// INCYMI
June 2023
You gotta fight for your right to party this month, as so many pride campaigns these days seem to be swiftly followed by “…and then there was severe backlash.” Fluff up your feather boas and grab your glitter, as we explore the handful of campaigns that have successfully managed to slip through the rainbow coloured cracks of the advertising universe.
- Bud Light
- The North Face
- Binge
- Verizon
- Penguin Random House
- Match.com
- Sesame Street
- Uber
- BBC
- Suntory
- Fentimans
We usually relish any opportunity to break out our soapbox and poke fun at brands for flimsy attempts at rainbow-washing, but this year we feel more compelled to give them snaps, not snipes. In a time when anti-queer hate speech is veering dangerously back towards the mainstream, far-right nasties are now savaging brands for the smallest attempts to represent equality; even destroying their products in stores. After Bud Light collaborated with trans model Dylan Mulvaney in a sponsored Instagram post, the ensuing backlash from this newly emboldened anti-trans crowd was swift and brutal. The brand has since ridden a rollercoaster of contradictory knee-jerk reactions, from firing the ad agency behind the campaign, to donating thousands to a queer charity.

The North Face, a brand traumatised Melbournians still associate with pandemic press conferences, has launched its “Summer of Pride” campaign fronted by a drag queen. Hot on the six-inch heels of the Bud Light fiasco, they seem to be taking the high road and just ignoring the hateful reactions.

Binge is in trouble for somehow managing to remove every reference to gayness in their new show… about a drag queen. Trixie Motel follows drag star Trixie Mattel and partner David Silver as they renovate a run-down Palm Springs motor-in. Foxtel’s streaming service accidentally uploaded a censored version, made for more conservative markets, which edits out any reference to their same-sex relationship. If you’re part of the deeply niche target audience who like drag queens but are homophobic, firstly, what is your life like? But secondly, you’re out of luck, Binge has now uploaded the correct version.

Verizon is doing pride month advertising right, with their campaign ‘No Straight Answers’, a camp throwback to 70’s gameshows. This video pits influencers The Old Gays against a team of younger queer creators, in a series of playful games about queer history and activism. The campaign is not only in partnership with a queer non-profit, it’s genuinely funny.

As those who remember the brutal scuffles to secure the last fluffy pencil at Scholastic book fairs can attest, never tick off a book nerd. Penguin Random House has joined the fight against censorship and filed a lawsuit challenging Florida’s recent book bans. This comes as a bunch of mouth-breathing dinosaurs have been banning books that support any viewpoint outside of outright bigotry, which might be a violation of the whole free speech thing.

Match is telling young whippersnappers to get off their lawn and bring emotional maturity to the dating world with their newest campaign: Adults Wanted. Featuring billboards designed like vintage help-wanted signs, the campaign exalts the benefits of getting into an adult relationship like connection, maturity, and early nights. This one goes out to all the lonely hearts looking for someone to share their boardgames with and help do laundry.

Our fuzzy pals at Sesame Street are reminding everyone why they’re still the best in the early childhood genre, with a PSA supporting kids’ mental health. Elmo and friends perform a song reminding kids their grownups are there to help if they’re ever not feeling A-OK. Can you tell us what rent is like on Sesame Street? We’ve got a couple of adults who’d like to live there too.

Uber has released the 2023 edition of its ‘Lost and Found Index’, ranking the weirdest items left in their taxis. This year Australians have left behind rabbit medication, a wedding dress, some adult toys, and a girl’s number on a piece of paper “who might be the love of my life,” which is a rom-com just begging to be written.

Viewers of a new game show on the BBC were left stunned after one of the contestant’s heads exploded. Anthology show Inside No.9 decided to prank their viewers by thinking the time slot had been taken over by a new quiz show, only revealing it was actually a science-fiction program after one character unexpectedly murdered another.

Director Sofia Coppola gets Lost in Translation again to celebrate Suntory’s 100th anniversary in a short film starring Keanu Reeves. Set to a rockin’ Joan Jett soundtrack, the ad highlights all its coolest ad campaigns over the years, even throwing back to a floppy-haired 90’s Keanu and a reference to Coppola’s Japanese film setting.
Soft-drink brand Fentimans has created the ‘World’s Longest Advert’, with an exhausting runtime of 168 hours. Like the beverage version of Waiting for Godot, the ad follows one man watching over a fermenting batch of Fentimans for its full brew-time of seven days.
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