Opinion: The rainbow washing of marketing campaigns during Pride may seem like a positive, but are those bright colours really supporting the LGBTQ+ community or just fulfilling a brand purpose?
We’re fast heading toward summer, which to most means sunshine, holidays and ice cream. But to many in the marketing and advertising world, it means incorporating rainbows into campaigns ahead of Pride month in June.
Throughout June, July and August, rainbows seem to appear everywhere as brands show their apparent support for the LGBTQ+ community. While this may seem like a positive thing - after all, supporting a marginalized community can only ever be a good thing, right? - the rainbow washing of everything from fizzy drinks to bank windows doesn’t really tell the whole story.
Support versus brand purpose
For starters, there is a big difference between supporting a community…
Is the rise of online bullying and hate / fake news putting the younger generation off interacting on Facebook?
Recent figures have shown that Facebook's monthly active users between 12-24-years old have decreased, but why are the younger generations moving away from Facebook in preference for other social platforms available?
Whilst Facebook constantly dominates global statistics on active users worldwide, I've never been their biggest advocate. Reaching past 2 billion monthly active users in 2017, Facebook has always looked impressive on paper with its high user figures - but who are these users, what do they use Facebook for and why should we all care? 2 billion users does not mean 2 billion brand interactions, it does not mean 2 billion conversions and it does not mean 2 billion people are going to see your post and you'll become a social media influencer overnight. So why do we all hype about their…
