As every June, in celebration of LGBTQ+ Pride, the streets have once again filled with rainbow flags, just as social media feeds are flooded with brand logos adapted in these colors. In the midst of all this noise, it’s easy to lose sight of what this movement is really about. At LF Channel, we’ve taken a moment to reflect on it, and that’s where our message comes from: we are PRide.
In our day-to-day work as a communications consultancy, the acronym PR stands for Public Relations. But this month, we’ve chosen to play with those same letters to say something more: PR also stands for Pride & Respect. Two words that, for us, are not a seasonal or opportunistic slogan, but part of the core of who we are and how we work as a company. That’s why this June we’ve chosen to bring it all together in a single idea: we are Pride, we are PRide.
Why this message
You don’t have to look far to understand the reason behind this message. Those who know us are aware that at LF Channel, diversity is part of how we understand public relations. Effective communication means representing every voice, those that have long been heard and those still finding their place, recognising that they all belong in the conversation.
That’s why this play on letters and words is no coincidence: at LF Channel, Public Relations and Pride & Respect share more than just an acronym. Both are about building connections and fostering trust. While public relations focus on building bridges between a brand and its audience, Pride and Respect build bridges between people, regardless of who they are or who they love.
One message, one image: our commitment
This idea has become the header we have designed for our LinkedIn profile: the hashtag: #WeArePRide written in white on the LGBTIQ+ flag, with the letters ‘PR’ highlighted in LF Channel’s corporate red. The aim is for anyone who sees it to immediately recognise our identity as an agency and realise that ‘PR’ defines us in two ways.
In light of the ‘rainbow washing’ that exists in the business world in general, and in marketing in particular, I would like to make it clear that #WeArePRide is not LF Channel’s commitment; it is simply the way we are communicating it. Our genuine commitment to the LGBTIQ+ community goes far beyond a single month, the design of a header or the use of a hashtag.
Every project we take on, every campaign we design and every conversation we have with our clients is an opportunity to amplify voices, break down barriers and create spaces where everyone can feel seen and respected. In short, to defend rights. We put it this way because it is our actions that must back up our words; it is our actions that must recognise, celebrate and strengthen diversity every day of the year, not just on specific dates marked on the calendar.
Public Relations. PRide & Respect. Two PRs, one way of looking at the world: building relationships, both within and outside the agency, based on pride in who we are and respect for who others are.
#WeArePRide. Happy Pride Month, this month and always, from the whole team at LF Channel.
