Two for Tuesday: Brands with Pride

Last month, President Barack Obama declared June the official Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Pride Month… giving advertisers less than 30 days to chime in and support their consumers. Illinois already recognized the beginning of pride month last Sunday (June 1), when the it became the nineteenth state to legalize gay marriage.

In his statement last month, President Obama said, “I call upon the people of the United States to eliminate prejudice everywhere it exists, and to celebrate the great diversity of the American people.”

Obviously, advertisers (who not only have the job to create persuasive promotional content for their clients) have the responsibility to reflect the current American culture in their advertisements. That’s one reason why the U.S. has seen many brands from Microsoft to Coca-Cola beginning to feature same-sex couples and families in their advertisements over the past year. This Two for Tuesday, we’re looking at two brands (who unsurprisingly are social media companies) supporting pride month.

YouTube–#ProudToPlay

From English Olympic diver Tom Daley to the first drafted openly gay football player Michael Sam, gay and straight Olympic athletes (as well as public figures like Ellen Degeneres and world leaders such as President Obama and the late Nelson Mandela) come together in this YouTube video to promote and celebrate the equality for all athletes. The YouTube Spotlight video’s description encourages people to “Support a world where every athlete can be #ProudToPlay,” and asks viewers to join the conversation online.

Facebook–Rainbow Stickers

To celebrate Pride month, Facebook released a series of LGBT-themed stickers (the social network’s version of Emojis) for its users. The stickers can be used in Facebook chat feature, Facebook Messenger. The Huffinton Post reports that a Facebook representative said that the emoticons provide another way for Facebook users to express their “authentic identity” on the social networking site.

Impressed by any other brands taking the pride stand? Tell us in the comments!

Cover Photo Source: nito

Cassandra is a Content Manager and Developer at SJG. She earned her BA from Fontbonne University in 2011. Outside the office, she enjoys an active, healthy and well-rounded lifestyle including reading, writing, running, golfing, watching films, listening to music, taking photographs, and consuming media and social media.