"I don't think a lot of brands have actually included that in their marketing efforts on a broad scale." Brands doing it the right way "It started because queer and trans people were not able to have their rights and be taken seriously, and police brutality," she said. "I think that's another level of support, which goes beyond the company itself into something that actually can have some more meaningful change."ĭanisha Lomax, senior vice president of paid social at Digitas, said brands are also better served if they remember the origins of Pride being protest. "It's a very powerful move, and it caught a lot of attention in North Carolina, and hurt them in the pocketbook where they weren't going to get corporate funds, they weren't going to get people coming to watch athletics, they weren't going to get jobs for their employees, because companies weren't going to put factories and other places that were otherwise bringing money into the state," she said. She used the example of companies pulling out of North Carolina because of legislation against trans people using bathrooms of their gender identity.
Using corporate clout to make broader changes is where companies can be truly helpful, she said. Katherine Sender, a Cornell University professor who wrote "Business not Politics: The Making of the Gay Market, " said brands at the very least need to have corporate policies to ensure management supports a safe and supportive environment for employees. And if the brand doesn't, the sentiment falls flat. So when a brand swaps its social media avatar to a rainbow version of itself, or otherwise shows some support in June, savvy consumers are aware of whether its ads feature the community year-round, whether it hires LGBTQ+ individuals and puts them in leadership positions, and whether the brand actually supports the community with resources and legislative support. If a brand opts to build a campaign around Pride, but has taken actions in the past that fly in the face of the cause, it can be viewed by consumers as shallow and opportunistic.įor instance, Popular Info this week highlighted 25 brands with Pride campaigns that have together donated more than $10 million to politicians who have pushed anti-gay legislation in the last two years. It's also doing a rainbow light display near the Stonewall Inn in New York City. Kind also says it's donating $50,000, along with an additional dollar for every "Pride" text it receives at a certain number, to a nonprofit to help homeless LGBTQ+ youth. "So I think Kellogg's is helping to educate the general public, in addition to sending a pretty powerful message to trans youth that a beloved brand like Kellogg's is supporting and standing with them and accepting them for who they are." "This campaign is reaching parents that might otherwise not think about pronouns, or might not be experiencing media outlets that are reporting on pronouns in fair and accurate ways," he said. The company is donating a portion of sales to GLAAD, and the cereal box also has a section that encourages people to write down their pronouns. And it's a huge missed opportunity," he said.įerraro said Kellogg's "Together With Pride" cereal is one powerful example of how a brand can help create change.
"Otherwise, the Pride campaigns feel very empty to our community. He said he wished every brand participating in Pride promotions this year were also actively pushing for the Equality Act, and pushing for the Senate to move the act forward. "That's where brands can have immense power - is by using their influence in politics and stepping out and educating their stakeholders, whether it's employees, or consumers, or politicians, about anti-LGBTQ legislation and pro-LGBTQ legislation," Ferraro said.