Hyatt and Toyota Among GLAAD Interactive Ad Nominees

Hyatt and Toyota are among the interactive advertiser nominees for The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation’s upcoming Media Awards in Advertising. GLAAD announced its nominees for traditional and interactive advertising today in preparation for its first ever GLAAD Media Awards in Advertising ceremony, to be held in New York on October 27.

The organization’s goal is to ensure that members of the LGBT community are portrayed fairly and accurately in the media. In May, GLAAD announced it would begin monitoring online ads.

Judges nominated online ad campaigns from Rogaine, Toyota Scion, Hyatt Resorts, and Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation. All the campaign nominees can be viewed on the GLAAD site

I was among a handful of people from the advertising world — some agency folks, some ad industry reporters — who judged the nominees. Our mission was to gauge how well the ads satisfied certain criteria: Did they include a fair and diverse representation of the LGBT community? Did they make an impact or raise LGBT issues outside the community? Were they high-quality?

It was an eye-opening experience, and I truly appreciate the opportunity to be involved in such a ground-breaking initiative.