As Pride Month comes to a close, many big retailers are pulling back on their marketing efforts for LGBTQ+ pride products. Marketing experts and advocates alike perceive this as a sign that brands aren’t promoting their Pride collections on social media as heavily as they have in past years.
“It’s not dropping the support,” said Barbara Kahn, a marketing professor at University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. “But they’re dropping the spotlight.” It’s possible that this shift reflects a natural progression – if lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people are regarded as part of the norm, there may be no point in making a big statement.
Members of the LGBTQ+ community who previously got work tied to Pride Month cite a marked change in demand for their services. Not all interpret this pullback positively. Alysse Dalessandro, a plus-size fashion and travel blogger and LGBTQ+ content creator, said that 35 clients hired her as a model for their Pride social media campaigns in 2022. The number dropped to nine last year and to five so far this year.
“The hard part for me as a creator is that I can’t change my identity,” Dalessandro said. “How I make money is also who I am and who I love.” GLSEN, a nonprofit advocacy group, has also seen a drop in revenue from Pride Month activities last year and again this year.
However, not all companies are pulling back on their support for the LGBTQ+ community. American Eagle Outfitters plans to offer a year-round Pride collection to “promote acceptance and equality,” said Jennifer Foyle, president and executive creative director of American Eagle and Aerie. Strauss & Co., which have brought out Pride Month collections for many years, did so again.
Other retailers are recognizing the shift in demand by shifting their focus away from rainbows and towards more inclusive messaging. Smith, founder of The Phluid Project, said his own brand is getting away from rainbows and evolving into a year-round fashion collection. Low-cost Swedish retailer H&M sold a Pride collection in 2018 and 2019 but stopped doing so because it “chose not to commercialize Pride or other cultural months.” Instead, the company focuses on reaffirming its dedication to the LGBTQ+ community through partnerships with groups like The Trevor Project.
As for how retailers are recognizing other heritage months, experts say that special merchandising and marketing campaigns around these events are also fading. Target CEO Brian Cornell told reporters last year that the company had learned from the Pride backlash and planned to be more thoughtful in how it approached all heritage months.