New insights speak to Pride impact: 60% of people notice brands participating in Pride and 80% of LGBTQ+ people favor brands who celebrate Pride

Brand experience platform DISQO and Do the WeRQ a community elevating LGBTQ+ creativity and representation in the ad industry released a new report, “LGBTQ+ Advertising & Brand Experience”, exploring what role consumers expect brands to play during Pride Month. The fourth annual study additionally underscores the vital need to deliver inclusive experiences year-round and across all touchpoints, from ads to products to workplace policies.

“Highly publicized LGBTQ+ marketing missteps of 2023 ushered in an eerily quiet year, but our new research suggests that people don’t care any less about progress or Pride,” said Graham Nolan, Do the WeRQ Co-Chair, Storytelling and Partnerships. “Brands choosing to exclude LGBTQ+ audiences and their allies in reaction to the disproportionately loud ‘anti-woke’ population will miss out. Conversely, those that show up with integrity and impact can have an outsized impact.”

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Report Highlights

Marketers should regard Pride Month as a mainstream affair.

Pride is a cultural moment that marketers cannot ignore. Consumers not only said they are aware of brands’ Pride efforts, but also said they notice content across multiple touchpoints. Standing behind cohesive, integrated messaging is crucial.

• Pride participation: 60% of people have noticed brands celebrating Pride in previous years (+30 for LGBTQ+ audiences)
• Cross-channel awareness: People notice Pride participation most in social media (35%) and advertising (33%)
• Social spotlight: Gen Z and LGBTQ+ audiences are significantly more likely to notice Pride marketing in social media (+22 and +24 respectively)

Pride is more than just a brand-building opportunity.

More people look favorably on brands that celebrate Pride than those who do not. Particularly among influential younger and LGBTQ+ audiences, marketers have an opportunity to influence brand perceptions and purchase decisions.

• Brand impacts: More people said their perception of a brand was positively influenced (39%) by Pride participation than negatively influenced (17%)
• Purchase impacts: 26% of people overall said they purchased a Pride product; this rises significantly among Gen Zers (+16) and LGBTQ+ consumers (+47)
• Sentiment and community impacts: Most LGBTQ+ consumers (80%) said they look more favorably on ally brands, +41 points above the general population

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People expect Pride participation to go beyond June.

For most consumers, meaningful allyship extends beyond the month of June. People see all of their interactions with a brand as one bigger experience and expect them to show up consistently across all channels and all year long.

• Year-round allyship: Only 23% of consumers said that they don’t believe a brand celebrating Pride Month supports the LGBTQ+ community in other ways
• Integrated brand experiences: Consumers ranked inclusive workplace policies (35%) and LGBTQ+ event participation outside of Pride (31%) as the most important actions marketers can take to support the community

Recall and perceptions of LGBTQ+ content have shifted since last year.

Examining data points from DISQO and Do the WeRQ’s 2024 survey against identical questions from 2023, it’s clear that last year’s controversies have impacted consumer recall of LGBTQ+ content and perceptions of brand influence.

• More brand influence: This year, people were +20 points more likely to say that brands have influence over LGBTQ+ rights in the US; this rose to +62 with LGBTQ+ audiences
• Recall is consistent: Shifts in recall were tempered, but people were more likely to say they didn’t remember seeing any LGBTQ+ content this year (+5)
• Mainstream visibility: People saw more mainstream ad representation vs. in ads geared specifically toward LGBTQ+ audiences (+13)

“Our 2024 research suggests that both LGBTQ+ and non-LGBTQ+ people seek impact in every touchpoint they have with a brand,” said Stacy Perrus, Director of Brand Communications at DISQO. “Inclusive messaging alone no longer cuts it, as more people want brands to show up with integrity in every action. Marketers who show unwavering commitment and prioritize cohesive, integrated brand experiences during Pride and beyond will reap the benefits.”