Summary
From Pride-inspired cappuccinos to LGBT supermarket sandwiches, you can’t walk down the street in some cities without seeing the multi-coloured marketing which symbolises the modern Pride movement.
But is the promotion of the rainbow logo a step forward for diversity or a cynical corporate take-over? Elizabeth Hotson hears from flag-bearers at Pride in London and the event's director of marketing, Tom Stevens.
Marketing strategist Sonia Thompson explains why authenticity is key to getting the message across. Plus Mark Sandys, global head of beer, Baileys and Smirnoff at Diageo, and Adam Rowse, managing director of branch banking at Barclays, explain how and why they get involved in LGBT campaigns. Producer: Elizabeth Hotson
(Picture: Giant rainbow flag at Pride in London; Credit: Elizabeth Hotson for BBC)
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Welcome to Business Daily with me Elizabeth Hotson. |
| 0:10.0 | I'm standing on Regent Street ready to help carry a huge rainbow flag to Trafalgar Square |
| 0:14.8 | as part of this year's Pride in London celebrations. |
| 0:18.3 | I first marched in a Pride parade 20 years ago and things have changed a lot |
| 0:22.7 | since then. Some people say for the worse. Back in 1999, gay bars flew rainbow flags and the odd |
| 0:30.1 | shop might have a sticker in the window, but big companies by and large steered clear of |
| 0:34.7 | outwardly marketing to the LGBT community. |
| 0:41.8 | In fact, when corporations did show support, boycotts were often threatened. |
| 0:48.4 | Fast forward to 2019, and at this time of the year, it's unusual to see a shop which isn't selling rainbow merchandise. |
| 0:50.3 | And some people say it's gone too far, that companies are virtually signaling their rainbow |
| 0:55.4 | credentials to boost their image and their sales. |
| 1:12.0 | That was Stand by Your Man, the soundtrack to an to and something warm to come to. |
| 1:16.8 | That was Stand By Your Man, the soundtrack to a 1995 Guinness ad, |
| 1:20.2 | which depicted a man creating a load of mess around the house and then being shooed off to work by his partner. |
| 1:23.0 | The twist was that his partner turned out to be another man. |
| 1:27.3 | The ad never made it onto TV, following negative publicity before it was even released. |
| 1:33.0 | But in the UK at least, what's deemed acceptable has changed hugely. |
| 1:37.3 | In 2015, Guinness teamed up with Welsh former international rugby player Garif Thomas to make this ad. |
| 1:44.6 | A few years after he became one of the few mainstream sports stars to come out as gay. |
| 1:50.5 | Every impact. |
| 1:54.4 | Every rib cracked. |
| 1:57.7 | Every bone broken. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from BBC, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of BBC and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.