Beyond Rainbow-Colored Logos: Mentality Matters for Brand Values

Every June, thousands of companies replace their logos with multicolored versions and adorn their shops with rainbow-colored flags. They often follow up with marketing campaigns centered around the LGBTQIA+ community. These brands have decided it’s important to show their support with these gestures during Pride month.?

The problem?

Today’s consumer scrutinizes brands much more closely than ever before—especially when it comes to demonstrated values.

In a recent survey, brand values have become so important that 82% of Americans said they would pay more for a brand that aligns with their values than for one that doesn't.?

Just wrapping a company's logo in rainbow colors each June probably isn't enough to convince Prideful consumers and employees that the brand truly aligns with their values. Worse, it can come off as disingenuous, as if the brand is only interested in profiting off “rainbow capitalism.”

Skepticism among younger consumers runs high. According to a recent article, only 14% of Gen Z looks favorably on rainbow-colored flag campaigns.

Any brand supporting Pride month should do a deep dive into its own mentality and ask itself how strongly it values LGBTQIA+ rights, and whether its positions and responses to media moments and scenarios are consistent year-round. If a brand genuinely supports LGBTQIA+ rights then Pride month messaging and campaigns should be incorporated into its marketing and media day in and day out.?

If a company is only LGBTQIA+ friendly during June, consumers will notice. Maybe they’ll go so far as to call it out and paint the brand (and its reputation) something less than rainbow colors.

In today’s world, it’s critical to aim for authenticity and consistency.?

Many causes celebrate their special moments each year, but their underlying values are always on year-round.

We recommend that brands decide which causes are genuinely part of their brand's DNA and code the into their brand profiles. If they don’t have software set up to handle that they can learn more about our Brand Mentality platform here. Once they’ve chosen, they should take advantage of all the marketing opportunities presented by the daily stories, moments, and conversations that embody those values.

More and more consumers are taking a hard look at brands’ values and will reward that ongoing authenticity and consistency.