It’s hard to miss. June is Pride Month. Lots of brands that you know and love are doing some sort of Pride promotion. This year we’ve been intrigued by who’s promotions are making their brands more Irresistible and whose are falling flat. I-Factor® helps brands connect with their consumers and understand what messaging is resonating with them. This month, brands that are already authentically connecting with their consumers are doing better with their pride marketing campaigns than those who are simply practicing “rainbow capitalism”, or using the rainbow pride flag to generate a profit.
A twitter thread by actress Indya Moore went viral when she called on brands not only to use LGBTQ+ representation as a marketing strategy, but to acknowledge and hire LGBTQ people not just during pride month, but always. Using our tool I-Factor® to measure the strength of the consumer’s relationship with these brands, we’ve seen that the brands that are doing this in a genuine and authentic way, to support the LGBTQ community are doing the best.
Sweetgreen, who is known for their liberal policies like 5 months paid parental leave policy, launched a one day pride effort and donated $1 from each bowl purchased on Sunday, June 2 to support Covenant House, which provides shelter and resources for LGBT homeless youth. They announced this initiative through an open letter where they focused on Sweetgreen’s mission “to inspire healthier communities and communities are healthier and stronger when all individuals are accepted, welcomed and supported”. They are also selling a limited edition series of Pride T-shirts, where all proceeds go towards the Covenant House. All of their efforts have helped to put their I-Factor score at a 49.
In a slightly different initiative, Kind Bar has an I-Factor score of a 52, in part due to their releasing a rainbow-colored wrapped bar to celebrate Pride. You can buy it online through July 31 and get free samples at this year’s Pride parades around the country. 100 percent of the proceeds benefit New York’s Ali Forney Center, which provides essential services and shelter for LGBT homeless youth. The announcement included a quote from the director of development at the AFC who shared “KIND has been an incredible supporter of The Ali Forney Center and LGBTQIA+ community for years – not only financially but through the support of their team members’ desire to volunteer.
Unfortunately, not every brand has walked the walk when it comes to LGBTQ+ rights, but instead have been perceived to use Pride month for profit. For example, Victoria’s Secret launched a Pride initiative, when they historically refuse to hire transgender models. It did not go over well with consumers, and their I-Factor score of 27 reflected it.
If you want to be a brand known for getting it right, you need to really know your consumers and your brand. I-Factor can help you build authentic connections all year round. Want to learn more? Let’s talk.