NYX plans virtual Pride march on Instagram

Brief:

NYX Professional Makeup plans to host the first virtual Pride march on Instagram as the coronavirus pandemic prevents the large public gatherings typical in past years. The march is part of the L'Oréal-owned brand's "Proud Allies for All" initiative to educate people about supporting the LGBT community, per an announcement.
NYX's "I March for" virtual Pride march will start on June 1 at the brand's @nyxcosmetics account on Instagram. To join the march, Instagram users can post photos of themselves decorated with NYX's "Proud Allies" filter and using the #proudalliesforall hashtag. NYX plans to post all "Proud Allies" images among its social channels to celebrate the virtual march throughout June.
In addition, NYX collaborated with the Los Angeles LGBT Center to create a microsite that features video training sessions to help people understand more about the LGBT community. NYX has donated more than $50,000 to global LGBTQ+ organizations and supported those efforts with Livebeat, a streaming series on its e-commerce platform that donated $1 — up to $5,000 — for every view of a live makeup tutorial, per its announcement.

Insight:

NYX Professional Makeup's virtual Pride march aims to reach people amid pandemic lockdowns that have led to the cancelation of many public events, including annual Pride parades that draw millions of visitors to cities such as New York and San Francisco. At the same time, the pandemic has led to a surge in social media usage among people who have relied on their smartphones to stay connected with the outside world. NYX can still engage those consumers while raising awareness for LGBT causes with its virtual Pride march on Instagram.

NYX's virtual Pride march comes as beauty brands prepare for LGBT Pride month, which is observed every year in June. Skincare brand Kiehl's is launching virtual promotions while donating $100,000 to The Trevor Project, the suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ+ youth. Jacobs Beauty introduced a Pride edition of its lip gloss that will be available on at Sephora's website on June 5, while Bliss will sell limited-edition rainbow makeup removing wipes and donate money to The Trevor Project, Glossy reported.

Last year, Under Armour, Converse and Ikea USA saw the highest engagement for Pride-related content on Instagram compared with their average levels — and it's possible that brands will see even higher engagement this year amid the rise in social media usage. Marketers in recent years have boosted their Pride-themed marketing as younger demographics like Generation Z show greater acceptance of gender diversity and tend to support brands that demonstrate a commitment to social causes.

NYX's virtual Pride march is another sign of how the pandemic has led brands to revamp their marketing plans to include a heavy emphasis on digital experiences. Financials services company USAA this month replaced its Memorial Day exhibit with a virtual version on Snapchat to connect with homebound consumers. Mastercard this month brought its "Priceless experiences" to the digital world by offering online experiences to cardholders. Home-sharing startup Airbnb last week teamed with dating app Bumble on a campaign to provide virtual first dates to folks stuck in quarantine, a departure from its experiential efforts to bring people together in person.