Under Armour, Converse, Ikea top Pride engagement on Instagram

Brief:

Under Armour, Converse and Ikea USA saw the highest engagement for Pride-related content on Instagram compared to their average levels, per Socialbakers data shared with Mobile Marketer. Calvin Klein, MAC Cosmetics and Levi's showed mixed results for their Pride-related posts on the image-sharing app.
Under Armour's top Pride-related post displaying a rainbow-colored pair of sneakers drew more than 200,000 interactions. Converse received 136,000 interactions for an exterior picture of its headquarters building decorated for Pride Month, while Ikea saw 32,000 interactions for a post announcing a limited-edition, rainbow-colored shopping bag.
Pride-related hashtags also saw a significant jump this month among social influencers. More than 3,000 creators on Instagram used the hashtags #pride, #pridemonth or #pride2019 on June 23, Socialbakers found.

Insight:

It's not entirely clear why Under Armour, Converse and Ikea generated top results for their Pride-related posts on Instagram while content from Calvin Klein, MAC Cosmetics and Levi's performed in line with their usual posts. However, the data is another indication of how marketers have boosted their Pride-themed marketing as younger demographics like Generation Z show greater acceptance of gender diversity and tend to support brands that demonstrate an authentic commitment to social causes.

The spike in influencers using Pride-related hashtags demonstrates how social creators reflect the mindset of the millennial and Gen Z consumers that they attempt to reach. Virtually all influencer campaigns use Instagram, spurring the Facebook-owned platform to let advertisers turn influencer posts into paid ads that can reach a wider audience.

Hitting the right tone with Pride-themed marketing typically means that brands need to show they're not looking to merely cash in on a prevailing trend. Fifty percent of Americans said they're more likely to perceive Pride-themed products or content as a marketing tactic than an accurate reflection of a brand's values, per a recent YouGov survey.

To overcome that consumer skepticism, brands must make meaningful gestures such as donations to charities that support the LGBTQ+ community. Chipotle Mexican Grill, for example, donated part of the proceeds from its Pride-themed gear to The Trevor Project, the suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ+ youth. As part of its Pride campaign, Bloomingdale's this month is donating $1 for every social media post that includes the #BloomiesLovesHousingWorks hashtag to a New York-based nonprofit that fights homelessness and AIDS.

More than 50 brands such as Nike, American Eagle and Disney also are supporting nonprofits like GLAAD, GLSEN and the It Gets Better Foundation, Newsweek reported. This year's Pride Month has special significance for the LGBTQ+ community as it's the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots that spurred the gay rights movement in the 1960s.