Over 50 years ago, police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York City’s Greenwich Village neighbourhood, and the Stonewall Riots began. As a result of the riots, there was a massive civil rights movement, and a year later, a march took place at the former site of the pub. Over time these marches transformed into the pride parades that we see today. June is globally recognised as “pride month” so we have some advice when it comes to marketing during pride!

While pride is a celebration, it is not all about rainbows and sparkles. The month of June is much more about celebrating how far the community has come while also continuing the fight for acceptance and equality. Slapping a rainbow over your logo and calling it a day is not enough, and your audience notice your lack of efforts! Commercialising this important month without backing it with real support and action can turn away customers.

The question to ask is what is the difference between companies who are marketing with pride and those who are simply rainbow washing? Before going all-in on the rainbows, companies need to take active steps to create inclusive work environments and give back to the LGBTQ+ community. Customers and prospects will be paying attention to this.

Make it a point to engage in conversations about supporting the LGBTQ+ community. Do not put on a Pride t-shirt if you’re not ready to have a conversation about what it means to wear one.

Whether it be shaving ads, including transgender men to marketing campaigns that feature same-sex couples, there are multiple ways that brands can utilise to become more inclusive and show representation in their promotional campaigns.

We see pride as a massive occasion here at Square Media, celebrating how far the LGBTQ+ community has come since the stonewall riots. We support and embrace total inclusion here at Square Media, so we decided to ask a few of the LGBTQ+ members of our team what pride means to them and how brands can embrace pride this June! We spoke to both our Director – Matthew & our Marketing Executive, Lily. But firstly our Director Matthew:

“As a gay member of the community it is amazing to see brands embrace pride and we are starting to get to a point where brands are doing so much more than just slap a rainbow over their logo, but as with every year, there is still many more opportunities to be had when it comes to marketing! As the director of Square Media, I can only reinforce that we not only support but embrace members of the LGBTQ+ community here at Square”

“As a young trans-girl, it is not every day you find a company where me being trans has never once been questioned… while a lot would expect this from doing work and being part of the community this is not always the case. While it is exciting as a marketer to see so many companies embracing inclusivity and pride, it’s important to remember that the rainbow logo itself is not enough. Companies need to support their LGBTQ+ employees, create an inclusive environment, and give back to the community.