2022 Winner

CASE SUMMARY

The campaign stemmed from the observation that the ubiquity and festive nature of the iconic pride flag, a joyful symbol of celebration and affirmation, often tends to overshadow the persistent hardships of many members of the community. In the Western world, many open-minded citizens have even come to believe that LGBTQ2+ communities are now widely accepted, and that homophobia is now rather anecdotal. Therefore, some even question the necessity of celebrating a pride month and strutting the pride flag, as acceptance seems widespread and normalized.

However, for many members of the community, the rainbow flag doesn’t quite represent a symbol of pride and emancipation. In some countries, pride parades and marches are still illegal and repressed. In Russia, waiving the pride or transgender flag is seen as a provocative gesture and can lead to prosecution. And both at home and abroad, many homosexuals and transgender people are targeted by hateful and violent acts.

The insight for the campaign stemmed from discussion with prominent activists from the community: pride isn’t merely a symbol of celebration, it’s an important reminder of past hardships and ongoing challenges in order to create safe spaces for people to be themselves. It’s a reminder that the fight for acceptance is far from over. The campaign would need to resonate among Émergence’s network of allies and sympathisers, as organic amplification would be key to reach a broader audience. To remind citizens of the cost of LGBTQ2+ pride, and that showing their colours is not always a choice, even in 2021, they launched Colours of Pride. They reinterpreted and recreated the pride flag to echo the colours of real bruises and injuries suffered by members of the community around the world, including Canada.

Throughout the healing process, bruises actually go through different stages and colours of the Pride flag. The campaign was launched through a hero video introducing the “new flag”, and featuring prominent members of the community who had suffered hate crimes. Seeded across Émergence’s and the IDAHT social platforms, and amplified by key allies and political and opinion leaders of the community, as well as a PR push, the video quickly garnered interest from local and international news outlets.

Wild postings were put out in a few select Canadian cities, while posters and informational pamphlets were translated in 20+ languages and sent to Émergence’s allies and counterparts all across the world, so they could be distributed in schools and community centres. Actual “bruise flags” were sent to United Nations Member States that still have homophobic laws, specifically the six where the death penalty is prescribed as punishment for consensual sexual acts between people of the same gender. A website featured the stories of courageous “victim-ambassadors'' and provided tools and resources to help other victims and their entourage heal.

Émergence’s campaign really helped bring the IDAHT under the spotlight and remind citizens in Canada but also across the world of the growing violence against LGBTQ2+ communities. It helped cement Émergence’s key role in the fight against homophobia, as it generated record website visits (+40% YOY), toolkit orders (+8%), requests for interviews and talks/conferences (X2) and donations (+15%). Émergence’s social channels also grew by more than 150%, thus expanding Emergence’s network of sympathizers, allies
and future amplifiers.

The Colours of Pride video generated more than 2.4 million views across all platforms. A whole lot of notable local celebrities, activists and influencers shared the video. Mainstream news outlets such as Radio-Canada/CBC, Journal de Montréal, LaPresse and many local TV and radio stations covered the initiative, allowing for additional reach and awareness. Several officials and political decision-makers underlined May 17, including PM Justin Trudeau, by mentioning Émergence and its campaign in official statements.

Credits

Client: Fondation Émergence
Agency: Rethink
Chief Creative Officer: Aaron Starkman
Executive Creative Director: Mike Dubrick, Nicolas Quintal
Creative Director: Xavier Blais, Maxime Sauté
Art Director: Ryan Cookish, Rachel Leblanc, Maxime Sauté
Copywriter: Geoff Baillie, Xavier Blais
Account Services: Héloïse Picard, Alex Lefebvre
Production: Alex Butt, Shelby Spigelman, Sarah Longpré, Katia Dupuy
Strategic Planner: Pascal Routhier
Chief Strategy Officer: Sean McDonald
Web Development: Steve Lam, Ken Malley
Digital Production: Todd Harrison
Studio: Scott Russell, Darina Kosikova, Ignacio Florez
Public Relations: Meredith Montgomery, Sara Lemmermeyer
DP: AA Scott McClellan
Editing: Emmett Maloney, Leigh O'Neill
Photographer: Riley Stewart
Photo Production: Fuze Reps
Audio House: Grayson Music