With Pride Week upon us, I’ve been thinking a lot about diversity and inclusivity in the marketing world and our own agency.

KHJ has been around for 33 years. The words “diversity” and “inclusion” aren’t new buzzwords for us nor are they words we use for recruiting with little evidence to support them. They are the very planks upon which our firm was founded by our CEO, Judy Habib, and why we continue to thrive 33 years later.  When I was wooed away from the commercial real estate industry into the branding business, the culture of inclusion at KHJ felt real, and it was a huge draw.

Recently, we created our first real estate ad for a predominantly LGBT audience, appearing in Spirit Magazine’s annual Pride issue. The ad was for the new St Regis Residences, Boston.

So why did we develop this ad?

For the same reason we develop any ad.

Because it’s rooted in strong strategy – based on specific market insights and analytics.

Because it connects specialized messaging to specialized targets – no different than other specialized messages we use to target other specialized audiences.

Because it stirs emotion and activates the right side of the brain, while feeding the left side with facts – just like any good ad.

But most importantly, the ad works because it feels genuine and on brand. It reflects its audience without pandering to its audience. The campaign theme “Live as you wish” is a subtle nod to inclusion and being who you are, and is used across all of our advertising.

There are no rainbow flags photoshopped into the building. There are no clichés on parade. There is no cheeky word play. This is an ad showing a same-sex couple in the same exquisite, dreamscape environment that appears in all of our St. Regis ads. It is authentically the spirit of the St. Regis Residences Boston – the finest, most luxurious residential property that Boston has ever seen. That’s why our brand platform is built around the concept “live as you wish”.

In keeping with the theme of pride, we must say we’re quite proud of this ad. And we’re especially proud of Cronin Development and the team at Gibson Sotheby’s who know that even when developing and selling something this exclusive, there’s always room to be inclusive.

Happy Pride from the whole gang at KHJ.