Pride Campaigns Went Ahead Despite Bud Light and Target Controversies
Makayla Couture was among the drag performers featured in The Body Shop’s ‘Freedom to be’ campaign, intended as a response to anti-drag backlash in the U.S.
By Megan Graham and Patrick Coffee
Major marketers moved ahead with Pride Month efforts in June after recent controversies with Bud Light and Target raised questions about how much commitment to LGBTQ rights brands would show this year. But some marketing professionals say the fallout from those disputes has begun to reshape how companies approach social causes.
Pride Month began soon after a Bud Light collaboration with a transgender influencer triggered a boycott and Target’s Pride collection sparked a backlash that it said included in-store confrontations. Some conservatives sought to build on those clashes by calling for boycotts of brands that advertise their support for Pride. “The goal is to make ‘pride’ toxic for brands,” conservative commentator Matt Walsh wrote on Twitter.
The Body Shop nonetheless ran a “Freedom to be” campaign featuring drag performers that the cosmetics and skin care retailer called a response to rising anti-drag legislation and sentiment in the U.S. As it has in the past, the chain pre-emptively trained employees to respond to possible negative reactions from consumers, the company said.
So far the response has been positive, said Hilary Lloyd, vice president of marketing and corporate social responsibility for The Body Shop North America.
June 30, 2023