'First, Do No Harm' - Leslie Hallam

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Lancaster University LGBTQ+ Staff Network

This talk features an analysis of the journey of western advertising  towards encouraging greater acceptance of alternative lifestyles.

Mainstream advertising is one of the sharpest tools within the ‘persuasion economy’, promising pleasure, status, love and identity to consumers, and sanctuary from the dark alternatives. The increasing visibility of sexual minorities and gender fluidity within such communications may be viewed as heralding a break with heteronormative portrayals, perhaps signalling, reflecting and even encouraging greater acceptance of alternative lifestyles – the beginning of ‘doing no harm’.However, the wider cultural conversation intertwined with this recent development remains fragile, and advertising (at the intersection of its role in driving consumption) needs to continue to be courageous, stepping beyond the lazy mirroring of dominant cultural codes, and embracing the nurture of positive emergent norms in this arena……and begin to ‘do good’.This talk features a brief analysis of the journey that western advertising has taken, and suggests a trajectory that might harness the power of mass consumption to reduce the harms to individuals, and contribute to cultural flourishing.Leslie Hallam is an experienced practitioner in advertising and a Teaching Fellow in the Department of Psychology at Lancaster University. He is Course Director for the Lancaster University Psychology of Advertising MSc.Leslie comments, &#x27;working within the pragmatic field of advertising, it’s sometimes easy to forget that the fundamental understandings of interpersonal communication are the starting point and lodestar of designing, developing and re-engineering brands&#x27;.Leslie is interested in how psychological knowledge can be applied in the marketing and communications industries to improve effectiveness. In particular our ability to create and believe in brands, and treat them as if they’re real, with characteristics, associations, and even ‘personalities’ - a profound act of faith, art and imagination – that can influence the behaviour of millions of people (…some of the time!).

'First, Do No Harm' - Leslie Hallam

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'First, Do No Harm' - Leslie Hallam

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