Background

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.

Describe the strategy

From our conversations with members of the LGBTQI+ community, we learned that the social aspect of Pride was not just a “good to have,' 'but the primary reason people participated. We knew traditional social channels wouldn’t be the solution, but a social game — because games are places where self-expression and interaction are integrated by design. One game, in particular, Animal Crossing New Horizons (ACNH) proved to be the game of the pandemic season. Players get to enjoy a peaceful existence full of creativity, freedom, and charm, and it caught the attention of the ‘Gaymer’ community (over 20,000+ LGBTQI+ conversations within the first month of its launch). Thus, we united the Pride movement with a 2020 favourite: Global Pride Crossing, a social activation that embraces and celebrates identity and encourages respect and acceptance of the LGBTQI+ community.

Describe the execution

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 so much more. We actively shared our fun-filled Pride Island on Twitter, which already had a large and active community for all things ACNH. Gaymers quickly caught on and joined in on the celebrations, organizing 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/Facebook 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.

List the results

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.