Feeling FOMO this World Pride? Here’s a checklist for future LGBTQ+ event support
Sydney is awash in bright colours for World Pride and Mardi Gras, but Hannah McElhinney, co-founder and chief creative officer of Snack Drawer, warns brands not to jump in the rainbow bandwagon without some key considerations.
Sydney WorldPride has begun. It’s the convergence of two of the world’s biggest LGBTQ+ celebrations – the Sydney Mardi Gras and WorldPride, a global pride celebration that occurs in a different city every couple of years.
Brand are chopping at the studded-leather-bit to be loud, proud and part if it, however some rightfully have their reservations. Do brands have a role or even a right to play in Pride? And how can they celebrate their diverse communities in a meaningful way.
To start, if you’re a brand hesitant to be involved with pride out of fear you’ll turn off a conservative consumer base, this article is not for you, and neither is my money.
The beauty of being a brand at pride
As a business, you understand that a brand is more than your product. Your values and brand identity are key factors to your customers. When we see a brand that is proud to support the LGBTQ+ community, we recognise their values. When you support the LGBTQ+ community proudly, publicly and financially you are strengthening your relationship with your LGBTQ+ and allies audience.
Sydney WorldPride presents an opportunity for new and existing audiences to identify your brand as a business which celebrates dive=rsity and contributes to the community. It’s also significant to your human resourcing, with a partnership reflecting your brand’s internal company commitment to non-discrimination and company culture. The brand partnership is a commitment that reflects intent, values and visibility.
Being a brand partner in Sydney World Pride is a reflection of your long term commitment to the LGBTQ+ community. If done well, you will reap the rewards of a loyal audience.
What do you need to consider?
Each year during Mardi Gras, we see a rush of brands coming to the party late and then disappearing until next year. If your brand wants to support the LGBTQ+ community, we want to see it each day of the year, not just during Mardi Gras or Pride Month. Hint: get a bigger share of voice by showing up for your LGBTQ+ during ‘off-peak’ pride periods.
Your presence around pride needs to be reflected in your team culture and policies, campaign representation, corporate social responsibility and other campaigns all year round.
If you’re not able to reflect this support on the inside or your company, it’s probably not the right time to turn your logo rainbow. It’s worth also checking whether your company contributes to the oppression of LGBTQ+ people outside of Australia, for example does your company take profits from or support countries with a track record of human rights abuses against LGBTQ+ people. These are both good reasons to hold back from loudly joining Pride celebrations. However, change is slow, and your values as a marketer might not reflect your overall company values. So instead you might get involved by calling for the review of your internal policies and offering additional support and experiences for your queer staff members during this time.
Here’s a checklist for any marketer navigating whether to get involved
- Do I know the history of Pride and why it is important to the LGBTQ+ community?
- Does the company’s culture reflect this campaign?
- Is there an open environment within the organisation for people to be comfortable in their sexualities at work?
- Does my brand donate to any LGBTQ+ charities or organisations?
- How will involvement in Pride financially support pride celebrations?
- Will the organisation’s contribution go directly to supporting queer events, artists, or organisers?
- Would people react positively to the brand’s presence at Pride? If not, why?
- Have past marketing campaigns supported the LGBTQ+ community?
- What steps does the organisation need to take to be a true ally? Consider if these need to be done prior to brand campaigns.
See you at Sydney WorldPride! Or maybe I won’t because you’ll be working on getting your company’s LGBTQ+ inclusion strategy into top shape, which is also great.
Hannah McElhinney is the co-founder and chief creative officer of Snack Drawer.
She is also the creator of Rainbow History Class, a social media sensation dedicated to sharing the queer and trans history you don’t get in school.
