The goal: To celebrate the LGBTQ+ community, inside and outside of L'Oréal, and leave people feeling inspired by the way L'Oréal stands behind those who are defiantly different. Along the way, we set out to capture L'Oréal championing diverse voices and raise awareness about the brand's belief that Pride is beautiful--moving employees, exciting potential recruits, and generating enthusiasm among consumers.
Our stories bring us together in beautiful ways. So, to celebrate Pride, L'Oréal USA engaged four prominent LGBTQ+ artists to meet with four members of Out @ L'Oréal, the company's LGBTQ+ think tank, to discuss their personal journeys and what inspires them about their community. The artists translated the employees' messages of Pride into beautifully illustrated signs. Those "Signs of Pride" were carried by L'Oréal USA employees and more than 500 of their coworkers at the NYC Pride March in a truly epic and emotional show of love and support.
Our creative plan came to life through an entire ecosystem of content:
- Social trailers and Instagram Stories that introduce the campaign
- Four one-minute films profiling each employee-artist pair
- A hero video weaving all four stories together
- Fill-in-the-blank signs for the broader L'Oréal employee community to share their own messages of pride, designed by New Yorker cover artist Loveis Wise
- A live experience with hundreds of signs at NYC Pride March
- Signs of Pride swag, including custom totes, which employees carried in the March
- Ongoing social conversations with people who connected to the message of the campaign, including members of the LGBTQ+ community and beauty industry executives
What makes this unique: We sparked a public conversation that transcended social media and connected online and offline audiences. Each sign and message of pride represented a true collaboration between artist and employee and was authentic to the employees' personal journeys, allowing L'Oréal to show its commitment to equality and inclusion through the genuine stories of its people.
With more than 30 pieces of original content shared across L'Oréal USA's channels and the social channels of the artists and employees, we drove over 2 million impressions and 1 million video views across all platforms. More importantly, more than 90% of the conversation around the campaign was positive in sentiment. The campaign tapped into an important cultural conversation and illustrated L'Oréal USA dedication to supporting the LGBTQ+ community.
Here are just a few of the employee-participants' reactions to seeing the film for the first time:
"I feel so fortunate to work at a company that highlights diversity in such an important way. It gives me hope for the young LGBTQIA community, who will see this and know there are workplace environments that go past tolerance, into acceptance and celebration of one's personal identity."
"This is AMAZING! Sitting here with tears in my eyes. So proud of that day and this video is absolutely beautiful!"
"I am so honored to have been a part of this very important moment in our company's history. I cried watching it, and reliving the energy created on Sunday at the March. Thank you again for this opportunity to share my love for the community."
Additional social media commentary:
"For all of the commercialization of Pride running wild this month, this campaign feels so right. Something personal, real and true."
"I am so proud of your company for taking a stand for what's right and being to inclusive. Bravo."
