President and CEO of GLAAD: “The new civil war is the culture war.”
Examining Rainbow Washing and the Importance of Authentic Inclusion in Corporate Initiatives
It’s PRIDE and hundreds of corporations are out waving Rainbow Flags, embracing the LGBTQIA+ Community, but are they really standing behind the movement. “The world is changing fast,” said Sarah Kate Ellis, President and CEO of GLAAD. “And this is, I believe the new civil war is this culture war, and that's why it's escalating in violence. And as businesses, we need to step up and step into this moment because everybody's gonna look back in the next few years and say, where were you? What did you do to make this a better place?
For those companies who are not truly basking in the colors, many in the business world refer to that as “rainbow washing" where a company is marketing to the community but not joining the movement. The cultural war comes from the controversy surrounding business across the globe to stand behind what they believe in.
“I think corporations have a lot of opportunity to use their platforms for good,” said Ellis at the Yahoo Beach MAKERS event in Cannes, France. “And I think that they have to be careful at the same time that you're not just marketing to our community to make a quick buck in a month. And you understand that this is a marginalized community that needs help and needs support, and you can use your platforms to advance.”
Big corporations from Delta (DAL), Disney (DIS), Walmart (WMT) , Nike (NKE) and North Face are all celebrating Pride with merchandise and/or marketing campaigns embracing the community. Many like Pantene and Gillette are featuring trans people in ads and standing behind their words.
But there is also controversy, this year Target (TGT) and Bud Light (BUD) came under fire for their campaigns.
Bud Light’s campaign with TikTok Influencer Dylan Mulvaney did not resonate with some of its more conservative consumers, including Kid Rock who said he was boycotting the brand. Bud Light responded in a way that further divided the two sides. Mulvaney also had a brand deal with Nike, but the sneaker company responded on Instagram that it doesn’t tolerate “hate speech.”
Some of Target’s conservative consumers were not happy with merchandise related to PRIDE in its stores; displays were knocked over, personnel were threatened and disturbing videos posted on social media. Target wouldn’t say which displays angered some, but the items attracting the most attention were “tuck friendly” swimsuits that allow trans women to conceal their private parts. Along with clothing and accessories by Abprallen, a London-based company that designs and sells occult- and satanic-themed LGBTQ+ clothing.
According to a recent Gallup poll, approximately 24 million Americans identify as LGBTQIA+ and this demographic's spending power is more than $1 trillion in disposable income.
After Target pulled some of this merchandise, the President of the Human Rights Campaign Kelley Robinson released a statement saying: “Target should not be responding so easily to criticism and threats from the likes of the Proud Boys. Target should put the products back on the shelves and ensure their Pride displays are visible on the floors, not pushed into the proverbial closet. That’s what the bullies want. Target must be better.”
Ellis explains this leaves a huge opportunity for brands, it's not just about marketing to each community whether it be Black or LGBTQIA+.
"All marketing should be inclusive," said Ellis. "There shouldn't be multicultural marketing, right? Like, it just shouldn't exist because that's not what the world looks like. It's not monolithic and neither is society. I think you need to be active in these spaces and understand what's going on in the culture and the world. And then you have to be, you have to apply that to your brand and how it makes sense to your brand."
“You change that muscle in your brain and think I need to be inclusive in all my marketing, not just do a black ad or a gay ad, then it changes the game and it normalizes and integrates and mainstreams all of us, right? Um, and I think, so I think it's really critical to, to look at it that way,” said Ellis.
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