Pride 2023 marketing—9 key takeaways, numbers and stats

This June marked 54 years since the Stonewall Riots took place in Greenwich Village and resulted in the first Pride March a year later. Yet while recent decades have seen more marketers investing in rainbows and Pride-related messaging during June, this year’s Pride Month was up against a growing backdrop of anti-LGBTQ+ activity. Even before June began, backlash broke out for brands such as Bud Light, The North Face and Target, with many marketers left uncertain on how to navigate the situation and satisfy all consumers. Some retailers, including The North Face, did not waver from pro-Pride marketing, while others backtracked. Target took down products and displays and Bud Light dealt with the fallout over a social media post made by transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney and put marketing executives on leave. More: Pride Month guide—LGBTQ+ marketing amid culture wars Check out the latest Ad Age events and award programs As Pride Month nears its close, Ad Age analyzed social media mentions, sentiments and other tracking metrics from the last 30 days. How often was Pride mentioned on social media? 18.7 million times This June, Pride mentions on social media totaled more than 18 million, a 5% rise over June 2022, according to data from Sprinklr, a social media listening firm. Frequently used topics with Pride included “Instagay,” “Love is Love,” and “Transgirl.” Sprinklr tracked mentions on platforms such as Reddit, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. How negative was Pride sentiment this year? 29% negative sentiment This year, nearly 30% of the social media mentions of Pride were negative, nearly double last June’s 16.3%, according to Sprinkr. Roughly one-third of the mentions were neutral. How positive was Pride sentiment this year? 37.6% positive sentiment There was a slight uptick in positive social media mentions of Pride in June 2023 compared with the 35.7% of positive mentions from last June, per Sprinklr. What results did the ‘Trans’ hashtag see? 57,000 negative mentions The hashtag #trans saw more negativity this year, after only 17,000 negative mentions in 2022. The hashtag also received 70,000 positive mentions, slightly below the 84,000 positive mentions last year, Sprinklr found. A conservative campaign against transgender rights has been continuing to gain ground across the country. In 2023 thus far, 491 anti-LGBTQ bills have been introduced in the U.S., according to data from the American Civil Liberties Union, which is tracking all potential legislation. Which marketer saw the most negative sentiment? Target: 5,057 negative mentions Mentions of Target were overwhelmingly negative, following the retailer’s removal of certain Pride Month merchandise in late May after complaints from some right-wing voices. The Minneapolis-based chain has offered Pride products for more than a decade but cited employee safety as the key reason for scaling back this year. The action ended up alienating several groups of consumers. In June, Target had just 360 positive mentions on social media, Sprinklr reported. Which marketer saw the most positive sentiment? The Walt Disney Co.: 1,981 mentions The entertainment giant, which has battled Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and a flurry of anti-gay legislation in the state, supported Pride Month at Disney World. While the social media sentiment score around Disney was ultimately more positive than negative, the company did receive 1,661 negative mentions, according to Sprinklr data, illustrating the highly pressurized environment Disney is navigating. How much have Bud Light’s sales declined? 20% Bud Light saw a drop in dollar sales of 20% at stores in the 12 weeks ending June 18, according to Circana data reported by Beer Marketer's Insights. The Anheuser-Busch InBev-owned brand has continued to see sales slide since it first collaborated on a custom can with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney in April. The brand recently reintroduced its Bud Knight mascot as part of an ad campaign as it attempts to staunch the bleeding, and a new AB InBev commercial highlights the people who make and sell its beers. The same week, Mulvaney released a video criticizing the beer marketer. How much hate speech is directed at LGBTQ+ communities online? 9.4% increase in the volume of LBGTQ+ hate on social media The level of hate speech, identified by a global digital marketing firm LLYC, has noticeably ticked up, corroborating some of the data that the tenor of the conversation has deteriorated online. LLYC also found that the level of supportive messaging for the LGBTQ+ community has dropped 40% in recent years. The group build an AI-powered “Rainbot” to tweet supportive messages to LGBTQ+ social media users who received hateful messages. How interested is Pinterest in gender non-conforming trends? 355% rise in Pinterest searches for ‘non-binary outfits’ Pinterest has long been positioning itself as a social media site that defies negativity. This year, the company’s Pride report found a rise in interest in queer fashion and non-conforming gender identities. Searches for “queer outfits men” rose 335%, Pinterest found. “Genderfluid hairstyles” were up 210%.

Pride 2023 marketing—9 key takeaways, numbers and stats

Featured Stories