising Live, our annual conference, are where we get to inspire the industry with examples of this inclusion work in practice, from success stories in the workplace, to queer-inclusive campaigns that have delivered tangible and lasting results.

All our community-focused activities, like bringing queer adland together socially, or our free mentoring programme, are designed to empower 2SLGBTQIA+ talent and allies, to build their confidence in advocating for change and create a more inclusive future for all.

In these difficult times for the community, we have a responsibility to challenge our industry and draw attention to the harms it can cause to the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, such as anti-trans rhetoric in ad-funded, mainstream media; the blind eye that seems to be turned to tech platforms, allowing more hate speech directed at queer people; or fact that 23% and 14% of trans-plus and LGBQ+ talent respectively are likely to leave the the industry due to a lack of inclusion, according to the last All In Census.

LBB> As part of this, you also just launched the Outvertising Advocacy Playbook. Congratulations! What does it mean to you, and what are you hoping to accomplish with it?

Chris> Thank you! The Advocacy Playbook is really a culmination of everything that Outvertising has been advocating for over the last few years. We describe it as the first-ever comprehensive 2SLGBTQIA+ advocacy resource for the UK advertising sector… because it is! It helps make the case for 2SLGBTQIA+ equity in the workplace and in the work we produce, and it provides the frameworks to achieve it. It’s essentially a how-to guide, and it’s designed so that anyone can pick it up. No matter the size of your company, the job role you have, or how senior you are, you will be able to work through it and conjure up a bespoke to-do list for you and your business. Advocacy is beautifully democratic that way.

LBB> Diving in a little more, what does it take to establish a framework for driving queer inclusion in the workplace. And, practically speaking, where does one get started?

Chris> It’s going to be different for everyone, and depends on where they are in their inclusion journey, However, the main principle that our framework is built around is walking the walk before you talk the talk. So often we have seen companies going straight to public demonstrations of support for our community without first getting their own houses in order, who then get accused of ‘rainbow-washing’, which probably scares them off doing anything in the future. So, it starts with the basics: reviewing your internal policies and establishing and resourcing a 2SLGBTQIA+ network, for example.

Then, you move onto the next level, where you start to be more public and intentional with your advocacy. Inclusion work can be let down by people thinking they have to do everything, everywhere, all at once. It’s not about doing everything, but doing something, and then the next thing, and the one after that, and, well, you get the idea.

LBB> Equally, how can businesses do a better job building 2SLGBTQIA+ equity into each stage of the marketing campaign production process?

Chris> The Playbook breaks down each stage of the process, from pre- to post-campaign and everything in-between, providing actions to ensure that 2SLGBTQIA+ inclusion is considered at every point. So much of the conversation around 2SLGBTQIA+-inclusive advertising and marketing has been about casting, but you’ve got to be considering it in your research, procurement, the production process, and the media choices you make. It’s fundamental that you have the right people around you at every step, and that everyone knows their responsibilities. That’s why we often recommend working with consultants who are directly connected to the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, as they can help ensure what you produce is authentic, representative, and queer-inclusive through the line.

LBB> Of course, you’re also head of marketing at Thinkbox. How do these frameworks influence your approach to that role? What does doing it right actually look like?

Chris> Our ambition with the Playbook has always been to create a resource that would work for all kinds of inclusion practice, not just 2SLGBTQIA+ inclusion. The fundamentals of workplace action start with getting the basics right. You can’t run before you walk, and that applies to any kind of organisational culture shift you’re trying to make.

Equally, the framework for more inclusive advertising work identifies that different people and teams at every stage of the process have a vital role to play. You need them all working together – you can’t just adjust one and expect a different outcome.

With my Thinkbox hat on, I’m part of The Ad Accessibility Network, working towards making advertising accessible for all, driving adoption of ad subtitling and audio description. The principles in the Playbook have been incredibly useful in how I’ve approached this issue holistically and methodically to achieve a similar shift in mindset and behaviour.

LBB> In your fight for broader inclusivity, how are you navigating the topic of DEI being shelved? What are your thoughts at the moment, and how can businesses do a better job pushing back in the face of this?

Chris> There is absolutely a shelving, or at the very least a deprioritisation of DEI happening, but at the same time, we have a lot of businesses in our industry looking for ways to retain the essence of their inclusion commitments without coming a cropper of new legislation or headwinds from the US. Personally, I’m more wary now of articles about yet another company dropping DEI; it’s just as much clickbait for inclusion advocates as it is for bigots.

In some cases, we’re seeing a reframing or relabelling to protect these initiatives. In others, the climate is being used as an excuse to scrap something that the business and its leaders were never really behind in the first place, but we have a responsibility to work out which one it is before we call them out. The more people I speak to on the ground, the more optimistic I feel that as a creative industry which needs diversity of thought and perspective to prosper, we will continue to find ways to make sure queer talent feel welcome, included and able to thrive.

LBB> With this in mind, looking to the year ahead, what steps do you think the UK and its businesses need to take in support of 2SLGBTQIA+ communities?

Chris> Though it's led by what’s happening in the US, we’re also seeing an alarming rollback of 2SLGBTQIA+ rights in the UK. The latest iteration of the annual Rainbow Map, which ranks European countries in terms of legal and political justice for 2SLGBTQIA+ people, saw the UK slip from 16th to 22nd. To put that into context, we were number one in 2014, the year that equal marriage was written into law.

But, just because our rights are being rolled back doesn’t mean we’re rolling over. The queer population is growing, and growing fast, with less than half of 16-24-year-olds identifying as ‘completely straight’ – the first time that queer has been the majority for young people. Businesses need to understand that queer people are their employees and customers, both now and more so in the future, and that we have something of a good memory. Our Outvertising Consumer Report shows that as a community, we’re incredibly loyal to those brands who actively support and represent us, and we are significant influencers amongst our own networks too. So, I would hope businesses start to see queer inclusion as an opportunity not only to do good, but to drive long term growth.

LBB> Finally, is there anything you’d like to say to fellow 2SGLBTQ+ people in marketing and advertising?

Chris> Despite the noise from the vocal minority, try not to give up hope. We’re fortunate to be in an industry where the majority of people support 2SLGBTQIA+ equity, and a good many of them are looking for ways to meaningfully support the community. We hope the Playbook helps provide them with the means to do it, because attracting and retaining queer talent is fundamental to the ad industry remaining the vibrant and dynamic place that is it. The tools are there, now it’s time to use them.