Campaigning 4 Pride Marketing Campaigns That Completely Missed the Mark Marissa Norton Campaigning 7 mins read May 31, 2023 Table of Contents Bud Light - Let’s Grab Beers Tonight, Queens Burger King - Tops & Bottoms Pride Whopper US Marines - Proud to Serve Listerine - Lazy Rainbow-washing Compilation of Cringe: All the rainbows Okay, so HOW can we celebrate Pride properly? Share This Article Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email A few years back, I wrote a blog post on Pride campaigns I thought hit the mark when it came to genuine support for the LGBTQ+ community. These campaigns (for the most part) avoided rainbow-washing, virtue signalling, and surface-level donations, while still providing meaningful storytelling that resonated with their audience. And even then, I would say they’re not all great. Now, I’d like to take a look at some of the worst campaigns and how they impacted their reputation, the queer community, and their overall campaign efforts. This article should act as a warning for brands who have said “well, we have to do something for Pride, right?” rather than “how can we support our LGBTQ+ customers and the greater community in a meaningful way?” If that’s you, then before even reading any further, take a step back and Without further ado, here’s some of the worst Pride campaigns from the past… Bud Light – Let’s Grab Beers Tonight, Queens The eye rolls from the queer community could be felt across the globe when Bud Light launched their LGBTQ campaign back in 2021. “Let’s Get Beer Tonight, Queens,” really Bud Light, REALLY?! This I don’t like. Not even a little bit. pic.twitter.com/uCQjLaNhQH— Casey Conway (@caseyconway_) June 3, 2021 You know what seems like a GREAT idea to celebrate Pride? Taking the acronym that defines the queer community and turning it into a slogan to sell your beer. This tone deaf idea makes it clear this campaign was developed with no queer voices in the room, making it all the more cringe. Word to the wise: If you try to make something out of “LGBTQ,” just don’t. Burger King – Tops & Bottoms Pride Whopper This one is just…wrong? I get the metaphor but the math isn’t mathing, which makes it apparent there was once again no queers in the room. Burger King Austria launched their 2022 Pride Burger collection: 2 Whoppers with either just top buns or bottom buns. It’s hilarious and wrong and I hate that I love it. Some argued that the campaign was intentionally designed to bring up the error and educate the masses/cause virality, while others were just genuinely confused and wondered if Burger King employees didn’t know how it worked. Burger King Austria made a Pride burger that’s either two tops or two bottoms… what in straight hell? pic.twitter.com/bSl3Cyiq9p— Jarett Wieselman (@JarettSays) June 3, 2022 To top (heh) things off, there wasn’t any messaging as to whether Burger King planned on donating to any LGBTQ+ organizations. They might have gone viral, but it also made them a victim to just about anyone’s ‘Worst Pride Campaigns’ list. US Marines – Proud to Serve The 2022 US Marine’s Pride campaign, “Proud to Serve,” has been widely criticized as a prime example of performative support and empty gestures. While it may initially seem like a step towards inclusivity, the campaign fails to address the historical discrimination and challenges faced by LGBTQ+ individuals within the military, such as the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy that was in place until 2011. Anti-LGBTQ+ violence and the military has a long and ongoing past, and using rainbow bullets to ‘celebrate’ Pride really missed the mark. Getting killed by a rainbow bullet is so progressive.— Hannibal Hamlin 🇺🇸 🇸🇴 (@Hannibalsbarka) June 1, 2022 There’s still ongoing struggles faced by transgender individuals in joining and serving openly in the armed forces, and there’s been countless cases of LGBTQ+ violence still today. By presenting a shallow and sanitized version of LGBTQ+ representation, the “Proud to Serve” campaign misses the mark and fails to acknowledge the complex realities faced by LGBTQ+ service members. Their social channels during June always include fluffy Pride pieces, but this one really left a lasting impression. It ultimately falls into the trap of tokenism, using the rainbow flag as a mere marketing tool while failing to address systemic issues and provide meaningful support to LGBTQ+ service members. Listerine – Lazy Rainbow-washing The mouthwash brand definitely decided to slap a rainbow on a bottle of cool mint and called it a day, but what’s worse is they couldn’t even do that right. The limited-edition item included words to represent each colour, and one would assume they would have used the correct terms associated with the Pride flag, right? What appears to be a half-assed effort includes a few of the right words (life, healing, sunlight, nature, spirit), they seem to have taken liberties to rename the turquoise (magic and art) and indigo (serenity) stripes while also omitting the pink strip (sexuality). This one isn’t even offensive, it’s just embarrassing and lazy. On top of the terrible product, they made no effort to support LGBTQ+ organizations. Compilation of Cringe: All the rainbows I mentioned in my previous article that slapping a rainbow on your products isn’t enough to meaningfully celebrate Pride. It’s also not enough to donate proceeds of sales (especially if it’s capped at a small amount—here’s looking at you Skittles, Doc Martens, etc.). During Pride, there’s an internet joke to brace for all the corporate brands changing their logos to rainbow for the month. Many of these brands completely miss the mark and set themselves for instant backlash, especially when their values are evidence by who they donate their money too (*cough* AT&T, American Airlines et al…). Blurred Bylines heavily researched and compiled a list of corporations if you want to check them out. If your brand doesn’t support the LGBTQ+ community, don’t bother painting yourselves as inclusive for the love of god. We see right through it and it makes us hate you so much more. Okay, so HOW can we celebrate Pride properly? I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: walk the walk or don’t participate at all. If you’re not supporting the efforts of the queer community outside of June, then you’re not actually inclusive and supportive. The LGBTQ+ community is constantly battling adversity and dangerous legislation that can do serious harm, and brands who claim to be supportive, should make an effort to listen to the community, and stand by them when they really need them. This doesn’t always mean monetary support either. If you’re a B2C brand selling goods, hire queer and diverse models, collaborate with queer artists and activists, and hold space for their voices. If you’re B2B, look inward at your corporate culture to ensure you’re supporting your queer employees, prioritize initiatives to support them, have workshops and diversity training throughout the year, etc. Practice Pride year round. Do the work. It’s as simple as that. Share This Article Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email
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