Burger King's Proud Whopper

Now trending. Awesome idea & execution for this year's pride.

Ad Spotlight: Lucky Charms

Lucky Charms is back this year with their #LuckyToBe campaign celebrating our differences that make the world colorful and interesting. This is one of my favorite efforts. While not explicitly or exclusively an LGBT campaign, the timing and tone seems spot on for the youthful brand. General Mills scores a perfect 100 on HRC's Corporate Equality Index.

Nike Launches LGBT Inspired Shoes

Just in time to celebrate pride month, Nike has launched a pair of shoes that are inspired by and support the LGBT community called the #BETRUE collection. They're available at Nike.com and select Nike retailers nationwide. Wonder if we'll see Jason Collins sporting these sometime very soon.

Hilton Launches Gay Travel Offer

Hilton has a new program for LGBT travelers attending pride festivals and other LGBT events around the world, called "Stay Hilton. Go Out." It includes free high speed internet, two welcome beverages, a year's subscription to OUT magazine, and late checkout. Not bad! Hilton scored a 90/100 in HRC's 2013 Corporate Equality Index.

Ad Spotlight: Chevy Volt

This Pride ad from Chevrolet is going viral. Really nice work. 

Obama on Pride Month

Target launches pride shirts to support the Family Equality Council

Just in time for pride next month, Target has launched a line of gay pride tee-shirts, available for purchase here. Every penny of the $12.99 purchase price is going directly to the Family Equality Council. Nice to seem them putting money behind a true brand effort and not trying to make a quick buck off this. 

Coca Cola to Sponsor NYC Pride

In a surprising move, Coca Cola announced today that it will be the presenting sponsor of NYC gay pride this year. Surprisingly good, that is, that the top global brand in the world is openly making such a major commitment to the LGBT community. With support for gay rights highest amount younger age groups and with kids coming out younger and younger, it seems like a good business decision too. 

Here's what they said via press release: “At Coca-Cola, one of our seven core values is diversity, and we define that in a simple way - we are as inclusive as our brands,” said Hallie Lorber, Director of Field Marketing, Northeast region. “Through our partnership with NYC Pride, we hope to promote diversity by recognizing the valued members of the Coca-Cola family who help build our business every day, as well as people in the LGBT community for whom our brands inspire moments of optimism, happiness and refreshment.” 

Tel Aviv: The Next Big Gay Tourism Spot

That's right, Tel Aviv is emerging as an iconic international gay vacation destination. Did you know that Tel Aviv hosts the largest pride parade in Asia? Or that it was named by Out Magazine as the gay capital of the middle east? Or that the city devotes more than a third of its marketing budget to attracting LGBT tourists with campaigns like this one? Or that gays serve openly in Israel's military? I didn't. Here's an interesting article to learn more. 

Beyond Better: A Manifesto for Queer Youth

Here's an outstanding video that was made by the students of Margaret Himley's Queer Writing class at Syracuse University last year. The course is part of Syracuse's LGBT Studies minor (which I proudly hold), the first of its kind in the United States.

Wishing Everyone a Happy Pride

Ad Spotlight: Rokk Vodka

I've never heard of Rokk, but I like their LGBT pride campaign, which highlights the fact that they've been a big sponsor of GLAAD:

Hotels to Avoid for San Francisco Pride

Sleep With The Right People (SWTRP), a collaboration between the organization UNITE HERE and the LGBT community, has launched a list of hotels to avoid if you're going to San Francisco this year for pride. They are: 

• Hyatt Regency Hotel – Embarcadero
• Grand Hyatt Hotel – Union Square
• Hyatt Fisherman’s Wharf Hotel
• Le Meridien Hotel
• Hotel Frank

Click here for more information. Or, to see a list of hotels to avoid across the whole country, click here. 

Old Navy Launches Pride-Themed T-Shirts

Yesterday, Old Navy released a line of Pride-themed T-shirts. 10% of the proceeds will go to the "It Gets Better" project. A spokeswoman for the store released a statement saying, "our customers and employees are of many different ethnicities, faiths and lifestyles, and we support them all.” 

LOGO's Guide to Pride

LOGO has just released an online guide to this year's upcoming Pride celebrations around the world. Click here to take a look. And well you're at it, check out my recent article on marketing for Pride here. 

Let's Get Loud: My Article on Pride Marketing in the April/May Edition of Echelon Magazine

Another article I wrote has been published in Echelon, a national magazine serving the LGBT business community. This latest article focuses on the do's and don'ts of marketing during Pride, and appears in the current April/May edition. Click here to check it out.