When Pride Sells: The Problematic Commercialization of Good
When companies slap a rainbow on their logo for 30 days, does it debase the meaning behind Pride Month?
By Caroline Barlerin
A friend of mine is on the job-hunting circuit and checks LinkedIn Jobs postings almost daily. While scrolling through one day, she noticed that the entire left column had turned rainbow, where all the company logos are displayed. Consulting firms, banks, healthcare corporations, retailers…they all adopted rainbow logos for June in honor of Pride Month. It was hard to even tell them apart.
As an ally, a friend, and someone who has marched, protested, and long hoped to see equal rights for people of all sexual orientations and identities, I think it’s great how much Pride Month has proliferated our day-to-day lives and the corporate world. Living in San Francisco, a very proud city that has been referred to as The World’s Gay Mecca, it’s no surprise that rainbow flags color my streets even more in June than in the rest of the year. It’s a joyful time in the city, and it’s becoming more commonplace elsewhere.
But I couldn’t help feeling unnerved the past few years by how much Pride Month has become commoditized, commercialized, and Hallmark®-ized in many instances across the country. Dare I say, ‘rainbow-washing’? The LinkedIn logos are a good example. It looks positive for a company, but is there any substance behind the display?
“I couldn’t help feeling unnerved the past few years by how much Pride Month has become commoditized, commercialized, and Hallmark®-ized.”
In other words, has Pride Month become the new Valentine’s Day? And is that OK? June was chosen as a time to commemorate the Stonewall riots. Does companies slapping a rainbow on their logo for 30 days debase the meaning of what was a high-tension, violent fight and important point in history?
I wish I had answers more than questions, but I’m torn. Particularly as we’re faced with political candidates who allow the proliferation of hate against many underrepresented communities, I don’t dismiss the fact that companies supporting pride is progress. My issue is how to celebrate Pride Month without forgetting the history or using it as a way to push a brand or sell products.
Many news outlets published thoughtful pieces reflecting on the 50-year anniversary of the riots—check out BBC’s and Slate’s for some food for thought. I’d like to see more of this thoughtfulness from companies. If corporate responsibility and cause marketing are going to make real change in the world, they have to come from a real place.
Maybe instead of putting a filter on their LinkedIn logo and calling it a day, companies all donate to organizations that support and/or advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, or they sponsor a Pride Festival. Maybe post stories from employees on what Pride Month means to them. I know there are companies already doing this, and I see you! Thank you. Let’s challenge ourselves to all keep pride mainstream but go deeper.
Every company that changed its logo on social media this June, ask yourself if it’s become just another item on your media team’s to-do list, to be checked off when completed and changed again for the next holiday. If so, that’s not honoring Pride Month, Stonewall, or our vibrant communities. It’s phoning in the idea of doing good, and we can do better.
Do you have more ideas on how companies can engage in a deeper, more substantive way for Pride Month—and the rest of the year?
