Three Do’s and Don’ts for Brands during Pride 2023

Every June, Pride Month marks the opportunity for the LGBTQ+ community to celebrate and commemorate the fight for liberation. If your brand wants to join this year’s celebration, here are some notable do’s and don’ts to consider before jumping into the conversation.

Do: Make it a Movement: Ask yourself if your brand has been an ally and a part of the LGBTQ+ conversation throughout the year: If the answer is yes, bring your efforts to life with in-person activations. If the answer is no, consider centering your efforts on how to be a better ally in the year ahead. Brands like American Express elevate their year-round allyship beyond the screen with in-person partnerships.

Don’t: Leverage a Moment: Brands should avoid efforts that commercialize Pride or solely cater to the community with product promotions during awareness months. Brands should not isolate paid media campaigns for inclusive product offerings to awareness months, and then shelve the creatives until next year. While Wells Fargo promoted its inclusive artwork on paid channels, its efforts only ran during LGTQ+ history month in October.

Do: Foster Inclusion in the Workplace: It’s crucial to show, not tell, your brand’s efforts to foster inclusion in the workplace and the policy changes made to improve the lives of LGBTQ+ employees. Brands like John Hancock made sure to emphasize LGBTQ+ inclusive benefits on their Instagram page.

Don’t: Tokenize LGBTQ+ Employees: Empowering queer voices doesn’t mean running social media campaigns in June that features a run-of-the-mill quote from an LGBTQ+ colleague about how great it is to work for your company. It’s time to uplift, not isolate. Brands should not use a life-changing event as a workplace promotion. Allianz opted to shine an owned social spotlight on employees’ coming-out journeys in a way that may have further “othered” its queer employees and leveraged an extremely emotional experience for LGBTQ+ individuals to foster an inclusive brand image.

Do: Make a Stand for Change: Make it clear how your company is fighting for LGBTQ+ rights and standing against anti-LGBTQ+ sentiments with actions beyond words—ensuring your words are backed by your financial contributions. Brands like Daylight highlight year-round commitments to the LGBTQ+ community by specifically noting its involvement in fostering meaningful change and protection for LGBTQ+ individuals.

Don’t: Virtue Signal with Flat-Lined Statements: There is no need to post a cookie-cutter statement to check your Pride box this June. If you can’t substantiate your social media post, do the work before joining the conversation. Brands like Sun Life should not forget to tie actionable change to sentiments of support and have a presence in LGBTQ+ conversations throughout the year.

For more information on what to expect during Pride 2023, contact us today.