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Before you go rainbow on LinkedIn, take a closer look at your culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n An inclusive campaign starts with an inclusive team. But many companies don\u2019t know where to begin. Here’s how to create a culture that genuinely supports LGBTQ+ colleagues – with care and clarity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Practical steps:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Example: Salesforce Takeaway: Authentic Pride starts with a workplace where LGBTQ+ people feel safe, seen and supported \u2014 not just featured in a campaign. \u201cWe all get it wrong sometimes. Pride is, at its heart, a protest – a movement for change. Brands need to embrace the same mindset: listen, grow, and do better.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n 2. Avoid the rainbow rinse<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Pride isn\u2019t a seasonal trend. Representation should live beyond June and be integrated throughout the year in your people, your content, your media choices and your campaigns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Example: Skittles 3. Put money (or resource) behind your message<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Support can\u2019t just be symbolic. If you\u2019re celebrating Pride publicly, ask yourself: where is the value going? Are you donating to LGBTQ+ organisations? Are you platforming queer creatives and suppliers?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Example: The Body Shop Takeaway: If you\u2019re profiting from Pride, find a way to give back to the people behind it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 4. Speak with, not just about, the community<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Representation shouldn\u2019t be designed in a vacuum. Involve LGBTQ+ voices from the start – as creators, consultants, strategists, and storytellers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Example: Absolut Takeaway: Inclusion is a process, not a checkbox. Partner with people who live the experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 5. Be brave enough to evolve<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n We all get it wrong sometimes. Pride is, at its heart, a protest – a movement for change. Brands need to embrace the same mindset: listen, grow, and do better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Example: Lego Why it matters – and what the data says:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Takeaway: Diversity isn\u2019t just morally right – it\u2019s commercially smart. Be open to feedback, commit to progress, and reap the creative and cultural rewards<\/p>\n\n\n\n So\u2026 how can we all do better?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n At Smithfield, we work in an industry built on influence. That comes with responsibility. As communicators, we help shape stories, spend media money, and choose who\u2019s seen and heard. Pride is a chance – not just in June or July, but always – to use that power for good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s not be afraid to ask ourselves the hard questions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n With empathy, openness and collaboration, brands can move from rainbow-washing to real-world impact – creating not just campaigns, but communities of care.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Every June, social feeds, storefronts and brand logos burst into rainbow colour. It\u2019s well-meaning. Sometimes wonderful. But all too often, it\u2019s also shallow. Rainbow-washing – the act of performing support for the LGBTQ+ community with little meaningful action behind it – has become a well-known term for a reason. And audiences are savvy to it. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":226737,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","wds_primary_category":1,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[193],"class_list":["post-226728","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-insights","tag-pride"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/smithfieldagency.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/226728","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/smithfieldagency.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/smithfieldagency.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smithfieldagency.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smithfieldagency.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=226728"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/smithfieldagency.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/226728\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":226739,"href":"https:\/\/smithfieldagency.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/226728\/revisions\/226739"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smithfieldagency.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/226737"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/smithfieldagency.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=226728"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smithfieldagency.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=226728"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smithfieldagency.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=226728"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
1. Start from the inside out<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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<\/strong>Salesforce supports internal ERGs like Outforce, provides inclusive benefits, and publicly tracks workforce representation. Their external messaging is backed by a robust internal culture – making it authentic, not performative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Since 2020, Skittles has removed its signature rainbow for Pride Month, giving it back to the LGBTQ+ community, and partnered with GLAAD to elevate queer artists on packaging and social. The campaign makes space for others to shine, rather than centre the brand.Takeaway: It\u2019s not just about showing up during<\/em> Pride. It\u2019s about showing up for<\/em> Pride, consistently, consciously, and collaboratively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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For Pride 2024, The Body Shop donated 100% of profits from their Rainbow Soap to Switchboard, a helpline supporting LGBTQ+ people. They also trained their staff on LGBTQ+ awareness and collaborated with grassroots queer creators across social.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Their #BornToMix<\/em> campaign brought together LGBTQ+ talent to co-create events, content, and community conversations, not just be featured in an ad. The result was a campaign that felt alive, intersectional and co-owned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/strong>When Lego launched its \u201cEveryone Is Awesome\u201d Pride set, it wasn\u2019t just about rainbow bricks – it was about celebration without corporate branding. More importantly, Lego responded publicly to feedback about leadership diversity, committing to measurable internal change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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