Are You Proud or Not? Post-Pride Reflections for Brands, Founders, and Funders

June is over; companies quietly scrub rainbow-hued logos from their socials, and Pride merchandise floods the sales rack. Job well done. Marketing teams agree that next year will be even better but table discussions until the spring.?

In the wake of various, well-publicized corporate blunders, perhaps it is time for brands to rethink their Pride Month strategies, or abandon them altogether. Consumers are more wary of rainbow-washing than ever, and performative allyship does not work. In fact, per Influential, “just 14% of Gen Z looked favorably on rainbow flag campaigns.”? If inclusivity truly is an integral part of your brand–and it should be–engaging your LGBTQ+ customers must be authentic and ongoing, not a box to check every June. As Ember Executive Chairman Paul Blum puts it, “relegating marketing to the LGBTQ community for only one month is bad marketing practice on so many levels.”

So what’s the alternative??

For brands, decide whether integrating LGBTQ+ messaging into your marketing is truly authentic, and if so, commit to it throughout the year . Think strategically about your editorial and copy, your advertising channels, and your influencer partners. These are all avenues through which a company can continually show support. However, it is imperative to understand that the Queer community is not a monolith, intersectional representation is important, and there is no one-size-fits-all approach. And if you are not willing to stand by and show up for your partners when faced with backlash (*cough*), don’t bother in the first place. This is all not to say that you shouldn’t celebrate Pride next year, just do so in a way that is meaningful and genuine. Leverage your platform to spotlight voices and support organizations that are doing real work for the community. Some of my favorites are The Ali Forney Center, The Trevor Project, and Rainbow Railroad. Lastly–and this is important–hire Queer people! Evidence shows that more diverse companies make better decisions. From your freelancers to your C-Suite, make sure your organization is representative of the consumers you are trying to reach.

While retailers continue to iterate on their Pride Month strategies, LGBTQ+ founders should absolutely take advantage of these opportunities for broad exposure and a bump to sales. However, brands must not base long-term strategies on the assumption of continued goodwill of massive corporations. Moreover, LGBTQ-led brands have leverage. Retailers want to reach the LGBTQ+ community during Pride, but struggle to do so authentically on their own. If your brand does this uniquely well, you can be selective about who you work with or rigid about the terms of your partnership. If you are an LGBTQ+ founder or thinking of launching, StartOut and Gaingels have some great resources (in addition, of course, to those here at Ember).

Investors also play a role here. Less than 1% of VC funding goes to LGBTQ+ founders, most of whom feel the need to actively conceal their identities from investors. Funds should incorporate LGBTQ-founded companies into the diversity goals of both the portfolio and the investment team. Sponsor or partner with organizations like StartOut or LGBT+ VC or help foster the LGBTQ+ investor community through informal events (I would love an invite!). Send a signal to would-be entrepreneurs that you are proud to support and invest in Queer-founded companies. We need more of them.

As a record number of anti-LGBTQ+ laws are making their way through our legislatures, it is important to remember that Pride is first and foremost a protest, not a marketing event. Developing authentic brand strategies around appealing to Queer identity is challenging, but nobody expects you to get it right every time. Companies must, however, commit to listening to and learning from the LGBTQ+ community so that this segment is better represented and better served.