Pride guide for dummies

It’s that time of year again when brands collectively remember that queer folks exist and June is Pride Month.

Somewhere between mid-year marketing meeting and monsoon sale plans, someone asks, “What are we doing for Pride?” followed by a reassuring, “Don’t worry, we’ll just repurpose last year’s creatives.”

And so begins the annual exercise of rainbow-ifying brand presence without really examining whether the brand supports queer people beyond the month of June. Think of it as seasonal branding like Diwali, but with glitter and less (wayyyy less) budget.

This guide walks you through assembling a perfectly passable Pride campaign, just enough to get through June without awkward silence. It’s designed for marketers who want to look inclusive while staying inside the brand comfort zone. Think of it as a manual for allyship. Colourful, flat-packed, and occasionally missing crucial pieces.

Step 1: Unboxing the kit

Your Pride Campaign Kit™ comes with everything you need to show solidarity in style. Minus the messiness of long-term support. Contents include:

• A rainbow logo overlay (Because adding colour counts as character development, right?)
• Two clips of stock footage from a Pride parade somewhere abroad (Because nothing screams representation is someone who looks nothing like us)
• A pre-written caption with heart emojis and hashtags (Because #LoveIsLove, and that’s enough context) 
• One unpaid queer creator (Because exposure can pay rent)

Step 2: Assembling the campaign 

Now that you’ve unboxed the goods, it’s time to put them all together. Follow these simple steps for a campaign that says ‘We care’ … (without ever saying too much.)

• Add rainbows everywhere 

Start by updating your brand logo. A simple rainbow gradient or overlay works wonders for visibility. And it looks great in your email signature as well. 

(What we mean: It’s symbolic, non-committal, and nobody in senior leadership will object.)

• Schedule weekly (?) inclusive posts

Once a week, drop a heartwarming message with emojis and vague affirmations. Something along the lines of ‘Be yourself’, ‘Love looks different for all’, ‘Love wins’, etc. (Chat GPT it for better results). Bonus points if you use pastel colours for the post. 

(What we mean: It sounds supportive, but keeps things nice and safe.)

• Drop a limited edition rainbow merch

Nothing says allyship like limited-edition rainbow coffee mugs, tote bags, or yoga mats. Because all queer folks want from your brand is expensive things that ‘support’ their queerness. 

(What we mean: You’re selling the idea of Pride, not supporting the community directly. But hey, it does look good on the shelf.)

• Wrap it up on July 1

  Take down the rainbow logos. Archive the Pride posts. Go back to business as usual. If anyone asks what your brand is doing for the queer community the rest of the year, reply with a polite, ‘We’re exploring long-term strategies’.

  (What we mean: You survived June! That’s enough effort for one financial quarter.)

It’s easy to laugh at the absurdity of rainbow-washing and generic allyship templates, because they’re everywhere. Every June, brands across industries roll out nearly identical campaigns: same hashtags, same slogans, same vague commitment to “love and inclusion.” It’s formulaic. Predictable. And honestly, a little exhausting.

Pride becomes a marketing opportunity. Queer identities become content pillars. And brands show up for the parade but skip out on the purpose.

That’s the problem.

The checklist approach to Pride, rainbow logos, limited-edition merch, inspirational captions, might earn you a few likes, but it does little for actual queer lives. When campaigns focus only on optics, they reduce an entire community’s struggles, joys, and realities into one-month visuals, instead of year-round action.

So here’s what meaningful allyship actually looks like in June, and beyond:

• Include queer people at every level of your campaign not just on screen, but behind the scenes. Representation isn’t just about who you see in the ad. It’s about who wrote the script, approved the budget, and signed off on the strategy.
• Pay queer creators, collaborators, and consultants fairly and transparently. Exposure doesn’t cover rent. If you truly value queer perspectives, that should reflect in your compensation.
• Audit your internal practices. Do your workplace policies support queer employees? Is there inclusive healthcare? Do trans employees have safe pathways to growth? Is there active bias training, not just a passive DEI slide deck?
• Be brave enough to stand for something, even if it ruffles feathers. Allyship isn’t always market-friendly. If you’re only showing up when it’s easy, you’re not really showing up.
• Don’t log off after June. Pride isn’t a seasonal campaign. It’s a year-round commitment to listening, learning, hiring, supporting, and evolving.

So the next time your brand gears up for Pride, don’t ask, “What should we post?” Ask, “What are we actually doing?”