Every June, social feeds, storefronts and brand logos burst into rainbow colour. It’s well-meaning. Sometimes wonderful. But all too often, it’s also shallow.
Rainbow-washing – the act of performing support for the LGBTQ+ community with little meaningful action behind it – has become a well-known term for a reason. And audiences are savvy to it. Especially the LGBTQ+ community themselves, who are increasingly vocal about whether brands are walking the walk or just riding the wave.
But this isn’t a finger-wag. We believe that brands can do Pride brilliantly and that real allyship doesn’t require big budgets, just big-hearted intent.
Here’s how brands can move from performative to powerful, with real-world examples to inspire us all.
1. Start from the inside out
Before you go rainbow on LinkedIn, take a closer look at your culture.
An inclusive campaign starts with an inclusive team. But many companies don’t know where to begin. Here’s how to create a culture that genuinely supports LGBTQ+ colleagues – with care and clarity.
Practical steps:
- Educate everyone: Run regular training on inclusive language, unconscious bias and allyship (check out Stonewall’s workplace guides, OutRight’s training, or GLAAD’s media reference resources).
- Update policies: Ensure your employee handbook explicitly protects against LGBTQ+ discrimination. Include gender-neutral language, healthcare benefits for all family structures, and support for trans and non-binary colleagues.
- Make space to listen: Create employee resource groups (ERGs), anonymous feedback tools, or listening sessions where LGBTQ+ employees can share experiences safely.
- Celebrate year-round: Recognise days like Trans Day of Visibility, LGBTQ+ History Month and International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia – not just Pride.
Example: Salesforce
Salesforce supports internal ERGs like Outforce, provides inclusive benefits, and publicly tracks workforce representation. Their external messaging is backed by a robust internal culture – making it authentic, not performative.
Takeaway: Authentic Pride starts with a workplace where LGBTQ+ people feel safe, seen and supported — not just featured in a campaign.
“We all get it wrong sometimes. Pride is, at its heart, a protest – a movement for change. Brands need to embrace the same mindset: listen, grow, and do better.”
2. Avoid the rainbow rinse
Pride isn’t a seasonal trend. Representation should live beyond June and be integrated throughout the year in your people, your content, your media choices and your campaigns.
Example: Skittles
Since 2020, Skittles has removed its signature rainbow for Pride Month, giving it back to the LGBTQ+ community, and partnered with GLAAD to elevate queer artists on packaging and social. The campaign makes space for others to shine, rather than centre the brand.Takeaway: It’s not just about showing up during Pride. It’s about showing up for Pride, consistently, consciously, and collaboratively.
3. Put money (or resource) behind your message
Support can’t just be symbolic. If you’re celebrating Pride publicly, ask yourself: where is the value going? Are you donating to LGBTQ+ organisations? Are you platforming queer creatives and suppliers?
Example: The Body Shop
For Pride 2024, The Body Shop donated 100% of profits from their Rainbow Soap to Switchboard, a helpline supporting LGBTQ+ people. They also trained their staff on LGBTQ+ awareness and collaborated with grassroots queer creators across social.
Takeaway: If you’re profiting from Pride, find a way to give back to the people behind it.
4. Speak with, not just about, the community
Representation shouldn’t be designed in a vacuum. Involve LGBTQ+ voices from the start – as creators, consultants, strategists, and storytellers.
Example: Absolut
Their #BornToMix campaign brought together LGBTQ+ talent to co-create events, content, and community conversations, not just be featured in an ad. The result was a campaign that felt alive, intersectional and co-owned.
Takeaway: Inclusion is a process, not a checkbox. Partner with people who live the experience.
5. Be brave enough to evolve
We all get it wrong sometimes. Pride is, at its heart, a protest – a movement for change. Brands need to embrace the same mindset: listen, grow, and do better.
Example: Lego
When Lego launched its “Everyone Is Awesome” Pride set, it wasn’t just about rainbow bricks – it was about celebration without corporate branding. More importantly, Lego responded publicly to feedback about leadership diversity, committing to measurable internal change.
Why it matters – and what the data says:
- McKinsey found that companies in the top quartile for ethnic and gender diversity on exec teams are 33% more likely to outperform peers on profitability.
- Harvard Business Review reports that inclusive teams make better decisions 87% of the time.
- Cannes Lions awarded 2023’s top campaigns not just for creativity, but for inclusion — showing that better ideas and better returns come from representative teams.
Takeaway: Diversity isn’t just morally right – it’s commercially smart. Be open to feedback, commit to progress, and reap the creative and cultural rewards
So… how can we all do better?
At Smithfield, we work in an industry built on influence. That comes with responsibility. As communicators, we help shape stories, spend media money, and choose who’s seen and heard. Pride is a chance – not just in June or July, but always – to use that power for good.
Let’s not be afraid to ask ourselves the hard questions:
- Is this campaign reflective of the real world, or a filtered one?
- Who’s behind the lens, behind the brief, behind the strategy?
- Are we doing Pride, or are we living our values?
With empathy, openness and collaboration, brands can move from rainbow-washing to real-world impact – creating not just campaigns, but communities of care.