Title | GLOBAL PRIDE CROSSING |
Brand | INTERPRIDE, EUROPEAN PRIDE ORGANISERS ASSOCIATION (EPOA) |
Product / Service | GLOBAL PRIDE 2020 |
Category | A07. Not-for-profit / Charity / Government |
Entrant | WE ARE SOCIAL Singapore, SINGAPORE |
Idea Creation | WE ARE SOCIAL Singapore, SINGAPORE |
Production | SWIPEBACK Montreuil, FRANCE |
Name | Company | Position |
---|---|---|
Lucile Araud | SwipeBack | Art Director |
Christina Chong | We Are Social | Managing Director |
Erasmus Ess William | We Are Social | Head of Production |
YouQuan Fu | We Are Social | Senior Media Artist |
Clio Goh | We Are Social | Producer |
Craig Howie | We Are Social | Executive Creative Director |
Werner Iucksch | We Are Social | Planning Director |
Ian Jahng | We Are Social | Creative Director |
Alessio Laudato | We Are Social | Senior Art Director |
Denicia Lew | We Are Social | Account Manager |
Cedric Lim | We Are Social | Senior Producer |
Jeremy Lim | We Are Social | Senior Copywriter |
Benjamin Oi | We Are Social | Associate Account Director |
Arnaud Robin | We Are Social | Innovation Director |
Nikhil Roy | SwipeBack | Creative Director |
Ika Shazanni | We Are Social | Traffic Executive |
Fabrice Starzinskas | SwipeBack | Producer |
Ernie Sulastri | We Are Social | Editor |
Benn Tan | We Are Social | Art Director |
Melantha Tan | We Are Social | Planner |
Vivian Tan | We Are Social | Traffic Manager |
Max Vedel | SwipeBack | Creative Director |
Boone Wong | We Are Social | Head of Copy |
Pride events are statements of equality, dignity and acceptance for the LGBTQI+ community. Every year, over 500 events are organised during Pride month (June) all around the world. However, in 2020, COVID crashed the party: IRL celebrations were cancelled, and millions of LGBTQI+ people lost their most cherished opportunity to come together and celebrate whoever they are and what they stand for. A year without Pride was inconceivable, so Pride organisations banded together to form Global Pride 2020: bringing the festivities online with a 24-hour stream of LGBTQI+ content. However, we quickly identified that the social aspect of in-person events would be missed and that we needed to find a supporting experience to achieve two key objectives: re-engage the community and generate earned media to further the LGBTQI+ movement, all with the challenge of $0 media spend.
In a time of isolation, with a community so often faced with barriers to expression, we needed to create a safe and alternative space where the LGBTQI+ community could continue to freely gather and express themselves during Pride month. One game, in particular, caught the eyes of the queer community: Animal Crossing New Horizons (ACNH). Within the first month of its launch, it earned over 20,000 LGBTQI+ conversations. This wholesome corner of the Internet became the perfect platform for Pride: turning prominent IRL activities into a virtual celebration. Introducing Global Pride Crossing, a social activation free from the borders and barriers of the outside world and a new and lovely home for Global Pride 2020.
The activation was built around a Pride-themed in-game island, which brought signature Pride activities online: a rainbow brick road, a Queer Hall of Fame, a Pride-themed clothing collection, and much more. In the two weeks leading up to Global Pride’s 24-hour broadcast, we actively shared our fun-filled Pride Island on Twitter, which already had a large and active community for all things ACNH. LGBTQI+ players quickly caught on and joined in on the celebrations, organising their own in-game Pride parades using our designs. To further spread the joy and community of Pride, we teamed up with pro-LGBTQI+ gaming creators. Through Twitch live streams, more people got to experience a virtual Pride in some form or another. Global Pride Crossing was buzzing with positive energy, conversation and fun - all trademarks of physical Pride events and of the LGBTQI+ community at large.
Global Pride Crossing thrived with $0 media spend. Our campaign hashtag garnered over 25.2 million organic impressions within a fortnight, even Nike used our hashtag for their ACNH Pride apparel collection drop. ACNH islands exploded in a flurry of rainbows with users actively sharing and using our design codes, in turn, they were just as enthusiastic about sharing their own. Our Twitter channel was buzzing with over 93,000 engagements. The gaymer community tuned in to our influencers’ live streams, reaching over 1.07 million minutes watched across Twitch, Facebook and YouTube; that’s 24 months of non-stop Pride celebration packed in less than two weeks. The media fell in love with our idea and further spread our call. The campaign was featured in 89 publications, reaching an estimated 3.86 million readers. Global Pride Crossing kept the Pride flag flying high, making a positive social impact beyond the screens.