How Marketing Campaigns Have Changed Since LGBTQ+ History Month Started
Known by many as LGBTQ+ History Month, February in the UK is dedicated to preserving, recognising and reflecting on the rich history of queer people and how it affects their experiences today. LGBTQ+ History Month is a month celebrating the history of diverse and beautiful lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer communities and the importance of the civil rights movement in advancing gay rights. However, LGBTQ+ History Month is celebrated in America in October.
Every summer in June, the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community comes together for a month-long celebration of love, diversity, acceptance and bold pride. Pride Month, celebrates the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community, the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. Pride Celebrations and Pride Parades are how LGBTQ and their allies are dealing with the ongoing work of recognition and equality that ultimately lead us to the Stonewall riots in New York City in 1969.
Brands have a remarkable ability to influence public opinion and should use this power to create a fairer, more equitable and just world for all. They have a unique opportunity to start a conversation and change perceptions by creating inclusive marketing campaigns that celebrate the LGBTQ+ experience. One of the most effective ways for brands to promote acceptance is by releasing marketing campaigns that normalise the LGBTQ+ experience.
If you want to welcome lesbians as clients, include them in your marketing. Smart brands engage with the LGBT community all year-round, complementing what they're doing during Pride Month and LGBTQ History month. Increasingly, brands are working to show their support for lesbians and everyone that’s part of that community or who feels different and not represented. While brands can bring attention to the LGBTQ+ community during Pride Month, many still have a long way to go to represent LGBTQ+ people along with diversity in advertising all year round not just in February and June.
When a brand changes its social media avatar to a rainbow version of itself or otherwise shows some support during Pride month or LGBTQ history month, savvy consumers will know if their ad shows a year-round community, hires LGBTQ+ people, and put them in leadership positions. And whether the brand is actually supporting the community with resources and legislative support all the time.
The distribution of their logos and corporate marketing to LGBTQ people is a relatively recent phenomenon. While rainbows may seem like smart adverts, some LGBTQ people associate these logos, which seem to always date back to July 1st, with the rainbow flush, the act of companies advertising themselves as LGBTQ allies when their true support for Rainbow Causes turned a little grey. For example, brands claim to supporting the LGBTQ+ community, even as companies donate hundreds of thousands of dollars to legislators supporting anti-transgender legislation.
People want to see themselves represented by the brands they follow all year round and statistics show that people are much more likely to purchase and support brands that they see represent them and their community.
Its important that we don’t just support LGBTQ members and other diverse members of society only during Pride Month in June of LGBTQ History month in February. It’s important for all walks of life to see themselves represented all year round not only as part of an advertising campaign but also as part of the company they work for.
Check out some of the helpful links below about how you can show your brand can support everyone all year round. There are some good and bad examples within these links that will give you some support and guidance when planning out your campaigns showing you what to do and what not to do:
Useful Links:
https://www.vpnmentor.com/blog/lgbtq-guide-online-safety/
https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2019/starbucks-pride-a-long-legacy-of-lgbtq-inclusion/
https://www.inc.com/sonia-thompson/the-biggest-mistake-brands-make-with-pride-month-campaigns.html
https://www.cnn.com/2021/06/05/us/pride-month-lgbtq-merchandise-critics-trnd/index.html
https://nationaltoday.com/lgbtq-history-month/
https://abcnews.go.com/US/lgbt-pride-month-2021-history-events-parades/story?id=71017699
https://www.vox.com/2018/6/25/17476850/pride-month-lgbtq-corporate-explained
https://time.com/5858086/pride-parades-history/
https://www.nbcnews.com/select/nbc-out/pride-month-brands-ncna1269835
https://www.usf.edu/student-affairs/multicultural-affairs/events/lgbt-history-month.aspx
Have you come across some good or bad examples of companies celebrating both Pride and LGBTQ History month? Let us know in the comments.
Make sure you check out Episode 14 of the Like Click & Share Podcast where we discuss “Inclusivity & Diversity.”
Check out Episode 4 of the Like Click & Share Podcast where we discuss “Pride & Inclusive Marketing.”
