Another pitfall is pinkwashing . This phenomenon versus sincerity occurs when companies present themselves as LGBTQ+-friendly, but do so purely to polish their image. In this case, there is no real commitment. Just like with greenwashing , where companies use sustainability as a marketing tactic, the public quickly smells when companies are not living up to their LGBTQ+ support. Queer consumers, or consumers belonging to the LGBTQ+ community, can be critical and distrustful. Their experiences with marginalization make them more likely to doubt the intentions of brands that suddenly present themselves as allies.
A classic example of pinkwashing
When brands suddenly change their logo to a rainbow flag during Pride month, but show little sign of their commitment to the queer angola email list 276670 contact leads community outside of that month. Research from Nielsen found that only 1% of ads outside of Pride month feature LGBTQ+ topics (Coffee, 2022). This highlights that true credibility is built by embracing diversity all year round. You don’t have to wave rainbow flags around all the time to be inclusive. It’s all about creating an inclusive workplace and having policies in place that actually make a difference.
An example of how things can go wrong is the action of Snackbar Smullers during Pride Amsterdam, where they served pink mayonnaise. The reaction of the spokesperson, showed that it was purely a flat hook without any intention to contribute to LGBT emancipation. This minimized the significance of Pride.
Source: Smullers
Consistency and authenticity: pride digital advertising for the food service sector in the company DNA
For companies looking to build credibility, it’s important to make inclusivity part of their DNA . A useful benchmark for this is the HRC Corporate Equality Index, which assesses the inclusivity and diversity of companies based on their policies, practices and benefits for anhui mobile phone number list queer employees (Human Rights Campaign). Companies can improve their score by partnering with LGBTQ+ organizations or joining a platform like Workplace Pride, which advocates for inclusivity in the workplace.