For Pride Month 2023, many brands found themselves caught up in the culture wars and rethinking their role in social issues. While we once assumed that marketers would celebrate their commitment to inclusivity and the LGBTQ+ community every year, a wave of consumer backlash and anti-woke sentiment has upended that assumption. We’re seeing a new playbook emerge—one that recognizes Pride as a mindset and ongoing commitment, not just a single month every year. Here are four important strategies:
Align strategy with brand purpose
It's become orthodoxy for brands to take a stand on cultural issues in the belief that consumers expect it. It’s worth re-examining that assumption considering how many inauthentic, cringey and harmful activations we've seen.
It goes without saying that brand knowledge of its customer is fundamental in marketing. Yet we often see brands, under the guise of purpose, reach beyond their credibility into conversations where their products have little relevance. While brand purpose can be a powerful tool for aligning and scaling influence behind a higher-order ideal, it’s essential that the ideal is authentic to the brand—its founder, category, consumer and product.