Kicking off June, we have a lot to celebrate – school is out, summer has arrived and its Pride month! Pride month gives an opportunity to reflect on the first half of the year, realign commitments, and consider the progress we have made and still need to make in the LGBTQIA+ community.
I was very fortunate to grow up in a community that celebrated Pride month with flags, parades, block parties and all the rainbows you could find. I remember walking into coffee shops during the month, seeing a flag posted as a statement on the window, and never having to consider if I was welcome. The message was clear: everyone was accepted and celebrated regardless of who they love.
Later as I grew up and left this niche community, I was faced with a different Pride month, a rather gray Pride month. Outside of this community, I found less celebration and more hushed tones. The same year I moved away, same-sex marriage was legalized in the United States, and I found myself ready to celebrate, but with a much smaller community this time. The message outside wavered, some were accepted, but maybe not celebrated.
Now, I see Pride month as a time to reflect on ways to ensure that my message is clear. Love should be celebrated, fought for, and a right for all. The message you put out into the world is important, it needs to remain authentic and focused to resonate. Messaging, as we know in digital advertising, is everything.
A few weeks ago, Target rolled out a Pride collection that was highly anticipated by the LGBTQIA+ community and, while some of the design became the butt of some jokes, this was an important message for the brand to put out. We see brands of all sizes taking on new messaging to support LGBTQIA+ efforts and targeting new audiences with Pride-related content, but Brkthru does things a little differently.
At Brkthru, we tailor to your needs and believe it is our responsibility as connectors and communicators to reach diverse, multicultural audiences by targeting in an inclusive manner that is welcoming and doesn’t single out individual groups. We ensure that from the employee level to campaign level, our message is clear that every voice in the audience counts.
As an employee, I find myself feeling the same level of joy and acceptance from this company and my work as I once did in my home community.
The message is clear when asking Co-Founder Jeff Hastedt about the importance of pride at Brkthru. He says, “Brkthru celebrates pride every day, not just in June. In fact, as co-founder, we set this standard on day one. Our incredibly diverse staff also includes the LGBTQ community, of which my family and I belong. It was difficult for me throughout my career to be my authentic self at work and I’m incredibly happy that those at Brkthru can feel comfortable to be themselves. Happy Pride Month!” #community#love#people