(Also, note how they respond to Instagram users in the comments on their post.
? /P3NDuoT7hH- Hulu June 17, 2020Īll these brands have figured out how to celebrate in a way that aligns with what they already do, making their public support seem more genuine.Ī post shared by bombas how Bombas emphasizes the strength and importance of the community itself, and commits to doing something specific to make it even stronger. Popular streaming service Hulu also leveraged their strengths in 2020 to bring LGBTQ+ focused stories to the forefront:Īs part of our celebration of #PrideMonth, we’re partnering with to make The L Word: Generation Q and Work in Progress available to all subscribers. And how exactly did they elevate these stories, you ask? Video. In 2017, for example, YouTube launched their #ProudToBe campaign, in which they elevated the coming out stories of many of their platform’s most popular queer creators. For example, if you’re not an apparel brand, think twice before creating - and more importantly, selling - rainbow t-shirts. One way to ensure genuine Pride Month activism is to align your efforts with the services and/or products that lie at the core of your brand’s identity. Pride Month social media posts that do it right
In other words, it’s always important to be genuine and practice what you preach. Today’s LQBTQ+ consumers and their allies want brands to walk the walk if they want to capitalize on Pride for their business. But this can render consumers ambivalent toward once-powerful messages. Just as brands rush to market themselves as green, or create pink versions of their product in “support” of breast cancer research (hence the terms “green-washing” and “pink-washing”), they also often incorporate a rainbow into their logo or product as a statement of allyship. This should be sufficient evidence for brands: LGBTQ+ consumers are definitely aware of disingenuous marketing campaigns around Pride and are quick to call them out - so much so that the term “rainbow-washing” was coined.Īccording to Urban Dictionary, rainbow-washing is “the act of using or adding rainbow colors and/or imagery to advertisements, apparel, accessories, landmarks, et cetera, in order to indicate progressive support for LGBTQ+ equality (and earn consumer credibility) with a minimum of effort or pragmatic result.”
Twitter users continue to openly denounce opportunistic brands. A brand must first and continually act in support of LGBTQ+ rights: speaking up in a way that makes sense for your brand and creates an actual impact in the community is far more important than social media-based lip service.Ĭonsumer backlash against the commercialization of Pride and “rainbow-washing”īrands who randomly show up during Pride to temporarily flash and market their support for the LGBTQ+ community get called out for it on social media.īrands during // after pride /qQ6DtSAznW- ✨ bree ✨ euphoria era ✨ May 18, 2022 The fact that social advocacy can now benefit marketers and advertisers means it can be taken advantage of. The 2017 Edelman Earned Brand Study found that “51% will be more loyal buyers of a brand that speaks up, compared with those that remain silent.” They also found that “48% will advocate for and defend a brand that speaks up.” Also, according to Cone Communications, “Millennials represent $2.45 trillion in spending power and are 60% more likely to engage with brands that discuss social causes.” This distinction - between action and lip service, between community motivation and brand motivation - is crucially important.īy now, brands understand that speaking up about social causes benefits them. If a brand cannot speak to how it plans to directly support and advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, then it should not join trending social conversations or benefit from high engagement rates during Pride Month. If an advertiser is not a truly positive partner of the LGBTQ+ community, it simply has no business benefiting from it. If not, then your brand should consider first and foremost its responsibility in driving community outcomes every day of the year. Perhaps the most important question to ask yourself, as an enterprise brand, is not how to enter the Pride Month conversation, but whether you’ve yet established any lasting and genuine relationship with the LGBTQ+ community - both within your company and beyond your walls.