P&G has a longstanding commitment to equality, inclusion, and advocacy for the LGBTQ+ community.

At the height of the pandemic, in-person Pride Month 2020 events were cancelled from coast to coast, leaving millions of people without a lifeline they have come to depend on in a time when they needed it most. All while the community continued to be disproportionally affected by the impacts of COVID-19 with record unemployment, LGBTQ+ support centers closed, and compromised access to vital physical and mental health services and aid.

P&G’s objective was to use its voice and reach to be a force for good and a force for growth for LGBTQ+ community, shaping a dialogue about visibility, understanding, normalization, and humanity – particularly in this challenging time when our country was facing a global pandemic and civic unrest.

In Summer 2020, P&G partnered with GLAAD on the first-ever “LGBTQ Inclusion in Advertising and Media” study, which measures how non-LGBTQ Americans respond to LGBTQ representation in television, films, and ads. The findings of the study demonstrate that inclusive media images lead to greater acceptance and understanding of the LGBTQ community.

These results further fueled P&G’s intention to use its reach and voice to increase the authentic visibility of marginalized people through a Pride Month celebration – even if in 2020 we had to show pride a little differently.

We tapped into the human insight that although you can cancel a parade, you Can’t Cancel Pride.

P&G wanted to show that Pride is bigger than an event or even a month; it lives in all of us, and it comes in any form in which we wish to show it. Events may be cancelled, but nothing can cancel our Pride.

In order to increase authentic visibility and raise funds for diverse LGBTQ+ communities impacted by COVID-19, P&G partnered with iHeartMedia for the virtual “Can’t Cancel Pride: A COVID-19 Relief Benefit.”

P&G and iHeartMedia partnered with a host of companies to develop an hour-long virtual benefit that brought together the most inspirational voices and allies in the LGBTQ+ community, including hosts Elvis Duran and Laverne Cox, Adam Lambert, Ben Platt, Big Freedia, Bill Porter, Katy Perry, Nico Tortorella, Ricky Martin, Sia, Titus Burgess, and many more.

To drive tune-in and donations to the virtual benefit on June 25, P&G, partners collaborated on a robust communications strategy.

The Group created and encouraged consumers to post and follow #CantCancelPride, which sparked various conversations and positive engagement amongst consumers, the LGBTQ+ community, and allies.

H+K led a content and publishing strategy for P&G Corporate’s Newsroom that effectively communicated and strengthened P&G’s position as a leader in the LGBTQ+ space. H+K also designed an influencer strategy that represented a broad spectrum of the LGBTQ+ community, leveraging influencers to invite their audiences to join the conversation and include swipe-up links or link in bio to direct followers to the event.

H+K along with iHeartMedia and Sunshine Sachs also conducted extensive media outreach to extend communications, securing entertainment and marketing coverage in publications such as Rolling Stone, Variety, The New York Times, Good Morning America, AdWeek, Billboard, USA Today People and more.

• $4 million+ raised to date that will benefit 6 diverse LGBT+ organizations: National Black Justice Coalition, GLAAD, SAGE, The Trevor Project, CenterLink and OutRight Action International

• More than 4.2+ million tuned in to the show

• 1 billion+ earned media impressions

• 3.2K media placements

• 11 P&G brands participating with 7 in-show integrations

• 99.8% positive social sentiment

• #CantCancelPride: trending # in the United States as well as in 63 U.S. cities and 5 countries

Despite COVID-19 canceling several in-person celebrations, P&G served as a beacon of hope and played a leading role during Pride.