Your Guide to Pride & Marketing
Want your business to share support for Pride, but aren’t sure how? Navigate ethical marketing in June and throughout the year. We’re sharing five key elements of effective allyship:
AUTHENTIC REPRESENTATION
Successful campaigns amplify LGBTQIA+ voices. That means elevating the individual perspectives, history, and creative talent within the community. Make their experiences the focus. For example, this year Converse celebrates Found Family by featuring 50 LGBTQIA+ creatives on their website—giving powerful personal narratives a platform through art, photography, and written letters. It’s all about highlighting diverse perspectives.
CONSISTENCY
Impactful allies are consistently inclusive. A temporary rainbow logo doesn't equate to operating with integrity. Beyond Pride, look for what ad campaigns reflect across voice and visuals July through May. The most compelling brands show up for intersectional communities every day of the year.
CULTURE
Back up your marketing with safe internal structures and policies for all. If LGBTQIA+ employees aren't actively supported and promoted in the workplace, marketing stunts are going to turn off increasingly savvy consumers seeking authenticity. According to the Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index, those practices can look like:
Zero-tolerance policies for homophobia, transphobia, and discrimination
Providing equal benefit coverage
LGBTQIA+ employee resource groups and events
Fostering a safe environment that encourages open communication
Both Millennial and Gen Z consumers are more brand loyal to companies that prioritize greater equity for LGBTQIA+ workers and their families. Our team is proud to serve corporations like IBM which are among the most highly rated in the Human Rights Index.
LEGIT PARTNERSHIPS
The best product collabs benefit the communities they celebrate. Consumers crave transparency and want to know what their Pride purchase supports. Williams Sonoma and Apple offer collections that directly contribute to LGBTQIA+ youth mental health resources and suicide prevention in partnership with The Trevor Project. There are many more! Help your customers feel good about making a difference by providing direct links to the causes you’re supporting.
ALIGNMENT
It comes down to action over virtue signaling. Ads that get it right come from brands that celebrate LGBTQIA+ history and advocate for the community at a deeper level. They don’t exploit queer culture for profit. Rainbow washing is a term for companies that update brand visuals for Pride but don’t engage in practices that serve the community. Consumers (and employees) want to see brand values backed by action and behavior.
On the big scale, think LGBTQIA+ leaders in the C-suite, safe workplaces, support for essential resources, and legislative advocacy. The Senate has yet to pass The Equality Act and over 280 anti-trans proposals landed in state legislatures this year alone. If they lean in, brands have the opportunity to make a real impact on the health, safety, and pursuit of happiness of this community.
Here at Five Acres, we choose to collaborate with partners aligned on values. Clients like Citra Urgent Care, who prioritize inclusivity by offering safe spaces for health and healing. Their core value, “Care for all,” is practiced year-round and permeates throughout their team culture.
Keep in mind, that we’re all learning! An imperfect effort is a step toward becoming a better ally. The fact that you want your business to celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community is a win. Continue to educate yourself and be willing to ask questions.
Editor’s Note: In the spirit of learning, we acknowledge that there may be imperfections in this post (now or those that could be identified in the future.) Showing up for underserved communities isn’t about knowing, it’s about learning. Sharing this blog is an opportunity to amplify the voice of a team member who identifies with the LGBTQIA+ community and we support sharing her perspective during Pride and anytime. We’d love to hear your thoughts, feedback, or questions on any of the above content.
We’re learning right along with you. - Halleh