There is a (relatively) new trendy phrase sweeping marketing lately: rainbow washing. The truth is, it’s a term that’s been whispered for a few years already but little effort has been put behind it in our industry to date. We’ve gotten to a point where it’s obvious that brands are willing to put in real effort to be diverse and inclusive as campaigns become more diverse in their use of content and cultural references.
So, what does Diversity and Inclusive really mean?
Brands certainly get behind and support customers celebrating the upcoming Pride month. We see it in companies who have their rainbow-coloured social media logo dusted off and they’re excited about all the support and marketing potential it will pull in and then… nothing.
That’s it. That’s the extent of it. It’s like watching LGBTQ+ members feel a little cheated. You can imagine a scoff and a “Gee, thanks for the crumb”, comment heard in the distance. It’s like brands are admitting that this community is big enough that they want to take from them but are not really willing to give.
So, how do you give?
How do you, as a brand, as an affiliate, as a referring partner and ambassador – prove that you are serious about your allyship and are not just rainbow washing your support? We take a look at some ideas for your social media marketing or affiliate marketing campaigns during this Pride month.
Tie your promo campaigns into actual donations
What else would you do to do the bare minimum?
Everyone can donate and consider their work done with a clear conscience. Donations from businesses tend to put a bigger chunk of change in the pockets of Amnesty International and others than your average Joe adding to the bucket shakers on the street. There’s a grim side to donations when it comes to big business: legislation. Major players who regularly wave the rainbow flag have been outed for donating to anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, including Disney, Pfizer and Coca-Cola.
How do we know this? There is a Real Allies Database to consult to find out. Practice what you preach. If you’re not pro-Pride, don’t pretend to be. No one will appreciate it.
Not wimping out when the going gets tough
Additionally, if you’re going to go all in with something, particularly something that is inherently political and social, then go all in. Bud Light was getting a lot of heat from anti-trans people for posting a TikTok with trans TikToker Dylan Mulvaney and releasing rainbow cans. It was ridiculous the backlash, but what was more embarrassing was when Bud Light pulled the entire campaign and sent out a grovelling apology. Now no one respects them. Not the offended anti-LGBTQ+ crowd nor the betrayed LGBTQ+ community. If you’re going to do rainbow washing, think before you ink. Consult with your audience on how to support and be selective about what you post.
Workplace compliance
NDAs are often just a piece of paper, we’ve established, as a lot of voices have ignored theirs without consequence and gone on to out a lot of people for unethical actions. Unethical actions like, celebrating Pride month as a company and then bullying, harassing or shunning LGBTQ+ employees.
You might want to put some training in place to avoid a toxic work environment for your LGBTQ+ team members. Diversity training is helpful to everyone, because LGBTQ people aren’t the only minorities out there, and between people of different races and abilities, classes and nationalities, there’s always a reason for retraining. Another tip is to look at your employee benefits. Nothing says “we didn’t think beyond the nuclear family” like family benefits that only apply to blood-related children, for example.
Attend a Pride March
Getting back to the social media marketing side of things, it can be tough coming up with ideas that don’t feel… cheap. If you only slap a rainbow on your branding, it feels half-baked like the bare minimum was too much, and if you go around pointing out the office gay for a TikTok, that’s highly exploitative.
Instead, take action and get plenty of content by going to a real life march. Market only what you actually know and can be authoritative about. The event itself makes for a lot of great social pictures and you can say you actually did something in real live versus doing lip service with a banner or picture to show solidarity and support.
Get creative about being diverse, think outside the box and connect with the people that you want to include and support to understand their perspectives before you post.
Do something different from showing a rainbow…?
The rainbow is lovely and iconic, but it is getting a bit tired. Thanks to rainbow washing, you’ll fade into a multicoloured landscape and it doesn’t go with 90% of the brands out there, so it sticks out wildly against what is usually a colour palette limited to two or three.
There are alternatives. Twitch has a page for Pride that is pink and yellow and incorporates other colour schemes the more you dive in. And there is a whole roster of flags to take inspiration from. Maybe cycle through them throughout the month or create content around the different flags and the people they represent. And it doesn’t have to be entirely about colours. There are LGBTQ+ symbols to choose from, including plants and animals. Not to mention pop culture symbols and iconic people, like Oscar Wilde, Cher, and Lady Gaga.
If you are interested in more affiliate and social media marketing insights, take a look at our blog for all the latest news and advice. Or for a more personalised approach, book a free call with a member of our agency team.
If you want to discover how to be inclusive and engage diversity in your affiliate program – register to join us for our ELEVATE Summit in July. We’re talking about this exact topic with industry experts from CJ.com, Expedia and Cashblack who will be helping you navigate inclusive marketing in your performance programmes.
The ELEVATE summit aims to bring you the latest affiliate, performance, and partner marketing insights from across the globe and it’s all available to stream directly to your desk from anywhere you’re located.
