Pride Month’s history is a colorful celebration of the LGBTIA+ community by showing support through various campaigns with powerful messaging and creating a space for unheard voices on large social and commercial platforms.
However, many consumers are skeptical about brand activations and the rise of commercialism over compassion. After Bud Light’s partnership with influencer Dylan Mulvaney amidst a disappointing anti-trans storm, what have brands learned about showing genuine support and thought around inclusivity through their Influencer Marketing campaigns? Let’s discover who’s doing well…
NYX Professional Makeup ‘Game Out Loud’
NYX has launched a brand new campaign to raise awareness about the daily hate many online gamers receive. The brand has partnered with 5 popular Twitch creators, including Brian Diaz, Frederic Chen, Glitch, Lilly Teel, and Martin Corona, with the aim of advocating for safe spaces for the LGBTQIA+ community in gaming and beyond.
According to insights collected from the makeup brand, “64% of LGBTQ+ gamers have been harassed online at disproportionately higher rates than all other identity groups.” The interactive campaign not only aims to amplify the voices of the community but also provides allyship training to over 10,000 individuals with marketing activations both online and at in-person events.
This campaign perfectly blends the unexpected pair - beauty and gaming, to encourage customers to ‘activate their next level look’ on their unique landing page.
Similarly to the way our team at Digital Voices often partners with Drag Creators with our long-term client, Surfshark, who integrate Surfshark VPN in a very relevant way to interest viewers and educate them on why they should get a VPN to watch episodes of Drag Race no matter where you are in the world!
Peloton Partners with Fitness Creators
This Pride Month, US fitness giant - Peloton are partnering up with inspiring sports instructors within the influencer space. The campaign is designed to connect its audience with icons and rising stars from the LGBTQ+ community, offering a variety of exclusive sessions from bike rides to meditation. Creators such as @mattymaggiacomo have collaborated with the brand to give a private Pride brunch at the Peloton New York studio in connection with the campaign.
Despite some success, many brand activations have backfired. The term Rainbow Capitalism was coined to explain the commercialization of the LGBTQI+ community, particularly during Pride Month. The TikTok hashtag #rainbowcapitalism now has 54.3M views, with people calling out brands for their shameless disingenuous support for the cause.
One TikTok creator, @mattxiv, shared the ‘hits and misses’ of Target’s Pride 2023 Collection by describing the situation as “Target’s goal to be as profitable as possible” but continues to say that the despite “rainbow washing not being able to save anyone… its important that positive messaging such as ‘Support Trans Futures’ is given a large platform.”
Incorporating Pride celebrations into your annual marketing plan isn’t about ‘rainbow-washing’ your audience. It takes careful consideration that highlights genuine support and understanding for the community. Here are some key points to consider:
We have worked with LGBTQ+ creators in our Hinge and Taimi Influencer Marketing campaigns, click to see more!
If you are a creator looking for free support, contact our Creator Voices team.
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