26 Jun Brands Jump on #LoveWins…And Some Lose, Big Time
As billions of people celebrated The Supreme Court’s marriage ruling this morning, every social channel was ablaze with rainbow accouterments and celebratory posts. #LoveWins was trending on Twitter, the majority of Instagram’s new Trending Tags were focused on the breaking news, and Snapchat created a Live Event for Marriage Equality, collecting user’s snaps throughout the morning.
But let’s not be naïve here, this is tricky territory for brands. Jumping aboard such a historic and political event requires finesse and serious discernment.
Today, we too rallied. We rallied up the brands that supported the cause in the best possible way and, dare we say, those that might have been better off refraining.
The Good:
Target totally nailed it with this looping video and earnest copy on Instagram.
Williams-Sonoma leveraged their famous cake mix to make a celebratory, no words needed video post on Instagram. Also, weddings…cake…it’s perfect.
A video posted by Williams-Sonoma (@williamssonoma) on
Walgreens kept it grounded in this simple but evocative Instagram post.
Ben & Jerry’s and Gap stayed true to their supportive roots on Twitter.
How #MarriageEquality became a reality in the United States! #LoveWins https://t.co/CV5jYBttnA
— Ben & Jerry’s (@benandjerrys) June 26, 2015
Equality is always in style. We’ve been proud supporters since #1969. #LoveWins #Pride2015 #LetsDoMore pic.twitter.com/nnpQZ3tIEH
— Gap (@Gap) June 26, 2015
Our client, Staples US played up color to show their support for #Equality. <a
MAKE equality HAPPEN #LoveWins pic.twitter.com/BF3lP2K6fU
— Staples US (@Staples) June 26, 2015
Another client of ours, ConAgra, published a tweet that was right on track with the celebratory spirit of the day. The copy and creative subtly and effectively picked up on the cultural focus on community and happiness.
Let’s celebrate #LoveWins together. pic.twitter.com/ozxPkScccb
— ConAgra Foods (@ConAgraFoods) June 26, 2015
The Bad:
Many brands, like MasterCard and Staples US, repurposed creative assets to develop new social posts for the occasion. We love that agility and efficiency! But when New York Life promoted their tweet from June 5th, the tone didn’t totally fit the purely celebratory and supportive mode of most other social posts. Next week might have been a better time to start boosting a plug for life insurance. Timing is everything.
Share with us: Whose commitment inspires you? #KeepGoodGoing #Pride2015 pic.twitter.com/f31a8GweKW
— New York Life (@NewYorkLife) June 5, 2015
The age old “Put a logo on it!” technique doesn’t quite fly in this post from Oribe Hair Care.
Happy Pride! #LoveWins?
Posted by Oribe Hair Care on Friday, June 26, 2015
Delicious as these cookies do look, they feel too random coming from a personal grooming brand.
