Riot, reputation, and resilience

As World Pride draws to a close, James Maxwell, executive creative director at VCCP Roar, takes a macro look at the awareness event, and where LGBTQ+ branding can go wrong.

Pride is a protest, not a party.

For brands, its history should be a masterclass in disruption and reputation management. Authenticity is key; the LGBTQ+ movement shouldn’t be a seasonal checklist but a reality check for the C-suite on how to thrive by upsetting the status quo.

Disruption? I was born this way!

The 1969 Stonewall riots and the 1966 Compton’s Cafeteria riot were raw, aggressive pushbacks against state-sanctioned oppression.

In the UK, the Gay Liberation Front (GLF) disrupted public events in 1971 with radical "zaps" to force media visibility. These were raucous, theatrical, uncomfortable, messy, and loud.

If you’re a brand needing to stand out, real disruption cannot be polished. Authentic disruption requires a clear stance and the willingness to upset the status quo.

If your strategy isn’t ruffling feathers, you aren't actually disrupting anything.

You’re just blending in. Conforming. Hiding in the closet. You need to throw a few bricks. Just ask Marsha P. Johnson.

You will survive! As long as you know how to love… (and stand by your principles)

In 1988, Section 28 passed, silencing LGBTQ+ visibility in local authorities and state schools overnight (repealed in 2003). In the US, the Reagan administration and its lack of response to the emergence of the HIV/AIDS crisis "have long been a subject of controversy and criticised by LGBTQ and AIDS advocacy*" groups, with catastrophic effect. The hard-won gains of the 70s were stripped away.

The movement doubled down and became more militant, more creative, and more emotive. It infiltrated key cultural moments and staged die-ins and knitted giant quilts.

The 90s saw a flourishing of queer visibility and acceptance slowly coming back into culture - such as Ellen, Will and Grace and greater legal equality. More people came out.

The lesson? For PR and marketing pros, a hostile environment shouldn't mean playing it safe; it means your creative execution needs to be sharper, bolder, and more undeniable.

The mainstreaming of queer culture in the 90s didn't happen by accident. It happened because the movement refused to crawl back into the closet during the dark days of the 80s.

We are family! But messaging by committee won’t slay

Movements don't survive on corporate jargon; they survive on unforgettable, defiant language. In the late 80s, we had "We’re here. We’re queer. Get used to it." It wasn't polite. It was a line in the sand.

Decades later, the marriage equality movement distilled a complex legal battle into three words: "Love is Love." Memorable phrasing signals absolute clarity and unyielding conviction. Modern marketers often fail because their copy is massaged by committee to avoid offending anyone.

If the message isn’t snappy and strong, it’s not going to be disruptive. Sing your core belief… loudly. Roar!

Somewhere over the rainbow-washing

For about a decade, thanks to corporate and wider social participation, Pride felt "safe". Brands slapped a rainbow on their logo, sponsored a float and collected progressive brand equity points. This created a false sense of security for the Pride movement itself.

Many assumed that society was becoming more progressive; the trajectory was linear. Not so fast, Judy…

The inauthenticity of the rainbow-washing era - the lip service and faux principles - meant that when waves of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and highly coordinated boycotts hit, alliances were broken easily. The Pride movement brand was not as established as it appeared.

Just think of the backlash faced by Target and Bud Light in recent years - proof that progress isn’t always forward. Everything shifted.

The lesson? If your marketing strategy relies on the assumption that the cultural landscape will never shift against you, you will be one of the disrupted.

It’s raining! Hallelujah! The importance of the whole ecosystem

True resilience isn't found in a silo; it’s found in unexpected, deep-rooted alliances.

In 1984, the Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners (LGSM) group in the UK raised money for striking Welsh coal miners. That cross-industry solidarity changed the political game.

Liz Taylor became the face of campaigning for the AIDS epidemic. Ted Kennedy in the US championed equality in the workplace. Madonna. Cher. Subaru. A range of names and influencers helped Pride as a brand, and queer culture flourish. We didn’t do it alone.

The lesson for marketers and PR gurus? Brand reputation is about the whole picture. All of it matters.

If your external ads are serving looks but your internal policies aren't matching the energy, you're just setting yourself up for a flop.

It's hard to think that the first London Pride in 1972 had roughly 2,000 marchers facing intense police, press, and societal scrutiny. But decades of relentless disruption, adaptation, and a refusal to back down turned it into a global phenomenon.

If we want to build lasting equity, we must embrace the core lesson of Pride: adapt, take a stand, and never stop pushing. Because honey, if you don’t disrupt yourself, how the hell do you expect to disrupt anybody else?

(With apologies to Ru Paul)