I believe it’s widely known that June in Pride month, and in 2020 that hasn’t changed (we can support and celebrate in the mist of level 6 of Jumanji.) Most companies are here for the celebration, hopefully doing more than just having a pride flag incorporated into their logo for the month… During pride month we can all use our social platforms to support, celebrate and educate our following on LGBTQIA+ rights and promote anyways we can help ensure those rights are given and remain.
For brands, as I’ve just mentioned, having a pride flag showing for the month doesn’t just cut it anymore, so how can brands make sure they are using their platforms in the right ways?
Due to COVID-19 and social distancing social media has played a crucial part for brands over the past few months and with the rising movements of Black Lives Matter, it’s even more important for brands to use their inclusive space to show support to these communities from their community- it also means that the month of Pride is going to be moulded into a virtual celebration for all.
While iconic pride parades are on hold, the opportunities have risen to drive awareness onto social media; business speaking, this cuts the costs of a pride campaign but also allows company campaigns online to be seen and interacted with by everyone. CEO of The Phluid Project, Rob Smith explains that having an online pride this year will allow everyone to join in- “If you are a non-binary kid in rural America, you’ll be able to experience Pride the same way as everyone else for the first time.”
Cities where Pride would’ve been celebrated has turned to supporting virtual events to celebrating not only pride, but Black Pride this year. It should come as no surprise that LA, New York and San Francisco are taking this on with the protests that have been happening across the world in these past couple of weeks- some of these protests have been honouring black activists who have helped shaped Pride’s history.
San Francisco’s pride is coming on the 27 & 28th of June with features of live and pre-recorded speeches and performances from DJs and more. Wysinger who’s moderating the discussion express how “We always make sure we have diverse talent on our main site, but we want to put even more focus on that [this year]. We also have a number of community stages that help us spread out the love and show more voices and faces in our community.”
Along with live virtual events, social media platforms new features such as Instagram stories donation sticker (along with Instagram’s live donations option) and Facebook messenger rooms, we can take advantage of the new ways in which we can celebrate.
As a brand on social media, you have an opportunity to make a difference and give those who haven’t experienced Pride before their first celebration.
For those companies how don’t particularly know where to start: educate. Not only should you be thinking about educating your audiences but educating yourselves- you should be trying to spread the history and meaning of Pride as well as promoting the acceptance of everyone no matter their sexual orientation, gender, race or religion.
With every brand on social media, their platform can be powerful; so, use this to share LGBTQIA+ journeys. Allow people to share their very own stories on your platform- they may not have the accessibility that comes easy for companies and so allowing them onto your platform is the perfect opportunity to educate and spread awareness within your following.
Try and be authentic. Bringing back up the repeated pride flag incorporated in your logo isn’t the best, especially when that seems to be the only thing your brand has decided to take part in; sharing peoples voices, allowing them to be heard helps build up the awareness surrounding the community and the these stories will mean a lot more to those following than a Pride emoji…
I have already mentioned Instagram’s donate sticker, but the act of donating is another important route your brand can take. If you decided to create a product specifically for Pride month, donate a percentage of the proceeds to the LGBTQIA+ community. Give back to charities that continuously work to make sure the community’s rights are own and fought for.
Underwear brand MeUndies as a long-term supporter of the LGBTQIA+ community had created their own collection of Pride underwear last year, from every pair sold, money was donated to non-profit organisation Happy Hippie Foundation.
This year the underwear company are wanting people to share their stories using the hashtag ‘ProudToBeMe’ and sharing them on their social media. They have also donated to one of their partners ‘It Gets Better’ which focuses on “standing up against hate and intolerance for all.”
There is no doubt every brand should be working on their Pride Campaigns each and every year, especially when the rights of the LGBTQIA+ are threatened and lost by those in power. Supporting a community during Pride month should only be the start, like with the Black Lives Matter movement, it will keep moving, and so should the support and outrage we have seen over the past couple of weeks.
Every brand looks towards supporting the inclusion of everyone no matter their race, religion, gender or sexual orientation. Every brand works towards campaigns where they can show that support. But how many will carry on, year after year, through-out the year to ensure that these communities are heard.
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