Yass or Naur – Yassification of Brand Presence during Pride Month

I don’t have much of an intro besides… the BRANDS ARE BECOMING GAY AGAIN! That’s right! With the celebration of pride month in June, brands are here to show their support by yassifying their brand. But is it really “necessary?” Does it do more harm or love for the community? And if so, why can’t brands show it throughout the year instead of a “one-month” event? Well, that’s what we’re going to find out!

A quick recap about it… June became the ‘Gay and Lesbian Pride Month’ since Bill Clinton’s declaration in 1999. 10 years later, it was changed by Barack Obama to ‘June LGBT Pride Month’ in hopes of promoting more inclusivity in the growing community. It became a 30-day celebration for everyone to be socially accepted in the United States of America. And gladly, other countries followed them as well.

As the observance became the norm, brands also saw the opportunity to join the march as well. A couple of marketing efforts were made every June – from limited edition pride shirts and mugs to logos beautified with rainbows. However, as heartening as the efforts may seem, questions about the genuinity of some of these arise. And as far as we know about authenticity in marketing, we need to be wary about their intentions.

PUTTING ON THE RAINBOW

I’m pretty sure you have seen so many brands make their company and product yassified for Pride Month. But how does the LGBTQ+ community feel about it? A discussion in Quora, an online knowledge-sharing platform, showed mostly negative connotations about the efforts that these companies are making. Many netizens believe that their intentions are solely based on money or simply the result of capitalism being capitalism. 

And to be honest, who can blame them? Big efforts such as these are practically made every June while the 11 months consist of nothing related to the LGBTQ+ community! A quick internet search about how they feel about the efforts will show you several articles that react dismissively about the companies. And that’s because these people know that they are worth more than just a cash grab from these brands.

ARE THEY ALLIES OR NOT?

To be fair to these brands, there are several people working behind the scenes who genuinely want to show their support to the community – and marketing efforts are one of the few ways they know how. Marketers know that if the brand they are working with is established enough in the market, it could result in more awareness about the community which is a major win!!

To add, as long as it’s genuine, the messages that brands sell during this month mostly push for positive reactions to everyone. It’s all about the ‘accept who you are’ or ‘accept them for who they are’ messaging that puts their effort a plus in my book.

THE GAYDAR FOR (IN)GENUINE MESSAGING

While I cannot really point fingers and say that ‘this’ and ‘that’ brand is an ally or not, I have a few pointers that you can consider to check if a brand is genuine in its approach or not.

1. History of workplace discrimination that continues to exist

I’m not saying that if a brand or company ever had an issue about workplace discrimination, it is automatically outed in the conversation (because character development is a thing!). No, what I’m saying is if these brands continue to have issues about LGBTQ+, and the management or other employees don’t act on it, especially if it is a recurring issue inside the office.

2. If the messaging is so blatant or weird that it sounds so obvious

Ever had a partner who love-bombed you with flowers but did not acknowledge your feelings? That’s what I’m talking about here. IF there are no real efforts (or they are just ALL TALK) being made inside or outside the company for LGBTQ+ acceptance, then they’re probably just in it for the quick cash. It might be difficult to know but you’ll notice it.

3. If it borderline insults the community

Brands that are guilty of including “inclusivity” as part of “marketing and sales” suffer from this. This is when these companies focus on the generalized perception of the LGBTQ+ and transform them into “marketing and advertising.” They seem to forget that they are simply normal people so they make exaggerated examples, turning their ad into an insulting representation of the community. So you better watch out for it!

And that’s it! So to all the members of the community – remember that the LGBTQ+ is more than just a social media post of a t-shirt. YOU are a people who had to fight for YOUR “right to be accepted” when it should have been given freely. So always be wary of what these brands say to you. Be cautious but always keep an open mind. Know that not all brands think the same because there are plenty of them who you can truly consider as allies. Your assignment is to research about them to see what their true colors are underneath the “branding” that they show. And, NEVER dictate what you believe in about these brands to others (unless you know that they are being lied to) because everyone deserves to make a choice on who they associate themselves with and who they believe in. After all, we should always take pride in all the choice that WE make ourselves.