The best of Pride month 2022: brands who got it right

In the past few weeks, we’ve seen brands transform their socials, websites and shops from corporate to colourful with bright, bold and beautiful rainbows.

That’s right, it’s Pride month. 30 days dedicated to celebrating and supporting LGBTQ+ communities all around the world.

Rainbow-washing is always rife during Pride month, but in 2022, it’s easier to spot those companies who are really dedicated to the cause, and those who think just switching to a rainbow logo will do.

We’re seeing a lot more brands putting their money where their mouth is this year, with great campaigns accompanied by real-life donations and support for the LGBTQ+ community.

Here are some of our favourites so far…

1. Tinder’s meme-ingful connections

As part of their Pride Month celebrations, Tinder has collaborated with five super cool LGBTQ+ artists – Dom&Ink, Ashton Attzs, Andrew Ahern, Artist Named Nobody and Kxmolo – to recreate some of the public’s favourite memes and gifs.

According to the dating app, a gif is sent every two seconds between matches in the UK and with eight in ten people from the LGBTQ+ community revealing that humour is important when making the first move – these artworks should help singles to spark conversations and quickly vibe-check their Tinder matches.

Alongside the campaign, Tinder is helping to support other creatives from the LGBTQ+ community by making a donation to Raze Collective, an organisation that creates cultural opportunities for LGBTQ+ artists.

1. Dr Martens’ Pride Generations

Dr Martens has launched its first unbranded campaign – Pride Generations – where they put their brand on the back seat and give voices in the LBGTQ+ community a platform instead.

It features important members including Lady Phyll (co-founder of UK Black Pride) and Lucia Blayke (founder London of London Trans+ Pride) in the first episode, discussing their work in activism as well their personal background and organisation’s history.

To support the campaign, Dr Martens will also be donating more than £200,000 across the globe for charities including akt in the UK, ReBit in Japan and Black Rainbow in Australia.

1. Feel Heard with Ugg

Ugg has released a colourful collection of footwear and clothing featuring gender-neutral designs that include slippers, slides, hoodies, shorts, socks and accessories.

The hero piece has to be the Maxi Pride Slide – a pair of super fluffy and cosy slides adorned in the colours of the Pride and trans flags. Their campaign video features members of the LGBTQ+ community sporting the collection and sharing personal stories about their own struggles while discussing the importance of mental health.

Alongside the “Feel Heard” campaign and collection, Ugg solidified their commitment to the community by making a donation to The Trevor Project, an LGBTQ+ charity that provides 24/7 crisis services.

1. Skittles’ Gray-Pride

When we think of Skittles, we think of the rainbow. “Taste the rainbow” has been their strapline for years, but the marketing team acknowledged the importance of the rainbow symbol to the LGBTQ+ community some time ago now, and they committed to stepping aside during Pride.

In a complete opposite move to most other companies, Skittles strip their packets of all colour for Pride, leaving them a subdued shade of grey. This year, they decided to add a little splash of colour to their packets, using artwork from six talented LGBTQ+ artists.

Not only do profits from these packets go towards charities, they’re also helping to increase visibility and support for LGBTQ+ artists. Nice work.

 

At Wildish & Co, we’re a small studio with a big heart and believe we can make the world a better place through creativity. We that in mind, we love working with partners who share our values and want to make a positive impact.

If you’re thinking about your Pride campaign for 2023 and want to discuss some ideas, we’d love to help! Get in touch for a chat.