It’s the month of colors, sharing love, accepting individuality, and honoring experiences. In the world of advertising, we see brands repping rainbow avatars and releasing a slew of Pride-themed products. There’s a different sort of power in brands participating in the Pride month. It is essential for the employees and the customers both to be a part of supporting the community. When you’re a brand and communication is your magic wand, you need to ensure that you dig deeper than promoting a Pride theme. You should be able to deliver a well-written, well-thought-out campaign that connects with the viewers. Here are a few campaigns that really stood out and made a difference.
1. Google with ‘Words that matter’
On the second of June last year, Google released a blog written by Juan Rajlin. Juan Rajlin is the treasurer and co-global executive sponsor of PRIDE at Google. In this blog, Juan discussed his experiences growing up gay in Argentina. He shared his joy of attending the first Pride parade. This testimony alone makes Google stand out as they tried to show Pride through the lens of a member of the LGBTQIA+ community. It is important for brands to understand that pride is beyond waving the flag: it’s about honoring experiences and understanding that love is love truly.
2. Reebok with ‘What do you see?’
Reebok collaborated with Lazarus Lynch and created a short film featuring Richie Shazam, Maxwell Pearce, Mizzko, Broderick Hunter, and Amrit. This short film featured a script that focused on the question “What do you see?” in LQBTQ+ people. The major reason this campaign stands out is that it gave complete creative freedom to members of the community to speak on the topic. It is essential to take a step back and listen to what the members have to say.
3. Indeed with ‘A new beginning’
Indeed came up with a heartfelt, educational and emotional Ad campaign. This campaign had actor River Gallo (they/them), portraying a nervous interviewee for a new job role. The ad finishes on a meaningful moment where the interviewer asks the actor whether they are comfortable in sharing how they would like to be addressed. The character “Taylor” replies, ”I use They/Them pronouns” with a smile. This Ad highlights inclusivity and makes the viewers realize what people from the community go through at workplaces and why it is important to understand and address this.
4. Adidas and inclusivity
Sportswear brand Adidas partnered with Athlete Ally and Stonewall to co-create programs aimed to end systemic oppression and drive inclusivity in sports across the globe, with yearly donations as well as proceeds from its annual Pride collection. Featuring T-shirts, shoes, dresses and hoodies, Adidas’ most recent collection shared the message “Love Unites”, with tie-dye elements and eye-catching accents to help people highlight their support. The collection is designed to be worn by anyone, with men’s, women’s, genderless, children’s and plus sizes. The theme “Love Unites” has stood strong for a number of years at Adidas.
This is how some brands broke the clutter, stood out and sent a strong message that needed to be heard and talked about. It’s the pride month, we will be back with some more blogs that will provoke thought.
Author Bio- Tanvi Chhatwani : I am an ardent writer at heart, I love to express my thoughts through words. In my free time you’ll find me with my cats, jamming to Taylor Swift songs or lost in a book!
