Segments of Italy are not LGBTQIA+ friendly. Old stigmas persist and the LGBTQIA+ community suffers severe discrimination continuously. This makes Pride very important. But Pride only lasts one month.
Dentsu Italy and LGBTQIA+ support association, AGEDO, worked out a way to keep Pride alive all year. The OOH campaign, Pride Beyond Pride, by dentsu & Friends, dentsu’s format that brings together brands and partners, media and creativity, to support social causes, collected Pride messages during Pride month and turned them into posters. The campaign was made possible by the donations of brands such as Scalo Milano Outlet & More, Shiseido Italy and Mareblu, and 15 advertising sales agencies that offered free outdoor space throughout Italy, from Milan to Sicily.
The campaign was inspired by dentsu research with Brandwatch on online conversations volume around the topic of Pride in Italy. It showed that in 2023 the topic, Pride, marked a peak (over 100,000 searches) starting in late May and continuing throughout the month of June, before dropping dramatically in July and continuing at a low ebb for the rest of the year.
The OOH campaign began with a digital platform designed to keep the focus on Pride all year round. On the day of the Milan Pride Parade (June 29, 2024), dentsu & Friends staff collected the signs written by marchers. Some of these became the messages of OOH and DOOH billboards in Rome, Milan, Lamezia Terme (Calabria) and Catania, in Sicily, that used QR codes to connect to the digital platform.
The volume of Pride-themed online conversations increased by 72% in the first 4 months of the campaign and more than 21 million people reached by the Proud Beyond Pride message throughout Italy.
Ilaria Affer, social impact director of dentsu Italy, stated, “As a Società Benefit (Benefit Company) we work to promote a communication that can really spread positive values and generate a beneficial impact on society. Pride is an important moment to pursue this aim, but it is not the only one. Because the goal is to educate ourselves and our Industry to talk about inclusion little by little, and continuously. The formula is as simple as it is powerful: a clear message, a strong partnership with various stakeholders and targeted distribution of the message.”
Stefano Battistelli, executive creative director of Dentsu Creative Italy, added, “We are committed to turn an awareness-raising message into a platform that can brings to life concrete actions all year round. In this campaign we have joined our verticalities with the aim of creating a positive social impact and concrete support for the LGBTQIA+ community.”
Marta Danneo, social media manager Agedo, commented, “As Agedo our commitment is daily and constant in working alongside families with LGBTQIA+ children to learn to embrace diversity, respect and protection of trans/queer subjectivities together. The perseverance of Agedo parents in winning the rights of their daughters/ sons, together with the determination and care that dentsu has put into this project, help to ensure that this work is not in vain and does not just stop at the famous ‘pride month’ in June. Strength is always with unity.”
Credits
Creative Agency: Dentsu Creative
CEO: Emanuele Nenna
Chair Creative EMEA, CCO Italy: Riccardo Fregoso
Executive Creative Directors: Stefano Battistelli & Cinzia Caccia
Lead Copywriters: Marta Gastaldo & Giovanni Luca Orlandi
Lead Art Director: Edoardo Serafini
Art Director: Jonathan Fecola
Copywriter: Agnese Bernaus
Chief Strategy Officer: Niccolò Rigo
Head of Strategy: Federico Mancin
Senior Strategist: Sara Pasquinucci
Strategist: Mariia Lebedieva
Data Strategist: Andrea Formisano
Social Impact Director: Ilaria Affer
Client Supervisor: Sara Pozzi
Creative Progress Director: Antonella Vicari
Motion Designer: Silvia Sciotta
Content Specialist: Valeria Semplici
Programme Manager: Chiara Lamera
Executive Producer & Managing Director: Simona Della Porta (Dentsu Creative Studios)
Head of Production: Francesca Castello
Producer: Olga Utkyna & Marco Rebagliati
Photography & Post-production: Wookiee Studio
Scenography: NanaLab
Tech Team: Dentsu Creative
Head of Production Managment: Angelo Valle
Head of Tech: Lorenzo Ianigro
Design Director: Francesco Zagami
UI & Interaction Designer: Gian Marco Maurizi
Project Manager: Carlo Peroni
Media: dentsu
OOH Principal: Manuel Biagioni
OOH Specialists: Serena Marotta & Francesca Anelli
