After the Supreme Court ruled in favor of legalizing same-sex marriage on June 26, numerous brands took to social media to announce their support of the decision, incorporating the rainbow flag in logos and using the hashtag #LoveWins. The ruling gave June's L.G.B.T. pride events even more weight as supporters enthusiastically crowded celebrations from San Francisco to New York. As more and more big-name brands embrace the L.G.B.T. community and show support for marriage equality, pride events and marches are becoming important cultural and experiential touch points.
Here's a look at how brands participated this year through sponsorship of pride events.
Target team members participated in Los Angeles, Twin Cities, and New York pride events by marching in the retail giant's red T-shirts. The top half of the company's signature bull's-eye logo was designed as a rainbow. Target also launched a social media campaign supporting equality with the hashtag #TakePride and sold a colorful collection of pride-theme merchandise on its website.
Ross Mathews of Live From E! officiated Washington, D.C.'s Capital Pride Parade's first-ever same-sex marriage on a float as part of the Marriott #LoveTravels campaign. The hospitality company made its L.G.B.T. social media campaign—which celebrates inclusion by sharing portraits and stories—front and center by offering swag that included sunglasses and T-shirts. The Prancing Elites from Oxygen Media were also part of the celebration.
Chipotle's slogan this year was the cheeky "ÂżHomo Estas?," which was printed over a rainbow burrito on white T-shirts that crew members gave away at events, along with buttons that read "I Eat Tacos" and "I Eat Burritos." At New York City's pride march on June 28, crew members manned a float that resembled the Mexican food chain's burrito wrapped in aluminum foil.
The community-driven hospitality company partnered with SF Pride for a second year. While employees participated in the celebration and parade, many also volunteered with community organizations that support the San Francisco L.G.B.T. community. The company's most notable presence was its mobile #HostWithPride pop-up, which traveled to various neighborhoods over a two-week period, encouraging residents to participate in D.I.Y. activities and a community art installation.
Google's largest presence was at San Francisco's parade, as more than 2,000 "Gayglers" and allies marched, carrying balloons with the android logo and wearing white T-shirts that read "andproud," which had spaces above for them to write an interesting or quirky quality about themselves. Google's float promoted Android, and, for people who couldn't make the events, the company threw a virtual "AndProud" parade that allowed anyone to create custom characters on Androidify.com. Employees also marched in New York and London.
The tech company marched in the New York parade with a company float decked out in purple, as well as in the San Francisco and Dublin parades. Around 2,000 employees also participated in Pride on the Green, an annual June event in San Francisco in which the company celebrates and educates about the L.G.B.T. community with local and national nonprofits including the Human Rights Campaign, the Trevor Project, and the SF AIDS Foundation.
The San Francisco-based ride-sharing company sponsored and participated in pride events in Boston, Portland, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, and San Francisco, with marching groups, floats, and cars displaying the brand's signature pink mustache. More than 60 drivers marched in the San Francisco parade, carrying a rainbow flag with the slogan "Ride With Pride."
The social news company hosted a pride party at the Highline Ballroom in New York. Performers included DJ Whitney Day, Alex Newell, and Countess LuAnn de Lesseps. Employees also marched for the first time in New York's parade.
