To celebrate Pride Month, many brands update their company image and communication to show support for the community. However, do they really do it to support the community or to earn undeserved praise and look good to their customers?
If the answer to those tilts toward the latter… then they are engaging in pinkwashing.
Definition of Pinkwashing
Every June, thousands of brands across different categories start their pride activation campaigns to focus on the LGBTQIA+ community. If not undertaken ethically, it can be deemed pinkwashing.
Pinkwashing is the practice of using superficial gestures to show support for the LGBTQIA+ community, usually for marketing, financial, or reputational benefits. It is a virtue-signaling trend without embodying the values of inclusivity and equality that Pride is all about. https://us.sganalytics.com/blog/celebrating-pride-month-genuine-pride-or-rainbow-washing/
Although pinkwashing happens all year round, it becomes more apparent during Pride Month, as enterprises eagerly seize the opportunity to capitalize on the LGBTQIA+ community's visibility.
As consumers become more discerning, corporations are under greater scrutiny to prove their genuine support. While some genuinely implemented substantive policies and practices to support LGBTQIA+ employees and communities, others are accused of using the cause as a promotional tool that lacks sincerity. Intentionality plays a critical role here. Organizations also need to possess the art of consistency, which will further help determine if they fall into the category of pinkwashing or not.
Read more: Celebrating Pride Month: Genuine Pride or Corporate Rainbow-Washing
Importance of Addressing Pinkwashing
Pink-washing, also referred to as rainbow-washing, is a problematic path for brands for two critical reasons.
- Performing Pride gimmicks for one month does not make the company an ally. Their false façade is likely to fall, as the intent is not based on shared values.
- Using a minority group to profit without getting involved in their concerns, needs, or actual lifestyle is unfair and is perceived as a mere consumption market.
Brand strategists and experts need to integrate brand purpose with tangible actions and pursue brand awareness beyond profit. Activism, in this context, is about building brand loyalty and making a statement as well as fulfilling it. To avoid falling into the traps of pinkwashing, it is important to scrutinize the brand's actions during Pride Month and beyond. The goal of Pride is the celebration and acceptance of LGBTQIA+ people, and representation by brands outside the community extends the push for equality. The purpose of voicing out against pinkwashing is to encourage brands to undertake the initiatives well and genuinely support the community.
Identifying Pinkwashing
The most common manifestation of pinkwashing is branding a product and marketing material with rainbow colors, which symbolize pride. It happens across all industries - from fashion to beauty and tech.
Let’s address pinkwashing from the users’ viewpoint. How to identify if a company uses this practice in their marketing strategy?
Read more: The Top Ten Sins of Greenwashing
The first thing is to go beyond temporary statements and symbols of support for the LGBTIQ+ community. When evaluating a brand's commitment to inclusion, scrutinize the internal policies that are sustained over time.
It is also important to note that pinkwashing tends to manifest itself in superficial gestures during Pride Month, without genuine support for the rest of the year. To identify if a brand is authentically engaged, look at the actions it takes the rest of the year. If they only run temporary marketing campaigns, be suspicious. Also, do not lose sight of contradictions between their corporate practices and public statements.
Some of the key pointers to note:
- Does the company change its logo to rainbow colors during Pride Month?
- Does the company have inclusive policies for its LGBTIQ+ employees?
- Do they actively support LGBTIQ+ organizations through donations or volunteering?
If the answer to these is a no, then the organization may be using pinkwashing to enhance its public image without taking any meaningful action for diversity.
How to Avoid Pinkwashing
While many brands are facing backlash for superficially supporting the community, there are many ways to ensure that your efforts are viewed as genuine and impactful. Avoiding pinkwashing demands a commitment to authenticity, transparency, and meaningful action.
Enterprises should explore effective strategies and initiatives to demonstrate true allyship and support for the community. This will help brands build trust and foster long-term relationships with the community. The main key is to be consistent with what you say and do. To avoid pinkwashing, it is important to integrate the below-mentioned ways into practice.
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Focus on Purpose
Ground the brand's core values and align them with your social commitments. Do not follow the trends blindly. Instead, develop your own authentic path and strategy, prioritizing transparency, honesty, and long-term commitment. Avoid gestures that can be easily seen through or dismissed.
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Demonstrate True Inclusivity
External communications and internal policies must reflect inclusivity. This implies fostering diverse teams, ensuring equal treatment, and promoting visibility. Demonstrating commitment with measurable results will truly make everyone feel included.
Read more: Authenticity Over Greenwashing: How Brands Are Engaging with Customers and Building Trust?
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Partnering with Impactful Organizations
No brand can accomplish everything on its own. It is also important to partner with organizations that support LGBTQIA+ education, health, or social issues. Building long-term partnerships and collaborating on innovative initiatives will help in aligning the brand with the cause.
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Being Consistent
Supporting the community should not be a once-a-year activity. It is important for brands to be consistent in their support throughout the year.
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Raise Awareness and Educate
Educate the team on LGBTQIA+ issues. Work towards creating and nurturing a safe and inclusive work environment. Present opportunities and fair conditions for all employees.
Tips to Remember
- Be transparent about the brand's inclusion and diversity efforts.
- Transparency in actions helps build trust.
- Providing regular diversity, inclusion, and LGBTIQ+ sensitivity training across all levels of the organization to create a more inclusive and empathetic work environment.
- Make sure not to use LGBTIQ+ symbols or messages as a temporary marketing strategy.
- Let your actions reflect an authentic and respectful commitment to the community.
Read more: ‘Greenwashing’ Is Misleading ESG Investors – Understanding the Gray Areas
Conclusion
To avoid pinkwashing and promote genuine efforts, brands need to move beyond superficial gestures and commit to authentic, long-term actions. Support for the LGBTQIA+ community should extend throughout the year and should not be limited to the month of June. Brands and organizations should demonstrate their commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) by consistently acknowledging and advocating for the community.
By focusing on purpose over hype, integrating true inclusivity, partnering with impactful organizations, raising awareness, and providing consistent support throughout the year, brands can build trust and foster lasting relationships with the community.
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