London Pride celebrated pride over the weekend with huge crowds people turning out to watch the parade. There were so many requests to take part in the parade this year that organisers capped the number of people who could participate at 30,000 marchers.
In the lead up to the event London Pride developed an advertising campaign that asked, and answered, the question of why Pride still matters in 2018.
Set to the LGBTI anthem Somewhere Over the Rainbow a series of videos highlighted that LGBTI+ people still face many challenges. For all the advancements in marriage equality and combating stigma and discrimination, there are areas where much work is still needed.
Hate crimes are increasing.
People still get verbally abused.
People still struggle to come out to their friends and family.
The full video includes more people facing discrimination but it takes a turn for the better when people find understanding family members and the diverse LGBTI community.
Posted by Pride in London on Monday, June 25, 2018
Iain Walters, London Pride’s Director of Marketing, said the organisation took a very different approach this year with their marketing plan.
Creative agency BMB created the advertising campaign based on research that London Pride conducted with the community. In a video for Campaign Harry Boothman from the agency said “there are still lots of struggles going on.” and the challenge was to remind people that Pride is not just a party but also an important time to highlight inequality.
Walters said it was concerning that the number of LGBTI hate crimes in London had been gradually been increasing in recent years.
“There’s actually a 35% increase in gate crimes reported to the Metropolitan Police” Walters said revealing a survey had shown that nearly fifty per cent of LGBTI people in London had experienced a hate crime at some point in their life.
OIP Staff
