Campaign watch: When it comes to marketing equality, love is all you need

In the lead up to this year's Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Festival, marketers proved that the race to grab attention is not about share of mind - or even share of wallet. It's about share of heart. Are you a tomato or a barbecue sauce person? It's a simple question founded on a larger premise that's turned this little Aussie ad into an overnight success story.The video titled 'The Big Deal', which was released earlier this week, has already garnered more than 2.5 million views on Facebook alone. It promotes marriage equality through a simple, heartfelt message delivered in a very Aussie fashion: "A simple difference shouldn't be a big deal".

Likewise, banking and financial services giant HSBC recently released a three-minute video detailing the lead up to and wedding day of Jennifer, a HSBC employee, and her long-term partner Sam.

Jennifer, a colleague in Taiwan, has been with her partner Sam for 11 years. As an LGBTQ couple, they have faced various family and social challenges. But many of Jennifer’s HSBC colleagues were there to support her on her wedding day.

The video, which was released on Valentine's Day this year, details the trials and tribulations the couple have faced in pursuing their relationship at work and at home.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CR88AF3yN_MThese ads come just weeks after ANZ released its campaign for Mardi Gras, #HoldTight, which draws attention to the stigma gay and lesbian couples feel around holding hands in public.A moving 90-second clip produced by creative agency TBWA, #HoldTight follows the success of ANZ's 2016 campaign when the bank's Oxford Street branch was transformed into GAYNZ to raise awareness.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kE8YLs-_SR8