Aftermath of 2024 Pride Month Marketing: The Duality of Corporate America
Politics is personal and complicated – and when you mix brand marketing with politics, the outcome can swing dramatically from one extreme to the other. Normally, politics and brand intertwines most heavily during June with Pride Month. In the last decade, brands have pushed out pride month marketing campaigns left and right.
So what happened to the 2024 Pride Month campaigns?
This year, brands were much quieter during Pride Month. A post or two, a small campaign. What’s different from previous years? Well, the duality of corporate America. Corporate America beats its chest in the name of DEI but 2024’s workplace reality tells a different story. With the dwindling DEI investments, widespread layoffs, and reduced brand media and advertising, brands are hesitant to make bold statements.
Let’s talk about why corporate America went quieter on Pride Month campaigns and celebrations this year.
The declining DEI stats hint at shifting corporate interests
When the DEI report for American corporations’ investment hit a low in 2023, dropping from 66% to 47% consumers got a taste of how much corporate America truly cares.
More to add, Revelio Data Lab reported that Meta, Tesla, DoorDash, Lyft, Home Depot, Wayfair, and X were among major corporations making steep cuts in 2023, slashing the size of their DEI teams by 50 percent or more. In 2024, corporate America has already culled DEI jobs by an additional 8 percent.
It’s not just workforce slashing – researchers note that LGBTQ+ marketing campaigns were down 141 percent since last year’s pride month.
With the wishy-washy celebrations and campaigns, brands do not care for any values but shareholder values.
Rainbow-washed brands are afraid of negative reactions to Pride
Last year, Bud Light lit controversy with their campaign featuring trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney, and made conservatives and anti-LGBTQ+ activists angry. Resulting protests and backlash toppled Bud Light from its throne, a position it had held for 20 years. Amidst death threats, Bud Light dropped Mulvaney, took additional losses, and made an ad with a horse to signify the “true American spirit” (we have no clue how that went. Ask horse lovers).
Bud Light’s attempted allyship fizzled out with a single apology, leaving the LGBTQ+ community feeling betrayed and exposed. Brands that rainbow-wash campaigns are exceedingly terrified of negative perspectives on campaigns – and are willing to bend.
Last year, far-right groups attacked America’s largest retail chain, Target, over their Pride collections and the company decided to go quieter this year. The brand cut down on Pride collection from most of its stores in 2024.
This year, big corporations stayed quiet. Fearing backlash and controversy, they chose to retreat into the shadows.
Rundown of the 2024 Pride Month Marketing Campaigns
Despite piping-hot political clashes with anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric on the side, some brands took the stand for the cause, participated, and made it to the list of Pride allies in June.
Adidas announced its 2024 Pride collection, designed in collaboration with Brazilian Drag-star Pabllo Vittar. The campaign featured well-known LGBTQ+ athletes, including British diver Tom Daley and Layshia Clarendon, a Women’s National Basketball Association basketball star.
Picsart, an all-in-one creative platform for photo-video editing, went ahead not just to make a statement but putting effort to join hands with Everywhere is Queer, an LGBTQ+ community-owned business resource to launch “Small Business SaturGay” to give visibility to queer-owned businesses.
Macy’s teamed up with the Trevor Project, a nonprofit suicide prevention organization that works for LGBTQIA+ youths and created an interview series, putting a shine on the authentic selves of every individual. Macy’s dipped its toes and made a difference by crafting an all-inclusive, heartfelt collaboration rather than slapping a rainbow on a poster.
Meanwhile, Skittles was busy turning taste buds and perspectives inside out with their “See the Rainbow” campaign. Partnering with LGBTQ+ community groups, GLAAD, and Meetup, they created a campaign about human connection and seeing the rainbow. Their annual limited-edition 2024 Pride pack, designed with flair by the female and minority-owned NERD Productions, oozes a colorful shoutout to the dynamic individuals and diverse groups of the LGBTQ+ community.
These brands went all out with genuine collaboration and representation, the authentic taste of June. It was more than just a nod to inclusivity—it was a full-on, fabulous embrace.
Cut to the chase
In 2024, many brands stayed in the closet for Pride Month, wary after Bud Light and Target got a not-so-fabulous reception last year. The rainbow-washing and lackluster DEI efforts left a sour taste in the community’s mouth. But not all was lost in corporate America. ! Some brands stepped up, proving they could sparkle and shine by embracing responsibility and empowering inclusivity through their Pride campaigns.
