How Brands Approached Pride 2024 Through Influencer Marketing
It’s Pride month, and it’s been great to see brands and advertisers actively advocating and showing support for LGBTQ+ communities across social media.
In the past though, a lot of brands have been accused of “rainbow-washing” around Pride – doing meaningless activity like painting a rainbow across their logo, but showing no further advocacy (or even worse, having policies that actually contradict their public support).
Social media has given people a voice to call this kind of laziness or hypocrisy out, and more than ever, brands must really consider how they want to meaningfully show up for Pride, and how they’re going to back up their words with actions.
Should brands be involved in pride?
A lot of people think that brands shouldn’t involve themselves in Pride at all, others believe brands showing support for the LGBTQ+ community help to combat stigma and raise awareness. Brands are stuck between a rock and a hard place, if they say nothing they stand accused of not being supportive, and if they show support they may get accusations of rainbow washing.
However, as data from ThinkWithGoogle suggests, 71% of LGBTQ+ respondents and 82% of allies said they were more likely to purchase from a company that supported LGBTQ+ equality. Additionally, 45% of under–34s say they’re more likely to do repeat business with an LGBTQ+ friendly company. With this in mind, it can be argued that brands have an important role to play during Pride month, so long as they stand by the cause.
Pride influencer marketing – how brands can get it right
Members of the LGBTQ+ community have long called for brands to show that their marketing efforts are more than just a Pride flag. Consumers are increasingly discerning and demand genuine engagement from the brand they support.
Brands need to go beyond superficial gestures by embracing inclusivity, and reflecting real themes like the community’s history, and celebrating its individuals.
There’s definitely a wrong way to approach Pride as a brand, but is there a right way? We’ve learnt that Pride is about self-expression, and embracing who you are. In 2024, brands are enabling creators from the LGBTQ+ community to take center stage, giving them the platform to share their personal stories so that audiences can better understand what Pride is all about.
“Pride is a 24/7 thing, not something brands can just slap a rainbow on.” adds Molly Griffin, Social Media Marketing Manager at Goat. “The LGBTQ+ community deserve brands that will stick by them and support all year round, not just in June, because for us, pride is all day everyday, it’s who we are, that doesn’t go away on the 1st of July, so it shouldn’t stop being a topic of conversation for brands either.”
How brands partnered with influencers during pride 2024
NYX Cosmetics
NYX Cosmetics are true allies to the LGBTQ+ community. The brand advocates for its consumers 365 days a year, where many brands are only present for the community during Pride month.
To advocate for the LGBTQ+ community during Pride month, Nyx launched #ProudlyProYou a campaign bringing together different voices from the community, empowering creators and their audiences and encouraging them to share their stories.
At its core, this campaign sought to encourage creators to explore themselves, using Nyx Cosmetics to amplify self-pride. By bringing in a diverse range of influencers, Nyx were able to spread their message across a much wider audience base.
Throughout the content we hear creators address personal stories and experiences, how they had been marginalized, and how they lost the confidence to pursue their true identities. Trans influencer Ilya Selyn shares their experience of dating and the difficulties that came with it, feeling unable to truly express their identity. Ash Holme gives us an exuberant breakdown of partying during Pride, but goes on to address the spirit of LGBTQ+ community, and their ability to be themselves.
#ProudlyProYou set out to amplify the voice of different, and diverse creators from the community, giving them the platform to educate and inspire, and encourage people to explore who they really are – a true embodiment of what Pride is all about.
JustEat
JustEat has pledged its commitment to keeping drag kings and queens fuelled during Pride month.
The food delivery service launched a new initiative aiming to fuel and support the UK’s drag performers during the busiest period in their calendars. The brand partnered with renowned drag queen Dr Cheddar Gorgeous to kick things off, inviting drag artists to join the VIQ (Very Important Queens) club via an Instagram reel.
While on the surface it might look like JustEat is keen to get more orders during Pride, the campaign goes a lot deeper. It turns out that the average drag performer hosts over 350 shows during Pride, according to JustEat. These performers are clocking up to 20,000 steps a night, and come the end of June are expected to have taken a total of 600,000 steps. That’s the equivalent of walking from London to Edinburgh, if you were wondering. What’s more, drag performers can burn a further 1000 calories from marching in parades, and parading in heels. With all of this hunger inducing work, JustEat hopes the launch of VIQs will keep the show on the road.
JustEat’s Marketing Director Victoria Gold said the campaign is “all about demonstrating and celebrating our allyship with the LGBTQIA+ community. Just Eat strives to deliver joy with every dish and satisfy every food and grocery craving, so we couldn’t be more excited to be launching VIQs, offering drag performers the much needed joyful boost when they may be needing it the most.”
As well as ordering until their heart’s content, members of the VIQ club can receive advice from LGBTQ+ fitness expert Matt Boyles on how to power through their performances.
While many brands have been accused of Pride-washing in the past, and failing to advocate for the community beyond June, JustEat are not only empowering the community, they’re giving something back.
Marc Jacobs Fragrances
Participation is a key ingredient during Pride month, and what better way to get involved than with a hashtag challenge.
Marc Jacobs Fragrances launched #PerfectPrideBall on Instagram, enlisting a bunch of creators from LGBTQ+ and dance verticals to encourage their followers to “Vogue with” them. Marc Jacobs brought in creators Snow Wife, Madina Beisekeyeva, Dexter Mayfield, Bianca Del Rio, and Le Fil to strut their stuff and get the challenge underway, encouraging their followers to submit their own videos. Participants were in with a chance of attending the brand’s Perfect Pride Ball in June.
Hashtag challenges are a great way to encourage user participation across social, and since Pride is all about inclusion, celebration, and embracing who you are, Marc Jacobs was able to come up with a blend of all these core elements.
HSBC
Pride is a time for celebration, empowerment, and education. HSBC made these the core values of its Pride campaign, with a focus on the latter.
The financial services brand teamed up with influencer couple Nat and Charlie (@natandcharlie on Instagram) to educate audiences about financial wellbeing. In the social content, the couple discuss financial stability, and how to combat unhealthy spending habits with HSBC’s Financial Wellbeing Hub.
HSBC’s campaign sought to tackle issues surrounding the younger generation and uncertainties surrounding their financial situation. Research found that almost half of Brits (46%) have £1,000 or less in savings, and a quarter of Brits (25%) have £200 or less. While 1 in 6 UK adults (16%) have no savings at all.
In their content posted to Instagram, Nat and Charlie take their audience through their personal financial experiences, and how they have been HSBC customers for over a decade, something that has helped them become more financially stable.
Pride campaigns are typically filled with vibrant colors and exuberant personalities, HSBC’s addresses more of a gray area in personal finances, which is perhaps overlooked during Pride month. The campaign shares the same narratives as other Pride campaigns in that we hear personal stories. However, HSBC are addressing an underlying issue that perhaps isn’t discussed enough, yet effects young people no matter their background.
Nivea
We’ve all seen Baby Reindeer by now, surely?
To celebrate Pride, Nivea teamed up with Ru Paul’s Morphine Love Dion, and Nava Mau, from (you guessed it) the viral Netflix series Baby Reindeer.
The brand’s US targeted #ProudInYourSkin initiative was launched to lead the charge in supporting, educating, and advocating for LGBTQ+ people and those who love them.
Nivea partnered with the two stars on Instagram for some pretty empowering content where we learn more about the people behind the screen. Both creators opened up about how they struggled with their identity, and how they’ve been able to overcome adversity to become comfortable in their own skin. Nivea’s campaign was in partnership with PFLAG National, a non-profit organization working to create a caring, just, and affirming world for LGBTQ+ people.
Here in the UK we helped Nivea with its Birmingham Pride activation. The idea was to team up with Nivea’s ambassadors at the Pride festival to chat to audiences around sun safety and skincare, which tied in well with the notion of feeling comfortable in your own skin.
We brought in Charley Marlowe to conduct street style interviews at Birmingham Pride, asking them about their skincare secrets and confessions. “Charley as the voice of it was great – she’s personable, and the message from the client was to get people chatting about their routines whilst also having fun at Pride and encouraging Nivea brand association.” said Molly Birkett, Senior Account Manager at Goat.
Nivea was able to convey its messaging clearly in both of these activations. The brand’s message was one of expressing identity, and not only feeling comfortable in your skin, but how to take the best care of it, too.
Garnier
Garnier launched a Pride-themed Micellar Water, bringing in creators to promote the launch and to celebrate individuality, diversity, and the power of self-expression during Pride month.
Titled #RemoveYourMakeupNeverYourPride, the campaign saw a diverse range of LGBTQ+ creators doing “unready with me” style videos, removing their makeup using Garnier’s product. Each creator was encouraged to share their thoughts around Pride and what it means to them. We hear from Riyadh Khalaf, Vanity Milan, Ilya Selyn, and Andrew Wheatcroft, who share their Pride stories and how it made them who they are today.
Garnier’s campaign was in partnership with Just Like Us, the LGBT+ young people’s charity, which ensures that vital work is done in schools across the UK to reach the younger generation.
Despite launching a product, Garnier ensured the campaign wasn’t about the brand, but about giving creators the platform to share their experiences, which along with the partnership with Just Like Us shows its support for the community.
Manscaped
Manscaped launched its Pride campaign to show men that masculinity takes on many different forms, and that the yard needs trimming no matter what your background is.
The brand teamed up with couple Ho Vinh Khoa and Rhonee Rojas on Instagram to celebrate Pride month, with an exclusive promo code for “all your trimming needs.”
This campaign was a great move by Manscaped during Pride month, in that their ads are traditionally skewed towards a heterosexual audience. What we’re used to seeing is partnerships with men like Mark Goldbridge, who makes content around football and whose audience is heavily male. While partnerships like this make total sense, most males need to shave at some point in their lives, they only appeal to a certain demographic.
Manscaped’s Pride campaign has shown that masculinity doesn’t need to have boundaries, and is a great move for the brand to appeal to the LGBTQ+ community.
IKEA
Who doesn’t love a trip to IKEA? Whether you’re there for a new desk, decor inspo, or a plate of meatballs, IKEA has something for everyone. To embody this, IKEA launched #EmbraceYourSpace, a Pride-themed campaign encouraging members of the LGTBQ+ community to do just that – take pride in their space.
IKEA teamed up with US creators on Instagram, including Allie & Becca Calegari, Joel Moore-Hagan, and Nasim Lahbichi. Throughout the content we got to see the influencers taking trips to IKEA, picking up items that add vibrancy to their space, and then putting those items to work. Nasim picked up some tupperware and cooked up a summery potato salad, while Joel introduced us to movie nights on the patio, kitted out with IKEA blankets, glassware, furniture, and more.
Pride is all about inclusivity, and IKEA’s campaign shows us how their range caters to everyone. The campaign also shows us that there’s no right way to celebrate Pride. While many head into bustling city centers for Pride festivals, others may want to celebrate at home, relaxing with a movie night, or cooking up something delicious.
The Goat Agency
Ordinarily, when we’re talking about a campaign we’ve worked on it’s in tandem with one of our clients. Not this time.
Pride In Place is Goat’s initiative dedicated to sharing the stories of LGBTQ+ content creators across the UK. Through candid and inspiring interviews, we explored the unique journeys, challenges, and triumphs of these individuals, highlighting the lives they’ve shared online and discussing the future for brands working with LGBTQ+ content creators.
In this series we sat down with LGBTQ+ content creators across the UK in locations that hold special meaning to them. Each interview delves into the creator’s path to becoming a voice in the LGBTQ+ community, their experiences of being ‘out’ online, and the impact social media has had on their lives.
The series highlights both the positives and the challenges of being visible online, offering an authentic and honest look at the digital lives of LGBTQ+ creators.
We interviewed Brian Ó’Muirí, an Irish actor and content creator who when he’s not bust performing on the West End in the Book of Mormon, he’s creating viral dancing videos on TikTok. Second, we interviewed Matt & Ryan, a comedic couple who share the story of love, marriage and adoption to millions. Finally, we interviewed Shaz, a Queer Muslim Activist sharing her story of mental health, religion and identity whilst creating a safe space online for those that need it.
Through this initiative we are proud to be supporting Akt, a charity dedicated to helping young LGBTQ+ people facing homelessness or living in hostile environments. Akt provides safe homes, mentoring, and support to ensure these young individuals can live safely and achieve their potential.
“Pride In Place has become a huge passion project for me, spreading awareness of a great cause close to my heart, and to have the full support of such a big agency to create something genuine and engaging has been an incredible experience.” said Molly Griffin.
“I hope this Pride everyone remembers they deserve to be here, everyday.”
Concluding thoughts
Pride is a time to remember and recognise the people that have fought for LGBTQ+ rights, to keep fighting for these rights, and to reflect on how we can do better. For brands, the key is to listen more than talk, and give the microphone to people within the community.
Crucially, for brands looking to partner with LGBTQ+ creators, they not only need to be able to demonstrate they actually care about the cause long term (not just during June) and that they’re doing meaningful work. And above all, brands need to stand in solidarity with any creators they work with in order to create a true meaningful impact.
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