Be Better Than Rainbow-Washing
When June came, it seemed like every corporation already had a rainbow logo and/or pride-themed products ready to go. This is smart advertising, as marketers know that more and more people identify as LGBTQ+.
The goal of many advertisers is to get in on the ground floor of any rapidly expanding market, especially one that promises to make up more of future generations. Over the years, we’ve slowly seen an increasing number of companies dedicate a section of their goods to Pride Month.
This is a positive thing, but there are still corporations that engage with Pride very cynically, particularly with “rainbow-washed” products that financially benefit the corporation, and not the community.
The buying power of the LGBTQ+ community in the US is rapidly approaching $1 Trillion dollars. There are plenty of companies that now have their eye on the “pink dollar” without really worrying about how they get there. In a recent article in Wired, organizational leaders discussed the topic. The general rule of thumb they came up with is that if a percentage of profits goes to a queer cause, or if the company is working to support LGBTQ+ people within their organization, the gesture to offer rainbow swag is more legitimate and sincere.
Of course, no group is a monolith. Nothing will stop some LGBTQ+ people from buying products that don’t support them (the same way some people will still eat at Chick-fil-A). But they definitely buy more, and more loyally, from companies that put their money where their mouth is.
The thing is, consumers are getting smarter and more discerning about the purchases they make, particularly in this demographic. LGBTQ+ people are, on average, much more deliberate about the products they buy, as well as more politically aware and conscientious than your average consumer. They have to be. When your basic human rights are a controversial topic, everything is political.
According to a 2019 survey by YouGov, 24% of all US internet users are more likely to spend on queer-friendly companies. 71% of gay and lesbian people, 54% of bisexual people, and 32% of millennials are all more likely to spend on these companies as well.
Now, that’s only ‘more likely,’ and not ‘much more likely,’ the highest tier of support you could select in the survey. You could take that as a sign that people don’t care too much about companies supporting queer causes, but you’d be wrong.
eMarketer principal analyst Mark Dolliver suggests that “gay and lesbian consumers may be especially alert to the possibility that a company’s friendly stance—especially in the form of advertising—may be more a marketing ploy than a serious commitment.”
The problem isn’t that people don’t care, it’s that they can sense insincerity. If you want to prove that you’re actually invested in the community, you’ll have to invest — which means creating products and initiatives that directly support queer causes.
Now, companies can often get around consumer beliefs and purchasing values by simply designing a good product people will want to buy anyway. If people desperately want that rainbow-trimmed designer jacket, it’ll be flying off of the shelves, regardless of whether or not proceeds are going to the right places. But circumventing your audience’s values is a short-term play for short-term profit.
If you want loyalty, you have to earn it with more than slapping a rainbow on your logo.
So what’s the long-term strategy, then?
In addition to directly supporting LGBTQ+ causes, there’s an increasing demand for products tailored to those with identities outside the traditional rainbow flag, and you can expect this woefully underserved market to grow in future years. Everybody loves the classic flag, but there’s a reason there are dozens of pride flag variants reflecting a broad spectrum of queerness.
Seminal game designer Jennifer Scheurle postulates that humans have an innate desire to be witnessed — not physically seen per se, but to be made to feel like who they are matters to the world, to have their self and humanity acknowledged as meaningful and unique.
That’s a broader concept, but it certainly applies here: Pride flags for specific identities make people feel like the world is acknowledging and celebrating who they are. Full stop. You can’t manufacture that kind of primal human need.
Photo by Samantha Hurley from Burst
Raising awareness of marginalized identities (particularly those under the + in LGBTQ+) opens the door for more people to learn about those identities, and sometimes even recognize these traits in themselves. That’s obviously good for people who may be struggling with their identity, but it also makes a lot of business sense. The more you cater to these niches, the more visible they become, and the more support they can receive.
Not only that, but non-queer people also buy Pride-themed gear. Some allies like to show their support, and it matters that said support be brightly-colored and visible.
It also matters that you make sure to listen to LGBTQ+ individuals, because they’ll show you how to keep your messaging authentic. Really, it’s impossible to have a genuine Pride effort without consulting someone from the group in question. They’re also going to point you towards the causes where your organization can do the most good.
It’s great to donate a percentage of your profits to queer charities, but you know what’s even better? Collaborating with organizations that are working on specific solutions to the most pressing problems facing the LGBTQ+ community, such as making safe spaces for homeless queer people, or fighting against the current outbreak of transphobic legislation.
The importance of listening to members of the community goes double if your company or organization actively supports or becomes involved in something that is less-than-Pride-worthy.
Not to name names, but some may remember a certain telecom giant that donated one million dollars to help queer causes right after donating fifteen million dollars to homophobic politicians. This is called talking out of both sides of your mouth, and the truth always comes out eventually.
Every time companies like this refuse to own up to their mistakes, apologize, and commit to change, they lose a little more credibility and support.
Companies need to earn loyalty and good word-of-mouth. This future-proofs a business against tomorrow’s controversies, and it’s just the right thing to do.
The bottom line: to capitalize on Pride Month, you’re going to have to give if you want to get.