Flashy rainbow ads and Pride-themed campaigns are only part of the LGBTQ+ marketing story—and honestly, not the most important part. Real, meaningful representation starts from the inside out. That means aligning your brand’s messaging with inclusive internal practices and community support long before the first ad goes live. In this post, we’re digging into how advertising for queer audiences can actually hold water in the sea of rainbow profile pictures.

We’ve seen it in droves – the urge to launch an ad campaign with a queer spokesperson at the helm is strong. But if you’re not careful, it could come off as performative and ingenuine if your brand values and actions don’t align.

Rather than attempt to show everyone how inclusive you are in mass media, start at the grassroots level.

Rather than attempt to show everyone how inclusive you are in mass media, start at the grassroots level. It’s the difference between making your logo rainbow for a month or hiring the right models and showing up in support of queer-occupied spaces.

Patrick Hardy, Founder and President of Able Creative Group and strategic advisor for Mendoza gives a great example: “When you look at a Budweiser – they hired the trans actress [Dylan Mulvaney]. Compare that to a Coors who has long supported the LGBT community in grassroots ways by being in bars, giving promotional items, and sponsoring Pride fests and Outfests across the country,” Patrick says.

According to CNN, Anheuser-Busch’s big-leap attempt at reaching LGBTQ+ audiences likely cost them more than $1 billion in lost sales, possibly alienating a portion of their primary consumer base and appearing ingenuine to the audience they attempted to reach.

So, we know what doesn’t work…what else does?

“Inclusion for Gen Z goes beyond diversity, it requires authenticity…increasing purchase intent.”

Gen Z (and millennials) are ideally looking to patron brands who share a value system with them. A study by PACO Collective and Nimbly states, “Inclusion for Gen Z goes beyond diversity, it requires authenticity…increasing purchase intent.” On the flip side, the same study also states, “Inclusion that feels forced, tokenistic, or performative can actually decrease purchase intent.”

And it’s not just about consistently supporting the LGBTQ+ community externally; much of this work can begin with what goes on at headquarters.

If your employees are happy, they become advocates for your company outside of their working hours. This means giving a diverse workforce equal opportunities and benefits in their roles as well as having them sit in leadership positions on your teams.

If the people making the decisions are part of the communities you’re trying to reach, you run less of a risk of innocently alienating certain groups of people. You can also be comfortable in knowing your campaigns are coming from a place of genuine understanding.

At the end of the day, marketing to queer audiences is about rethinking your values, actions, and voice year-round. When brands take the time to listen, show up consistently, and align their internal culture with the communities they hope to reach, they stand a chance at earning the trust and respect of their target audiences.

We believe any progress is valuable, and one day, it won’t even be a discussion.