Skincare brand E45 is launching a campaign that intends to “alleviate some of the hostility faced by the trans community” using “empathetic, human storytelling”.

The campaign, ‘This Is Me. This Is My Space,’ conceived by The&Partnership, won Channel 4’s £1m diversity award last year.

The brief was to focus on a misrepresented part of the LGBTQIA+ community. E45 responded with a pitch extending its existing ‘This is ME45’ brand platform to shine a light on the skin experiences of a community that feature in less than 1% of ads.

E45 wins Channel 4’s diversity in advertising award

“We’re proud to share this first of a kind portrayal of trans women on their journey to becoming more comfortable in their skin, shining a light on the realities – both pain and joyful involved,” says Sally Perry, global skin health category director at E45 owner Karo Healthcare.

The competition, designed to promote advertising that is truly representative of diverse communities, has been running since 2016. Previous themes have included tackling ageism, authentic Black, Asian and ethnic minority representation, and pushing back against sexist tropes.

Last year, E45 vowed to use the money to produce work that will “drive long-term, positive change in public attitudes” towards LGBTQIA+ communities.

Complementing the TV and VOD activity, Channel 4 will launch a series of social-first programming next week. ‘In My Skin’ created by 4Studio, Channel 4’s social branded content division, features a diverse collective of trans people sharing their personal experiences of transitioning.

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“At Channel 4 we passionately believe that better representation delivers compelling storytelling for viewers and stand out commercial results for our partners,” says Channel 4 chief revenue officer, Verica Djurdjevic.

“This powerful campaign is our latest step in driving positive, authentic representation.”

Launching today (17 May) on International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, the E45 campaign has been informed at every stage by consultations with trans and non-binary people from a range of backgrounds.

E45 funded research into the dermatological aspects of gender-affirming treatment to “improve awareness” amongst the transgender, non-binary and gender-diverse population and healthcare professionals. The key findings will be shared through printed materials for distribution in healthcare spaces and a dedicated hub on the website.