With Pride Month in full swing, millions worldwide are leaning into celebrations by participating in pride parades, picnics, parties, workshops, panels, and concerts. In addition, many people take this time to pay tribute to community members lost to hate crimes or HIV/AIDS through memorials, support numerous charities, and shop brands with Pride activations.
We examined readership data to reveal which countries had the most online interest in Pride this year, the top trending pro-LGBTQ television shows, and the brands that got a readership boost from their 2023 Pride campaigns. The analysis accounts for hundreds of millions of views by readers of news articles in the U.S.
Countries with the Most Pride Readership
Over the past 90 days leading up to Pride, countries worldwide saw soaring readership for Pride-related topics. The U.S. came in with the most online interest, reaching 2.4 million pageviews, followed by the U.K. with 588K pageviews and Brazil with 388K pageviews.
Regarding Pride celebrations, Paris Pride, Berlin’s Christopher Street Day, and Birmingham Pride received the most online interest. Paris Pride had the biggest impact, with readership for the parade skyrocketing by 1,058%.
Pro-Pride Television Shows with the Most Online Hype
According to recent research from the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), representation of LGBTQ characters in broadcast, cable, and streaming has declined since 2023. Delays in programming and releases have also occurred, which are said to be linked to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA and Writers Guild of America strikes.
Despite this, readership shows solid gains for a few shows in particular. Based on our data, Eurovision Song Contest, RuPaul’s Drag Race, and Hacks are the top three trending pro-LGBTQ shows this year.
Brand Boosts from 2023 Pride Campaigns
To see the impact of Pride campaigns on brands, we analyzed readership data for brands that launched Pride campaigns in 2023 to see which brands received the most significant boosts in online interest. As a result, The North Face, Madewell, and Vans saw the most readership gains resulting from their 2023 Pride campaigns, based on our analysis of U.S. data, comparing readership between Feb-Apr 2023 (leading up to their campaigns) to readership May-July 2023 (post-campaigns). Despite marketing backlash, The North Face came out on top, receiving a 78% increase in online readership from its 2023 Pride campaign.
Tips for Publishers and Advertisers
Although Pride Month is coming to a close, many Pride parades will occur over the next week, and conversations around Pride awareness will continue. Publishers should keep Pride-related topics on their radar throughout the coming weeks to engage readers.
Advertisers should also consider capitalizing on post-Pride trends and extending their relevant campaigns to maximize results.