• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, June 2, 2023

Given press coverage about various LGBTQ+ marketing snafus (Target, Bud Light, the state of Florida) leading up to it, this year's Pride Month seems like the most controversial in recent memory. But a study came into my inbox this week suggesting there is much more unanimity among Americans when it comes to supporting brands that pitch products explicitly tied to the annual celebration. The problem is, it's nothing to be proud of.

Asked whether they would buy products from brands related to LGBTQ+ Pride Month, only a minority of Americans said they would. Remarkably, only a minority of LGBTQ+ respondents said so, too.

In fact, the delta between all adults (41%), LGBTQ+ (44%), and non-LGBTQ+ adults (37%) indicating they support products marketed explicitly for Pride Month, isn't that great.

Coming on the heels of Target pulling products related to LGBTQ+ pride, the finding is surprising to me personally, and I'm wondering how other industry pros feel about it, especially as we kick off Pride Month, and also as industry pundits wonder what the reaction to the Cannes Lions plans to bestow Bud Light marketer Anheuser-Busch InBev with its "Marketer of the Year" honor in a couple of weeks, especially given how supportive the festival has been to LGBTQ+ cause-related campaigns in recent years.

In case you've been living in a cave the past month, AB InBev has sustained a fair amount of backlash for failing to support a controversial Bud Light campaign featuring transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.

Which seemed even more ironic and perplexing after a 1990s Bud Light campaign featuring men dressed in drag popped up in social media in recent weeks.

Frankly, the only way out I can see for AB InBev is if it can convince Mulvaney to accept this year's Lion award.