The bones are the same: an exploratory analysis of authentic communication with LGBTQ publics

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this work is to identify the components of authentic communication with LGBTQ publics and to examine if there is a difference in what constitutes authentic communication for LGBTQ publics compared to other publics.Design/methodology/approachWe conducted in-depth interviews with professionals who both identify as LGBTQ and are instrumental in developing content targeted to this public.FindingsAuthenticity is synonymous regardless of the target public; however, differences emerge in the manifestation of authenticity with historically marginalized groups, like LGBTQ publics.Practical implicationsPractitioners working with historically marginalized communities need to make sure they are walking the walk, not just talking the talk.Social implicationsAuthentic communication arises from an organization's broader holistic commitments to diversity, equity and inclusion.Originality/valueThe insights derived by our participants are unique, as they are perspectives traditionally “written out” of research.

Perceived organizational authenticity in LGBTQ communication: the scale development and initial empirical findings

“…In addition, we generated 4 items for the dimension of representativeness that measure how an organization is perceived to represent a diversity of LGBTQ people, drawing from extant LGBTQ public relations and communication management literature (e.g. Ciszek, 2020; Ciszek and Pounders, 2020; Ciszek and Lim, 2021). When generating scale items, we aimed to ensure we captured the essence of authentic communication within the context of historically marginalized groups.…”

“…It is important to note the current POA scale is not limited to the context of LGBTQ publics; it is also applicable to other historically marginalized groups. Specifically, representativeness is designed to measure how organizational communication is perceived in representing a targeted audience group including their multiple identities and lived experiences (Ciszek and Pounders, 2020). The present POA can be adapted to test other historically marginalized stakeholder groups (e.g.…”

“…Nölke (2018) emphasizes the invisibility of intersections of sexuality, gender, class, age and race in LGBTQ-specific mainstream advertising. In addition to social identity representations, LGBTQ communities desire content that is representative of their lives and inclusive of a broader range of experiences and emotions (Ciszek and Pounders, 2020). Extant public relations and communication management research (Ciszek, 2020; Ciszek and Pounders, 2020) demonstrates that the multiplicity of representations, or representativeness, is an important factor for LGBTQ stakeholders in evaluating organizational authenticity of communication.…”

“…In addition to social identity representations, LGBTQ communities desire content that is representative of their lives and inclusive of a broader range of experiences and emotions (Ciszek and Pounders, 2020). Extant public relations and communication management research (Ciszek, 2020; Ciszek and Pounders, 2020) demonstrates that the multiplicity of representations, or representativeness, is an important factor for LGBTQ stakeholders in evaluating organizational authenticity of communication. Indeed, Ciszek and Lim (2021) found representativeness to be a significant component of perceived authenticity in LGBTQ marketing communication, which is arguably added to Mohart et al (2015)'s four dimensions of perceived authenticity.…”

“…Method Procedure To answer the aforementioned research questions and test our hypotheses, we drew on Morhart et al's (2015) work on perceived authenticity and extant LGBTQ communication literature (e.g. Ciszek, 2020;Ciszek and Pounders, 2020;Ciszek and Lim, 2021) to generate a set of measures within the context of communicating with historically marginalized publics. Specifically, following Ciszek and Lim (2021), we created an initial 20 item scale reflecting the five dimensions of POA (POA) in LGBTQ communication: credibility (four items), integrity (five items), symbolism (four items) and continuity (three items), and representativeness (four items).…”