Open With Pride
Client: West Pride. Yrgo, 2019.
Credits:
Charlie Ekman, Art Director
Martin Björkqvist, Art Director
Ole Fjellman, Copywriter
Timmie Farby Måssebäck, Copywriter
Thomas Norrgård, Copywriter
Task: Create a marketing concept for LGBTQ certifications.
West Pride is a Gothenburg based nonprofit that, among other things, organises the annual West Pride Festival and parade during Pride Week. West Pride also provides education, lectures and certifications for schools and businesses, to improve LGBTQ inclusivity and awareness. Having recently revamped their LGBTQ certification program for businesses, West Pride needed to create a marketing concept for it, including naming and branding.
Our solution, Open With Pride, is based on the dual meaning of the words “open” and “closed” for offices and businesses, with the initial inspiration coming from the classic “Come In, We’re Open / Sorry, We’re Closed” sign.
Referencing statistics from research done in the 2000:s, a staggering 49% of swedish employees that identified as LGBTQ stated that they felt obligated to hide their identity at work because of fear of alienation and/or discrimination. This is the basis for our Open With Pride concept: Many businesses are “closed”, and they need West Pride’s help to become truly open.
Door hangers
Used in the initial “Attention and Activity” part of the campaign. West Pride volunteers place these on various businesses in the city, with the question “Is this place open?”. Directs attention to the campaign website.
Campaign website
Communicates West Pride as the organiser of the campaign. There are two main sections. The first encourages visitors to submit their anonymous testimonials of alienation or discrimination at work. These can be read publicly by, for example, prominent LGBTQ authors or actors at the West Pride Festival or other events, a concept called Open Mic. Some pre-recorded examples are available on the site. The second section presents the visitor with a quick yes/no poll, asking if they’ve ever felt the need to hide their LGBTQ identity at work.
Print ad concepts
Can be used as cost effective posters on the municipal posterboards in the city of Gothenburg, or possibly as newsprint ads with partnering newspapers.
SoMe video concept
Video to be posted on West Pride social channels and as sponsored posts, driving traffic to the campaign website.
Direct mail and Certification plaque
Once the “Attention and Actitvity” phase is done and we get closer to Pride Month, a press release is published and sent to news outlets. Following that, the final step is sending a direct mail message to selected businesses in the Gothenburg region, encouraging them to invest in West Pride’s LGBTQ certification. Once certified, the company is awarded a plaque or sticker to place next to their entrance, proclaiming that they are now Open With Pride.
