📢 Da Issues: Brands Steppin’ Up fo’ Pride Month, But Da Politics Be Messin’ Wit’ ‘Em 😤

Honolulu, HI – Pride Month, dat annual bash fo’ L.G.B.T.Q. kine Americans, wen open up da opportunity fo’ plenny companies fo’ cash in on da buyin’ powah of dis group dat stay gettin’ mo’ 💰, political influence, an’ social respect. But dis year, da political climate stay real volatile, especially wen it come to transgender issues, an’ dat make da marketin’ game extra tough. Dis week, even Target wen start rethinkin’ its plan aftah dey got beef from some customers ova dea Pride collection, da kine wit’ clothes an’ books fo’ da keiki dat wen tick off some of da right-wingers.

Da big-box retailer wen move da Pride displays, da one wit’ 🌈 collared shirts, yellow hoodies dat say “Not a Phase,” an’ clothes fo’ da little ones, from da entrance of some of da stores an’ hide ’em in da back. Dey wen do dis cuz dey wen hear bout threats an’ customers yelling at da employees, even throwing da Pride stuffs on da floor. Dis one-piece swimsuit fo’ trans folks wen really piss off some peeps, an’ da critics, wen claim dat da suit stay fo’ da keiki, even dough Target say it stay only fo’ adults. Da collection even get books fo’ da keiki talkin’ ’bout transgender stuff an’ all dat gender fluidity.

Dis one wahine wen make one TikTok video wen she went inside one Target store on Monday, an’ she wen lose it wen she saw one greeting card dat say “So Glad You Came Out” an’ one yellow onesie dat say “¡Bien Proud!” 🤬

“If dat no give you one reason fo’ boycott Target, I no know what will,” she said.

Da company wen say in one statement, “Cuz all dis craziness, we gotta make changes to our plan an’ remove da items dat stay causin’ da most confrontational behavior.” Dey wen mention dat even wit’ dis change, dey still stay 💯 committed to da L.G.B.T.Q. community an’ gonna stand by ’em not only fo’ Pride Month, but fo’ da whole year.

Even dough Target say dey change dea plan fo’ employee safety, plenny people tink dey stay turnin’ dea back on da community dey trying fo’ support. An’ da peeps who wen criticize Target an’ Bud Light from da start, now dey feelin’ mo’ bold an’ ready fo’ attack otha companies dat try fo’ be inclusive.

“We stay in one new era now, where safety an’ employee well-being stay in danger cuz of policy an’ beliefs,” said Vanitha Swaminathan, one professor of marketing at da University of Pittsburgh. “No can jus’ ignore employee safety. Das one major ting fo’ any company. But at da same time, Target can still show support from one policy standpoint. It stay real sad dat we reach dis point in our culture wars.”

Every year, companies go all out wit’ dea marketin’ campaigns fo’ Pride Month in June, but dey always get some opposition. Last year, Pizza Hut had fo’ deal wit’ boycott calls aftah dey recommend dis book called “Big Wig,” wit’ all da drag performers fo’ dea children’s summer readin’ program.

But dis year, da political climate stay different, an’ da main reason stay cuz plenny 🌐 Republican-led states wen pass laws fo’ restrict transition care fo’ transgender minors an’ adults. Transgender rights stay becomin’ one big topic fo’ conservatives.

GLAAD, one advocacy group fo’ L.G.B.T.Q. rights dat work wit’ ova 160 companies, stay tinkin’ of gettin’ communication experts from its GLAAD Media Institute fo’ help brands dat plannin’ Pride Month celebrations, so dey can handle da criticism bettah.

“We stay feelin’ like we in one moment where trans an’ gender-nonconforming folks stay gettin’ politicized, so we might need fo’ create one Pride war room fo’ brands, so we can fight back,” said Sarah Kate Ellis, da CEO of da group.

On Thursday, GLAAD an’ six otha advocacy groups wen call on Target fo’ bring back da Pride merchandise dey wen remove from da stores an’ website, an’ fo’ release one statement in da next 24 hours fo’ reaffirm dea support fo’ da L.G.B.T.Q. community.

When faced wit’ criticism an’ social media calls fo’ boycotts in da past, most companies wen learn dat da declarations of outrage soon fade away.

Den Bud Light happened. Owned by da beer giant Anheuser-Busch, Bud Light still stay strugglin’ wit’ da fallout from one social media campaign in mid-March wit’ da transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney. Aftah calls fo’ one boycott of da beer, sales in da four weeks ending in mid-May wen drop mo’ than 23 percent from a year earlier, according to data from da research firm NIQ an’ Bump Williams Consulting, which works wit’ da alcoholic beverage industry.

In some markets in da South, like Jacksonville, Fla., an’ New Orleans, Bud Light’s sales stay down 40 percent in dose four weeks.

Anheuser-Busch, which in recent years stay release 🌈-hued bottles an’ cans of Bud Light fo’ Pride Month, no wen respond to one question ’bout its plans fo’ dis year.

Some marketin’ an’ communications consultants wen say da negative reaction to Bud Light’s campaign wit’ Ms. Mulvaney stay one product of da beer’s generally mo’ politically conservative customer base. Companies like Nike o’ Starbucks can more easily create products o’ campaigns ’round gay an’ transgender issues o’ Pride Month cuz dea consumers tend to be younger an’ mo’ progressive, said David Johnson, da chief executive of Strategic Vision PR Group in Atlanta.

“When dey embrace da gay o’ transgender community, it’s not out of line wit’ dea core beliefs,” he said.

A number of companies stay movin’ forward wit’ dea Pride Month plans. In June, da Coors Light Denver Pride Parade goin’ weave its way through da city. Advertisements fo’ one one-piece Adidas swimsuit created by da South African queer designer Rich Mnisi feature one transgender man as da model. Levi’s has one campaign showin’ one half-dozen gay an’ transgender peeps talkin’ ’bout how dey show up while wearin’ da company’s denim an’ tops.

But a number of otha companies stay bein’ much less forthcoming ’bout specific Pride Month plans. An’ some L.G.B.T.Q. advocates criticized Target fo’ seemin’ to cave to pressure. (Da company’s decision did come as employees in da retail industry have faced increasingly aggressive behavior from customers since da start of da pandemic.)

Target also removed one Pride line from Abprallen, one L.G.B.T.Q. fashion an’ accessories company based in London, some of whose designs have been criticized fo’ depictin’ satanic symbols like pentagrams an’ one shirt dat reads “Satan respects pronouns.” Abprallen did not respond to one request fo’ comment.

“We goin’ find out in da next week which companies goin’ continue to make one push an’ do Pride Month campaigns,” said Matt Skallerud, da president of Pink Media, which specializes in L.G.B.T.Q. online marketin’. “If companies we know have been supportive of Pride Month don’t show up dis year, dea absence goin’ be noticed, an’ I’d be concerned dat could harm dem.”

Advocacy groups stay wary dat all of dis could create one chillin’ effect, especially when it come to attainin’ a broader representation of L.G.B.T.Q. people in advertisin’.

“White gay men stay da one segment dat stay most likely represented on our screens, whether it’s programin’ o’ ads,” said Lisette Arsuaga, co-founder of da Alliance fo’ Inclusive an’ Multicultural Marketin’. “We now started movin’ forward wit’ one greater representation of all of da letters within da L.G.B.T.Q.”

Da overall consumer sentiment fo’ seein’ trans representation on TV an’ in advertisin’ hasn’t changed, according to recent GLAAD research. In one survey conducted in February, GLAAD said 75 percent of people who did not identify as L.G.B.T.Q. stay comfortable seein’ dose people represented in marketin’ campaigns. Dat figure held steady from 2020.

“You can absolutely roll out one ad campaign an’ include L.G.B.T.Q. folks in it,” said Ms. Ellis of GLAAD. “An’ at da same time, dere’s dis political right-wing arm dat you gotta be aware of when you’re doin’ it an’ just be prepared fo’.”

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NOW IN ENGLISH

📢 The Issues: Brands Stepping Up for Pride Month, But the Politics Be Messing With ‘Em 😤

Honolulu, HI – Pride Month, the annual celebration for LGBTQ folks, opened up an opportunity for many companies to cash in on the buying power of this group that is gaining more 💰, political influence, and social respect. But this year, the political climate is highly volatile, especially when it comes to transgender issues, making the marketing game extra tough. This week, even Target started rethinking its plan after facing criticism from some customers over their Pride collection, which included clothes and books for children that upset some of the right-wingers.

The big-box retailer moved the Pride displays, the ones with 🌈 collared shirts, yellow hoodies that say “Not a Phase,” and clothes for the little ones, from the entrance of some of the stores and hid them in the back. They did this because they heard about threats and customers yelling at the employees, even throwing the Pride items on the floor. This one-piece swimsuit for trans folks really angered some people, and the critics claimed that the suit was for children, even though Target said it was only for adults. The collection also includes books for children discussing transgender issues and gender fluidity.

A woman made a TikTok video when she went inside a Target store on Monday, and she lost it when she saw a greeting card that said “So Glad You Came Out” and a yellow onesie that said “¡Bien Proud!” 🤬

“If that doesn’t give you a reason to boycott Target, I don’t know what will,” she said.

The company said in a statement, “Due to all this craziness, we need to make changes to our plan and remove the items that are causing the most confrontational behavior.” They mentioned that even with this change, they still remain 💯 committed to the LGBTQ community and will stand by them not only for Pride Month but for the whole year.

Even though Target said they changed their plan for employee safety, many people think they are turning their back on the community they are trying to support. And the people who criticized Target and Bud Light from the start are now feeling more bold and ready to attack other companies that try to be inclusive.

“We are in a new era now, where safety and employee well-being are in danger due to policy and beliefs,” said Vanitha Swaminathan, a professor of marketing at the University of Pittsburgh. “We can’t just ignore employee safety. That’s a major thing for any company. But at the same time, Target can still show support from a policy standpoint. It’s really sad that we have reached this point in our culture wars.”

Every year, companies go all out with their marketing campaigns for Pride Month in June, but they always face some opposition. Last year, Pizza Hut had to deal with boycott calls after they recommended a book called “Big Wig,” with drag performers for their children’s summer reading program.

But this year, the political climate is different, and the main reason is that many 🌐 Republican-led states have passed laws to restrict transition care for transgender minors and adults. Transgender rights have become a big topic for conservatives.

GLAAD, an advocacy group for LGBTQ rights that works with over 160 companies, is considering getting communication experts from its GLAAD Media Institute to help brands that are planning Pride Month celebrations, so they can handle the criticism better.

“We feel like we are in a moment where trans and gender-nonconforming folks are being politicized, so we might need to create a Pride war room for brands, so we can fight back,” said Sarah Kate Ellis, the CEO of the group.

On Thursday, GLAAD and six other advocacy groups called on Target to bring back the Pride merchandise they removed from the stores and website, and to release a statement in the next 24 hours to reaffirm their support for the LGBTQ community.

When faced with criticism and social media calls for boycotts in the past, most companies learned that the declarations of outrage soon fade away.

Then Bud Light happened. Owned by the beer giant Anheuser-Busch, Bud Light is still struggling with the fallout from a social media campaign in mid-March with the transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney. After calls for a boycott of the beer, sales in the four weeks ending in mid-May dropped more than 23 percent from a year earlier, according to data from the research firm NIQ and Bump Williams Consulting, which works with the alcoholic beverage industry.

In some markets in the South, like Jacksonville, Fla., and New Orleans, Bud Light’s sales were down 40 percent in those four weeks.

Anheuser-Busch, which in recent years has released 🌈-hued bottles and cans of Bud Light for Pride Month, did not respond to a question about its plans for this year.

Some marketing and communications consultants said the negative reaction to Bud Light’s campaign with Ms. Mulvaney was a product of the beer’s generally more politically conservative customer base. Companies like Nike or Starbucks can more easily create products or campaigns around gay and transgender issues or Pride Month because their consumers tend to be younger and more progressive, said David Johnson, the chief executive of Strategic Vision PR Group in Atlanta.

“When they embrace the gay or transgender community, it’s not out of line with their core beliefs,” he said.

A number of companies are moving forward with their Pride Month plans. In June, the Coors Light Denver Pride Parade will weave its way through the city. Advertisements for a one-piece Adidas swimsuit created by the South African queer designer Rich Mnisi feature a transgender man as the model. Levi’s has a campaign showing a half-dozen gay and transgender people talking about how they show up while wearing the company’s denim and tops.

But a number of other companies are being much less forthcoming about specific Pride Month plans. And some LGBTQ advocates criticized Target for seeming to cave to pressure. (The company’s decision did come as employees in the retail industry have faced increasingly aggressive behavior from customers since the start of the pandemic.)

Target also removed a Pride line from Abprallen, an LGBTQ fashion and accessories company based in London, some of whose designs have been criticized for depicting satanic symbols like pentagrams and a shirt that reads “Satan respects pronouns.” Abprallen did not respond to a request for comment.

“We will find out in the next week which companies are continuing to make a push and do Pride Month campaigns,” said Matt Skallerud, the president of Pink Media, which specializes in LGBTQ online marketing. “If companies we know have been supportive of Pride Month don’t show up this year, their absence will be noticed, and I’d be concerned that could harm them.”

Advocacy groups are wary that all of this could create a chilling effect, especially when it comes to attaining a broader representation of LGBTQ people in advertising.

“White gay men are the one segment that is most likely represented on our screens, whether it’s programming or ads,” said Lisette Arsuaga, co-founder of the Alliance for Inclusive and Multicultural Marketing. “We have now started moving forward with a greater representation of all of the letters within the LGBTQ.”

The overall consumer sentiment for seeing trans representation on TV and in advertising hasn’t changed, according to recent GLAAD research. In a survey conducted in February, GLAAD said 75 percent of people who did not identify as LGBTQ were comfortable seeing those people represented in marketing campaigns. That figure held steady from 2020.

“You can absolutely roll out an ad campaign and include LGBTQ folks in it,” said Ms. Ellis of GLAAD. “And at the same time, there is this political right-wing arm that you have to be aware of when you’re doing it and just be prepared for.”