What ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ can teach brands about LGBTQ+ marketing

In its 16th season, “RuPaul’s Drag Race” has become a case study in how brands can approach inclusivity in their marketing, as political discourse around the LGBTQ+ community and the brands that include them in their marketing becomes more volatile. The reality competition show will air its season finale on Friday, racking up brand deals and regularly pulling in nearly a million viewers on average. Check out the latest Ad Age events and award programs Amidst the wigs, sequins, drama and drag artistry, brands have discovered best practices for marketing to audiences that have grown increasingly wary of brand missteps. At the same time, TV viewership continues to fragment across platforms and on-demand viewing, making “RuPaul’s Drag Race” one of increasingly fewer entertainment programs to bring in audiences in aggregate while also connecting with diverse audiences. Since its first season, which aired in 2009 on Logo TV, “RuPaul’s Drag Race” has steadily grown its audience, a trajectory that is mirrored in its number of sponsors, said Randy Barbato, co-founder of the franchise’s production company World of Wonder. Rather than any one tipping point, Barbato said the gradual accrual of brand partners “is reflective of the mainstream marketing and advertising communities starting to understand the potential and value of the audience.” Also read: 4 ways for brands to participate in Pride 2024 The show’s viewership peaked in season 10, which averaged an audience of 1.19 million during its live broadcast and first seven days, according to Nielsen. The current season on MTV is averaging 964,000 as of its 14th episode. This compares to an audience of 497,000 for the franchise’s fourth season on Logo. And the possibilities for brands extend beyond just the LGBTQ+ audience—a recent Horowitz Research study found advertising featuring LGBTQ+ people or characters grew positive brand perception among 46% of American audiences 18 to 34 years old. And one-third of the same demographic said they were more likely to watch entertainment with LGBTQ+ representation. While brands have always been baked into the show—MAC Cosmetics was integrated into a challenge in the first season inspired by its 1994 Viva Glam partnership with RuPaul and sponsored the season’s cosmetics prize—there were 17 brand sponsors of the most recent season of the series across Paramount and World of Wonder. Barbato said the series’ sponsor glow up has followed a natural progression from categories that one might expect to partner with a drag competition show to now ones that might initially raise an eyebrow. “You start with makeup, you go to fashion and eventually, you get the Teletubbies,” said Barbato. ‘Our politics is our existence’ Increasingly so, marketing with LGBTQ+ people and franchises has become a point of fear for brands, particularly following the Bud Light misstep with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney last year, which prompted anger (and lost sales) from consumers on both sides of opinion on the matter. “Our show really isn’t super political; our politics is our existence,” said Barbato. “The wigs entertain, and the outfits entertain and drag queens can entertain like no other, but it’s the heart that resonates—that creates the loyalty or connection you want with people you’re selling products to.” Cosmetics brand Anastasia Beverly Hills began sponsoring the makeup prize for “RuPaul’s Drag Race” during season 7 in 2015 and Claudia Soare, the company’s president, has appeared in show challenges numerous times under the name Norvina. Barbato said the most successful partnerships are “creating a history with the show—that’s why Anastasia Beverly Hills has grown up along with ‘Drag Race’ … Have a commitment, and one that isn’t measured in dollars, it’s measured in history and visibility.” It’s an important lesson for brands looking to strike meaningful and resonant brand partnerships around the LGBTQ+ community—longevity is key in building trust outside of marquee moments such as Pride Month, rather than one-off campaigns. When Anastasia Beverly Hills first struck its deal with “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” a major leap from its primarily social media-based marketing strategy, the company was a “personal business” with 25 employees, said Soare, who described “Drag Race” as a show for beauty industry insiders at its start. Now, Anastasia Beverly Hills’ valuation is estimated at $500 million per Forbes. While Soare said it’s difficult to attribute specific U.S. business growth to the sponsorship, it has had a large impact on Anastasia Beverly Hills’ international business. Soare said its distribution to markets outside of the U.S. was limited when it first began sponsoring “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” but that the show helped drive high recognition in countries such as Brazil, Thailand and the Philippines, and Soare herself is often recognized like a celebrity walking the streets of those countries. The brand expanded its international distribution in 2019, though it attributes the move to more factors than just the show. For brands looking to establish marketing with LGBTQ+ consumers, “it would be very important to really determine why you want to do this, especially if it seems foreign,” said Soare. “Be extremely realistic about your consumer. If you think that it will be impactful, then be prepared to have a lon-term commitment … if you’re going to do anything that you would deem controversial, you really want to think about if it’s going to work for your consumer, and if you’re prepared to go the long way. Otherwise, like, don’t do it.” Monopoly’s moment Monopoly was featured in a recent episode showing contestants playing the classic board game. The scene wasn’t tied to a specific challenge or prize in the show, but used the game to prompt conversation among the competitors. “‘Drag Race allowed us to speak to audiences that we typically would never speak to at a company like Hasbro,” said Paul Strickland, global lead, franchise strategy and brand management, Hasbro Gaming. The partnership began when the brand inquired into doing a sponsored social media post with the show tied to the launch of the “Monopoly: RuPaul’s Drag Race” board last May. The conversation eventually led to the brand’s inclusion in the season 16 episode, a rare foray into entertainment integrations and its first in an adult-targeted program, Strickland said. “When you are a brand that’s been around for 90 years, you have to work really, really hard to stay relevant,” added Sarah Madey, senior director, global brand strategy and marketing, Hasbro Gaming. “Part of the way that we’re going about it is to try and do things not expected for our brand.” The Hasbro team identified “RuPaul’s Drag Race” as a way to reach a high-loyalty audience in aggregate like live sports. However, the show’s fandom also checked the boxes of being culturally engaged and active in social conversation. After Monopoly’s inclusion in season 16, episode 13, Hasbro reported a 5344% sales lift on Amazon for the “Monopoly: RuPaul’s Drag Race” board. “Teletubbies,” the British children’s show featuring large, brightly-colored creatures, has participated in multiple sponsorships for the annual RuPaul’s DragCon fan convention, appearing in performances and photo opps. “Teletubbies,” which debuted in 1997, has long had ties to the LGBTQ+ community via fandom (and controversy) around its gender-ambiguous character Tinky Winky. While LGBTQ+ marketing fits the bill for the “Teletubbies” credo of inclusion and diversity, according to Melissa Goodrich, director of brand management and franchise strategy for “Teletubbies” parent WildBrain, the “RuPaul’s Drag Race” partnership serves its goal of developing renewed nostalgia with adult audiences. Doing so drives attention to its novelty merchandise and apparel collaborations, as well as appealing to parents with kids of age to watch its YouTube content, according to Goodrich. @rupaulsdragcon U wear it well, @Teletubbies HQ! ☀️👑 #CanadasDragRace S1 champion @Priyanka turned it out on the Main Stage with the #Teletubbies at #DragCon ♬ original sound - RuPaul's DragCon Hasbro’s Strickland and WildBrain’s Goodrich each said they have worked closely with organizations like GLAAD in creating their marketing strategies for LGBTQ+ consumers. In particular, Strickland said Hasbro has sought resources and partnerships to be mindful of crossing over family entertainment with adult and LGBTQ+ media. Brand love For brands that already have existing ties to the LGBTQ+ community, “RuPaul’s Drag Race” has also served as a platform to more intimately interface with its existing consumer base and to be associated with the ever-expanding spinoffs of “Drag Race.” Another of season 16’s top sponsors is ViiV Healthcare, which specializes in HIV and AIDS prevention and treatment. The pharmaceutical company partnered with MTV parent Paramount to develop numerous pieces of custom content, including a promotional spot starring season 15 winner Sasha Colby, a branded YouTube competition series called “Glam Slam,” an in-person runway featuring the season 16 contestants and a custom interview segment called “Whatcha’ PrEPin” that airs in the first commercial pod of every episode. @sashacolby @RuPaul’s Drag Race @ViiV Healthcare @MTV ♬ original sound - Sasha Colby “We wanted to make sure we didn’t come into the RuPaul universe in a way that wasn’t reflective of how they would ordinarily communicate with their audience or how they would structure the show,” said Jeff Fischer, executive VP, head of content for ViiV’s agency partner Publicis Health Media. “When a brand inserts themselves into a beloved piece of entertainment or IP like this, they have to do it in a way that is providing value in exchange for the time that they’re asking of the audience.” ViiV’s partnership with “RuPaul’s Drag Race” this season was particularly timely given that 36% of people who could benefit from taking Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) are currently prescribed it, said Bithiah Lafontant, director, HIV prevention products and community communications at ViiV. The numbers show particular disparities for people of color, said Lafontant, which is why the intersectional nature of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” was important. For brands that are naturally embedded with LGBTQ+ consumers, Lafontant said “it’s more important than ever for us to stand up and show our allyship” as political discourse becomes increasingly divisive. And for brands that aren’t innately tied to the LGBTQ+ community in their marketing, Lafontant said it’s important to find partners like Paramount that can shepherd a brand’s entrance into the community as well as to “know who you are, what you’re trying to achieve and ignore some of the other noise. We're never going to turn our back on the communities that we support.” Similarly, Lush Cosmetics sponsored this season’s companion series “RuPaul’s Drag Race: Untucked,” which shows behind-the-scenes footage following every episode of the series’ main show. Julia Hamfelt, head of marketing and brand publishing, Lush Cosmetics North America, said the sponsorship was meant to go deeper with the brand’s existing LGBTQ+ audience and develop higher loyalty by being associated with the spin-off meant for superfans. Lush also sponsored a challenge in the main show in which contestants renovated and decorated bathrooms to help build brand awareness with new consumers, according to Hamfelt. Self love Outside of such partnerships, “RuPaul’s Drag Race” has also become a marketing machine in itself. Aside from messaging to the drag community as a career launchpad for artists, RuPaul has created somewhat of a running joke with fans through his frequent self-promotion. As such, World of Wonder has gotten in on the promotional game, with an in-house canned cocktail and mocktail brand House of Love, which debuted in 2022 during season 14. Later episodes of the season featured QR codes to order the beverages, which came in “viewing party” box sets. In addition to in-show advertising, House of Love sponsors watch parties in major cities such as New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, and is sold at DragCon. The cocktail line and other brand extensions, such as WOW Presents Plus, the streaming platform that hosts international editions of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and companion documentaries and series, are part of the production company’s efforts to “create a sense of community with a global audience and doing it independently instead of waiting for someone to say so,” said Barbato. And as the franchise looks to continue its growth, its ambitions with brands present additional opportunities. “We also look at it in a global way, that drag is something that exists in every culture, in every community, and as the show iterates around the world and different versions—it’s in 17 countries—we look to partner with sponsors in different ways in different countries,” said World of Wonder Co-Founder Fenton Bailey. “Historically, there’s been a perception that drag is not brand friendly or only has a limited appeal to very few people, and we’ve always believed that drag and ‘Drag Race’ is a universally enjoyable family show. It’s just been a years-long process, an organic process, of showing the world that drag is something for everyone.” The producers said many opportunities for brands remain untapped, joking they’re willing to install a garage door on set if an auto brand would be willing to create a custom line of cars, ideally in shades of pink with eyelashes and wigs. 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What ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ can teach brands about LGBTQ+ marketing

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