Corporate Queer Allyship: Legitimacy, storytelling and commodification A Critical Discourse Analysis of 2021 Pride Month Statements

A major emerging field in marketing and communication studies focuses on the activist nature of brands positioning themselves in public debate by addressing socially controversial issues. Coined as “brand activism,” this trend has the potential to instigate social change, thereby improving corporate reputation and stakeholder perceptions. Vital to authentic brand activism is achieving a cognizance of sound public relations practices that communicate their socio-political position and engage with the targeted audience in an ethical and meaningful fashion. Conversely, theoretical assumptions in the aforementioned fields have pointed towards a dichotomy of altruistic social advocacy and ulterior advancements of organizational interests. Considering the theoretical debate, the current study attempts to investigate how brands strategically communicate social issues through their activist discourse and how that has implications for the broader socio-political arena. The study follows an analytical inquiry into the Pride Month 2021 statements from Forbes’ 200 list of most companies. Since the 1960s, The LGBTQIA+ movement has garnered waves of new activists championing equal rights, visibility, and equity. Coincidentally, this community also represents a consumer segment with increasing numbers of purchasing power and consumer demands. Conversely, companies are aware of this trend and realize that reaching this segment entails embodying core values that the community embraces. As a consequence, this study aims to answer the following research question: How do companies strategically manage the social issues permeating the LGBTQIA+ community during Pride Month 2021? The study opts for Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) as the preferred method for analysis. CDA will be used to analyze Pride Month statements that were published on company websites between June 1st and June 30th, 2021. The focal point of the analysis is juxtaposing the company discourse with its broader underlying socio-political implications. Therefore, the dialectical-relational approach of CDA will be utilized, which allows to connect the presentation of social issues with elements of an existing social reality detectable in discourse. In the process, the study aims to unveil the nature of power relations between companies and historically marginalized groups. The results have shown that there is a paradox between company ideology and communicative practice. As a result, although brands exhibit support and allyship, the means to achieve LGBTQIA+ equity is often opportunistic and possesses the general aim to reduce alienating the majority of the LGBTQIA+ community. The analysis identified the main strategy of the humanization of corporate identity, aiming to show allyship with the community while simultaneously improving brand reputation and sales. The findings of the study add to the existing literature by stressing that authentic communication with marginalized publics should be conducted through a thorough understanding of the diverse needs of the community. The study concludes by providing recommendations on future corresponding research beneficial for PR practitioners, marketers, and communication scholars.