What is pink washing and what is not?
June is Pride Month! CSD parades and events are taking place again this year in many major cities to increase the visibility of the community and highlight current issues.
Many companies have also been joining in for some time and apparently want to show the outside world that they support the scene and stand behind it. However, some people, partly from the community, partly from outside, view actions of this kind skeptically. They fear that a marketing concept is being used here to reach a larger target group. Their accusation is that the companies concerned are not interested in supporting the community, but in creating the most likeable image possible.
Why are some LGBTQIA+ products actually so expensive?
First of all, of course there are exceptions. There are companies that advertise authentically even during Pride Month and are thus very well received by their target group. But there are also counterexamples.
The whole thing becomes particularly "critical" when the products in question, with which support is to be expressed, are offered more expensively than the classic version. Any donation as part of the sale, which is so often advertised, is then conversely borne by the customers and not by the companies themselves.
How do you actually "properly" support Pride Month?
A fair question... Perhaps also one that many companies that have come up with promotions are asking themselves. A look at the social networks shows a small section of what many members of the community would like to see. In a way, the opinion "Less is more!" seems to prevail here.
Or in other words: companies and brands that actually want to donate do not necessarily need to rely on broad marketing in this context. Often, gestures of this kind are received a little more gratefully if it doesn't appear to be about improving the company's own image. In addition, many members of the community would obviously like to see campaigns, such as a special edition for Pride Month, not only launched in June, but also throughout the year.
In general, what is Pink Washing exactly?
Since many companies have decided to explicitly side with the community and express their support through special products, there have been accusations of pink washing. Of course, those responsible vehemently deny that they support the LGBTQIA+ community solely for their own purposes.
This is often reflected in the comment columns on social networks, among other places. If users make homophobic comments, it usually doesn't take long for an admin comment to call for more respect and tolerance. However, what is ultimately actually to be achieved with rainbow-style packaging and special products, and how much honesty lies behind this type of marketing, will probably never be clarified.
But regardless of the intention, the community often benefits from the fact that a portion of the proceeds is actually donated. And one thing is certain: without this kind of "mainstream marketing", Pride Month would certainly be somewhat easier to "overlook" - at least for the masses.