Pride month 2023 is upon us and that means an influx of colorful campaigns celebrating all things LGBTQ+.
This time of year is a time for celebration; but it is also a time for reflection on how far LGBTQ+ rights have come, how far we have to go, and the issues facing the community today. While many companies do a fantastic job making an impact for Pride, there are many that miss the mark and fall short of displaying ally-ship to their audience during a crucial time.
Walking the talk
One of the most important things to consider when making a Pride campaign is authenticity. Authenticity means caring about Pride and LBGTQ+ issues all year round and showing you care. Pride extends beyond the month of June.
Dubbed “Rainbow Capitalism”, corporate participation is often met with hesitation and is strongly criticized. Many community members and allies are trepidatious of corporate involvement in Pride events, not wanting to be taken advantage of by companies only participating in festivities for some short-term gain.
While many community members criticize the participation of corporations in a movement that started as a protest – there are others that recognize the important place sponsorship and genuine ally-ship have.
Advertisers wishing to participate need to do more in order to differentiate themselves and make an impact their audience will not only respect, but appreciate. One of the best ways to do this is to walk the talk – to embrace inclusion throughout your organization and to speak with action.
That being said, it’s also important to be creative and make a campaign that stands out from the rainbow-colored crowd.
Some of the best Pride campaigns of year’s past
These are some of the best examples of successful Pride Month campaigns from the past few years.
Skittles – Giving up the Rainbow
Each year Skittles releases colorless candy and packaging in order to draw attention to the importance of Pride month. This campaign has run for several years now and its success is well documented.. And the candy giant knows how to make an impact: each package of Skittles sold in the US during June, $1 is donated to GLAAD, a fantastic LGBTQ+ advocacy group.
Check out the full campaign here.
Absolut Vodka – Out and Open
Absolut has been an ally for over 40 years, and their ongoing contributions make them a welcome company at any Pride event. Its Pride campaign proudly shows the humanity of the community and for every listener of Absolut’s web experience it donates money to the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce in an effort to help preserve LGBTQ+ bars across the country.
Check out the full campaign here.
Calvin Klein – This is love
The experience and importance of “found family” is well known within the LGBTQ+ community and this campaign wonderfully captures the heartache, beauty, and joy of making a new family for yourself.
Key Takeaways
These examples show some of the common themes of success in authentic LGBTQ+ focused advertising campaigns.
- Make a statement – say something with your campaign; don’t be afraid to call out issues and make a bigger impact. Surface level, rainbow imagery will only get you so far.
- Be original – don’t cut and paste cliche sayings and slogans. This gives the appearance of apathy and is not likely to captivate your audience.
- Commit to equality all year long – your audience is looking for more than just a cursory nod to ally-ship, try to go deeper and commit to being LGBTQ+ friendly all year.
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