How These Two SMBs Supported the LGBTQ+ Community on a Shoestring Budget
For small-to-medium-sized (SMB) companies operating on limited budgets, launching campaigns supporting the LGBTQ+ community requires a thoughtful and resourceful approach. However, with strategic planning, genuine commitment, and innovative thinking, these companies can effectively engage the LGBTQ+ community and align their brand values with social progress.
Two SMBs that created impactful initiatives that resonated with the LGBTQ+ community are the Los Angeles LGBT Center, and Tamia. Despite budget constraints, both brands executed meaningful campaigns that celebrated diversity, promoted acceptance, and supported the LGTQ+ community.
Los Angeles LGBT Center: "What's Love?": A Campaign for Family Acceptance
The Los Angeles LGBT Center is an organization dedicated to supporting the LGBTQ+ community. Since 1969, the nonprofit has provided queer and trans people with services and programs related to health, social services, housing, culture, education, leadership, advocacy and more. For the 31st anniversary of National Coming Out Day, the organization wanted to remind parents that accepting their teens gender identity and/or social orientation has a significant impact on their well-being.
The campaign was inspired by an insight uncovered by the Family Acceptance Project at San Francisco State University. According to the research, LGBTQ+ youth from highly rejecting families were more than eight times more likely to commit suicide. To highlight how LGBTQ acceptance can mitigate this risk, and drive awareness of its organization's resources, the Los Angeles LGBT Center created two online videos culminating in the "What's Love?" campaign.
The first video contrasted stereotypical teenage heartbreaks, such as unrequited puppy love, with the heartbreak LGBTQ teens experience when their parents disprove of their sexual orientation or gender identity. The campaign was also supplemented by content around the video's cast coming out journey. The organization shared their stories and provided parents with additional content highlighting actions steps they could take to support their teens when they come out.
Results
With a budget of $10,000 and no paid media, What's Love earned 16 million views in one week, saw a 156 percent increase in backlinks to the site, and received an influx of calls around National Coming Out Day. The initiative also drove support from volunteers that are actively supporting families, parents, and teens.
Taimi's "America the Beautiful": Transforming Anthem for LGBTQ+ Unity
Taimi is an LGBTQ+ dating app that hosts over 17 million users. Based in Ukraine, the brand is the world largest and fastest-growing LGBTQ+ dating application in the world. In the face of over 600 proposed anti-LGBTQ+ legislations, drag event backlash, the stripping of gender affirming care, and an increase in violent threats to the LGTQ+ community in the U.S, Taimi created its "America the Beautiful" campaign.
The initiative leveraged "America the Beautiful," written in 1895 by American author, poet, and alleged lesbian Katherine Lee Bates. The campaign invited Americans to reimagine the patriotic song as a unifying call to apply America's core values of freedom, acceptance, inclusion, liberty, and self-expression to the LGBTQ+ community. Launched in May 2023, the song was incorporated into a video portraying queer couples, drag queens, and other members of the LGBTQ+ community expressing themselves freely.
The campaign targeted Taimi users and prospects in American cities less tolerant towards the LGBTQ+ community, including active users and queer individuals across Dallas, TX; Omaha, NE; Tulsa, OK; Colorado Springs, CO, and more. Despite being banned in nearly six states, the brand partnered with several brave OOH vendors who donated millions of dollars' worth of digital OOH inventory to carry the campaign across nine markets. The initiative was further supplemented by organic, influencer, and paid social media activations.
Results
Taimi's campaign generated nearly 262 million impressions attributed to press coverage. OOH channels earned 40 million impressions and drove a 22 percent increase in visits to the Taimi website. The campaign also resulted in a 4 percent lift in registration.
The views and opinions expressed are solely those of the contributor and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the ANA or imply endorsement from the ANA.
Dominick Fils-Aimé is a manager of editorial and content development at ANA.