#Explainit: June is not the only month for Pride Month [Video]

We might have recently entered the month of July, but just because June is over does not mean brands have to forget about Pride Month or the LGBTQ+ community.

Last month, brands stepped up to show their support for the LGBTQ community. LEGO, for example, created a LEGO Everyone is Awesome set inspired by the rainbow Pride flag while LOEWE Singapore lit the entrances of its store at ION Orchard pink. Naumi Hotel Singapore also partnered LGBTQ online publication Dear Straight People for a campaign featuring a married gay couple and gave away a free staycation voucher for one of its rooms. Agencies also threw their weight behind the LGBTQ+ community by changing their logos to rainbow-coloured ones. VMLY&RCOMMERCE also launched a global Proud Pronoun Project where individuals had an option to choose their gender pronouns and turn them into illustrations to use as their Teams or Zoom display backgrounds.

While it is common for brands, in general, to come out in full force and back the LGBTQ+ community during Pride Month, these efforts are seldom sustained throughout the year.

Multiple media outlets including WIRED have used the term "rainbow-washing" to describe this phenomenon, where brands push out Pride-related promotions but the genuine attempts to support the LGBTQ+ community is lacking. Some media outlets including PBS NewsHour have also termed this "rainbow capitalism", where brands celebrate Pride Month by changing their logos, for example, and actively market around the month. But are they doing more than just that?

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE spoke to LGBTQ social networking dating app Blued and some key opinion leaders in the LGBTQ community to find out how they are working with brands to drive conversations around the community even after June. 

Click on each picture to watch the video.

1. Vincent Tang, global PR lead, Bluecity 

2. Nick and Dwayne, co-hosts, The Love Stream

 3. Sean Foo, founder, Dear Straight People

This article was created by Janice Tan and Lau Lay Hian.

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