The Top 6 SEO Challenges Brands Are Facing In

First, let’s get to know what Rainbow Washing is. As defined by it refers to the act of using or adding rainbow colors and/or imagery to advertising, apparel, accessories, landmarks, et cetera, in order to indicate progressive support for LGBTQIA+ equality (and earn consumer credibility) – but with a minimum of effort or pragmatic result.

In this line of ideas, it is simple to see how a large number of brands make changes to their logo during the Pride Month.

Nonetheless, the decision to alter branding resources is not done randomly. In theory, changing central branding devices can help people to remember the traditional logo more easily.

An example of rainbow washing

A very polemic case of rainbow washing happened with Barilla, a multinational food company. Everything started back in 2013 when the CEO, Guido Barilla, said in phone lists a live interview that he would never make a commercial with a homosexual family. Obviously, the comment caused global outrage, generating the hashtag #boycotbarilla.

The crisis was a catalyst for talking about Diversity and Inclusion, and it took almost five years to clean the company’s reputation. However, the criticism from the LGBTQIA+ community is still there. Barilla is still accused of pink washing.

Diversity done right

Luckily, we can still see some good examples of how to be truly diverse. Adobe has launched an initiative that compasses its own company BX Leads culture, hiring diverse talent from a great variety of backgrounds. They also participate in forums, conferences and donate to fundraising activities.

One of their greatest initiatives was Adobe For All Summit launched in 2019. The approach of the event was to share best practices and updates about diversity and inclusion strategic progress.