Partnering with Purpose During Pride

When shallow engagements create deep problems - and how to avoid them during Pride Month.

Pride is among us, which means your activation strategy is set, the response plan is ready, your organization has a POV on supporting the LGBTQ+ community all year-round, and you have more than a rainbow logo to announce.

If that sounds like your team, congratulations! We’re proud and wish you a happy Pride. If that triggered feelings of doubt or uncertainty, please keep reading.

Big and small gestures matter. While superficially showing support for Pride by adding a rainbow to social assets may seem well-intentioned, it can be harmful if it is merely a marketing ploy without substantive action behind it. Such performative gestures can be seen as exploitative, trivializing the struggles of the LGBTQ+ community and commodifying their identities for profit, ultimately undermining the true spirit of inclusivity and equality.

On the other side, we see bigger brands and bigger gestures continue to face backlash from consumers when they show support for LGBTQ+ individuals if the audience strategy is not pulled through a full plan. For the obvious example, a commemorative Bud Light can was given to Dylan Mulvaney for a video, which has sparked a prolonged controversy that’s been dominating headlines since March.

This sustained spotlight is having immediate effects. Anti-LGBTQ consumers are feeling more emboldened to threaten brands and employees who show their support. It’s causing brands to fold under the pressure and backtrack on Pride plans after confrontation and backlash.

It's clear that the work is far from over: preparation, commitment, and follow-through are more imperative now than ever.

Here are a few tips to equip brands and marketers while centering on and supporting the LGBTQ+ community.

Recognize the depth of identity.

Partnering with individuals based on their background or identity is an excellent way to expand your brand's reach, but it's crucial to remember that communities are more than just a single label. Understanding their current landscape and struggles, the movements they are attached to or fighting for, and any history your brand may have with them is how you go deeper.

Using someone's identity for surface-level relationships and near-term sales gains is self-serving and shortsighted — especially if they come from historically excluded groups experiencing global political polarization. Instead, strive for partnerships that can bring longevity, credibility, and genuineness to your inclusive outreach.

Allow time for adequate preparation.

Simply put, only you (and your client) understand the intricacies of your process and how long it takes to execute your plans. Starting early enough ensures that your teams have ample time, and no steps are rushed or overlooked.

Understand who your customer base truly is.

When championing inclusivity, you may run into audiences with less understanding of LGBTQ+ communities than you may realize. Fear of backlash is not an excuse to leave the DE&I arena. Operating in a polarized society often means accepting that you may lose long-time customers because they disagree with your values. It's a difficult but necessary truth to acknowledge when seeking to grow your audience based on a shared belief in a more inclusive world.

That said, there are steps to prevent negative dissonance from dominating the conversation and forcing your brand to back track. There are predictable reactions from consumers along the inclusivity spectrum, and it’s critical you know where your customer base sits within it.

Use historical audience data and social listening to understand where your customer base generally falls in their beliefs. This knowledge can inform your brand's point of view, calibrate, and adjust the timing of the activation, inform a community response plan, and ultimately minimize risk.

Partner responsibly and with commitment.

If your ambitions are to support the trans community, but you learn your consumers are far from inclusion, be responsible and proceed with care and sensitivity. Ensure that your campaigns highlight the trans community within the context of the broader LGBTQ+ community.  We don't want to exacerbate the discrimination towards the most vulnerable group within the community. Use the addition of the "more accepted" communities to help reduce the potential for isolation.

If your brand's supporters attack one of your partners based on their identity, it’s also your responsibility to stand by them during the turmoil. Brands possess more resources than influencers, and abandoning your partners not only leaves them isolated but also sets your brand back further. It’s important to be prepared to stand in solidarity in a way that protects all partners from backlash. Rebuilding trust and making amends with the community in the future will be more costly. Maintain solidarity with your partners through challenging times.

Brand Spotlight: #SaferWithGoogle

The “Safer with Google" campaign caught our attention for infusing inclusivity and authenticity throughout a sustained marketing ecosystem. The multi-year platform aims to promote safety and privacy across Google services and has evolved several times to encompass all facets of their business.

From YouTube, search, and display ads to a dedicated portal with both a generic logged-out and personalized logged-in modes, it is a marquee example of how to create a networked experience across their full stack of owned and paid marketing channels.

In one of their recent pushes, drag superstar Trixie Mattel and YouTube icon Bretman Rock (among others) star in a series of videos highlighting the latest safety features. What’s notable about this activation is how the work centers a diverse cast, who are no strangers to harassment online, in their own settings, expressing themselves genuinely and comfortably, and using their preferred pronouns—all while delivering a message of safety.

While not a pride-specific campaign, it is a powerful and insightful combination for how to empower your LGBTQ+ partners to be themselves and bring credibility to your message. With the expansive global audience Google has, spread across dozens of apps and services, it proved critical to leverage multiple stories, channels, formats, and modalities to ensure they connect with customers in a meaningful way.

Forge deeper relationships through commitment and follow through.

Virtue signaling alone does not bring about change, and consumers demand more. From ensuring those in the community are both in front of and behind the camera, to consistently using inclusive language and paying people equally and equitably, there are numerous ways to commit to meeting this demand. Follow through comes into play in embodying your brand's values in the work and in the process— not just in a singular campaign.

In closing, it is essential to acknowledge that identity is deeply personal. You must have a thorough understanding of your audience's mindset and allocate sufficient time and resources to prepare and sustain your commitment. By doing so, you can genuinely support the LGBTQ+ community and drive positive change.

At Digitas, we strive to help our clients understand, connect with, and build community. Unapologetic inclusion is central to how we get there.

Want to learn more? Get in touch with the Digitas Multicultural Center of Excellence for more guidance on how you can join our mission.