Pride Marketing Reaching New Heights With McDonald's USA and Revry

House of Pride Brought to You By McDonald’s USA will premiere on June 5 at 8pm EST on Revry

Celebrate Pride Month

In recent years, brands have realized the importance of the LGBTQ+ consumer to their business as they represent nearly $1 trillion in the U.S. alone. With Pride 2022 anticipated to be bigger and better than ever, it's no surprise to brand powerhouse McDonald’s USA turning to the only LGBTQ-first streaming media company, Revry, as a trusted and authentic partner for a second year of pride campaigns.

With so many touchpoints and screens for consumers to be reached including streaming, social and connected TV, it's becoming increasingly complicated for advertisers to authentically and efficiently reach audiences and interests at a measurable scale. This holds specifically true for LGBTQ+ audiences which can be found throughout mainstream media platforms but are notoriously difficult to address directly except in bespoke programming.

This seems to be a major motivator behind McDonald’s USA partnering with Revry, a streaming and connected TV media company with FAST (free ad supported television) channels on Samsung TV Plus, Vizio WatchFree and the Roku Channel, for a second year to host the House of Pride virtual celebration. The original programming features musical and dance performances, comedy segments, and voguing performances. As a step up from 2021, McDonald's USA is also backing a Revry original music series that celebrates and inspires the exploration of LGBTQ+ music, called Music Out Loud: Pride Edition.

“McDonald’s fans loved celebrating with House of Pride last year so we’re very excited to bring it back,” said Elizabeth Campbell, Senior Director of Cultural Engagement Marketing, McDonald’s USA. “We’ve been working to partner with more diverse owned media, and a big part of that is our expanded partnership with Revry to create fun and meaningful events that bring together the LGBTQ+ community.”

According to research from Brucey Media, 71% of LGBTQ+ consumers reported they would remain loyal to a brand they believed to be supportive of the community. Smart brands like McDonaldsUSA are taking notice. Yet according to an Association of National Advertisers (ANA) October 2021 client-side marketer survey the biggest challenges to authentic LGBTQ+ marketing and advertising are a general concern of getting the message wrong, making sure the messaging appears in brand-safe environments, and budget limitations.

When addressing getting the message right, brands are turning to LGBTQ-first media companies. In prior years these platforms have limited sound and motion opportunities for brands and have heavily relied on social media. A simple search on Facebook and YouTube for LGBTQ+ interests and content reveals a vast world of hate speech and homophobia that is driving engagement for the platforms but is harmful to the community; advertiser beware. 

With the allure of FAST on connected TV, Revry is reporting that LGBTQ+ audiences on a LGBTQ-first channels are increasing and outpacing the reach and effectiveness of mainstream media to reach same-sex and LGBTQ+ allied households in a meaningful way. According to Gallup 2021 data, 18.5 million of the U.S. population, 5.6 %, identify as LGBTQ+ up from 4.5% in 2017. In the last year, Revry has seen a 5x growth of monthly viewers and a 6x growth in Samsung TV Plus viewers interested in LGBTQ-first programming with Roku Channel and Vizio TV Watch Free not far behind. 

“House of Pride streamed 600K times in its first year and this June, we are expecting millions to tune-in,” said Damian Pelliccione, CEO and co-founder of Revry. “With the support of McDonald’s, we are able to include so many of the LGBTQ voices in Pride programming that are representative and inclusive of our diverse community.”

House of Pride Brought to You By McDonald’s USA premieres on June 5 at 8pm EST on Revry with appearances by several LGBTQ+ stars and influencers including hosts Rani KoHEnur from Queen of the Universe, radio host and DJ, Hannah Rad, Comedians Kia Barnes and Sampson McCormick and star of Legendary, Isla Ebony, and musical performances by Frankie Simone, Keiynan Lonsdale, Madison Rose, Julian King, and Mila Jam. Music Out Loud: Pride Edition, a throwback to music video shows with a lineup of queer musicians and artists, premiers on June 13 at 8pm EST with actress and trans rights advocate, Angelica Ross, and queer singer/songwriter, Cassidy King. 

In 2022 and beyond, Revry is anticipating that a majority of advertisers who actively market to the LGBTQ+ community will do so via LGBTQ-first media and not only during Pride. Year-round marketing and advertising campaigns are expected as LGBTQ+ audiences grow along with the demand for visibility and representation of LGBTQ-first programming.