Lufthansa has just announced the details of its latest ad campaign, in celebration of Pride month. I appreciate that there’s a bit more substance to this campaign than just adding a rainbow flag to social media handles.
In this post:
Lufthansa launches LGBTQ+ Pride ad campaign
Lufthansa has just unveiled its newest marketing campaign, called “The World Says Yes to You.” As Lufthansa describes it, with this campaign the company is “further positioning itself as a supportive company for the queer community and is again underlining its firm and unwavering commitment to openness, tolerance and diversity.”
This campaign is being released ahead of the upcoming Christopher Street Day parades, for which Lufthansa will be one of the main sponsors in Frankfurt. The airline is using the hashtag #TheWorldSaysYestoYou for this campaign. We can expect ads in select German newspapers, in special interest magazines, and on large digital posters, initially in Munich, but then later also in Cologne, Frankfurt, Berlin, Stuttgart and Hamburg.
Here’s how Carsten Hoffman, Lufthansa’s Head of Brand Experience, describes the campaign:
“Lufthansa brings guests of all nations and cultures together and welcomes everyone on board regardless of gender, age, ethnic origin, religion, nationality, sexual orientation or identity. For queer people, however, traveling the world can often be associated with a feeling of discomfort: not everyone is welcomed everywhere with open arms. With our new Pride campaign, Lufthansa is celebrating people and places that embrace queer life. And, in doing so, we’re helping queer people discover such places and more, all around the world.”
Here’s how Lufthansa describes some of the campaign spotlights that we can expect:
“To take one example, the campaign spotlights Konstantinos in Athens and his ‘Queer Archive’ where events, exhibitions and festivals are staged, and Nuala, who runs a surf school for queer people in Brazil. Brian, president of the Gay Rodeo Association in the USA, is a further featured individual.”
I appreciate Lufthansa’s diversity initiatives
Lufthansa has pretty consistently been supportive of diversity, and has put some pretty bold planes out there making that point.
For example, since June 2022, the Lufthansa Airbus A320neo with the registration code D-AINY has been in a special “Lovehansa” livery, featuring rainbow colors both on the fuselage and inside the cabin.
Furthermore, during the World Cup, the airline pained the Airbus A330 with the registration code D-AIKQ in a special “Diversity Wins” livery, and that was used to transport the German team to training. This was clearly intended to troll Qatar.
Corporate pandering generally doesn’t do a whole lot for me, because actions are more important. I have to give credit to Lufthansa, though, for being more consistent than most other companies when it comes to promoting diversity, and not just during Pride month.
I also like how there’s substance behind the message here. All too often, companies will just put a rainbow flag on social media channels and a float in a Pride parade, and then call it a day. I don’t remember the last time that an airline actually had a Pride ad campaign with a message, like this one.
The airline is making a point that a lot of queer travelers can relate to — indeed, it can be hard to be yourself when traveling, because you won’t be welcome everywhere for who you are. And even if you’re not unwelcome, you still deal with a lot of awkward situations other travelers don’t have to deal with.
Bottom line
Lufthansa has launched a new Pride ad campaign, named “The World Says Yes To You.” The campaign is a bit more substantial than the usual support we see from travel brands, and tries to make an important point, recognizing that travel can sometimes be uncomfortable when you’re queer.
What do you make of this Lufthansa ad campaign (assuming you’re able to express yourself in a respectful way)?
"during the World Cup, the airline pained the Airbus A330....": it probably should read "painted"?
Presumably LH committed to this long before the BUD light fiasco. In hindsight they may have been a bit more circumspect about it. Its one thing to be inclusive but pandering to political activists is another. There are much more important social / welfare / poverty / health barrows to push.
Large corporations have no right to use their influence to push political agenda's.
Case in point ..... Alan Joyce the outgoing CEO of...
Presumably LH committed to this long before the BUD light fiasco. In hindsight they may have been a bit more circumspect about it. Its one thing to be inclusive but pandering to political activists is another. There are much more important social / welfare / poverty / health barrows to push.
Large corporations have no right to use their influence to push political agenda's.
Case in point ..... Alan Joyce the outgoing CEO of QANTAS had no right to push a gay marriage vote agenda using the resources of a huge corporation just because its his on personal view.
Further, in Australia there is going to be a referendum on giving indigenous peoples a voice to parliament at the expense of all other Australians. Already some corporations are promoting yes and no support for this. Regardless of whether you agree or disagree corporations have no right to push agendas.
Thank you for sharing this information.
Cool. Let's see of they have the balls to dispatch that a/c to Saudi Arabia.
Maybe Ben, Ford and their child can fly first class from FRA-RUH! That should be a fun conversation at the immigration counter.
a shame that the ones that make your planes run aren't part of that "world"
if only LH actually cared about diversity based on race, particularly the people from the third world. I understand it is more of German problem as such the airline staff are heavily affected but as an international company that "prides" itself as a supporter of diversity and inclusion, they should act better. Well, probably, white bloggers who fly first class mostly on miles won't even encounter these incidents. I had plenty with LH, including my...
if only LH actually cared about diversity based on race, particularly the people from the third world. I understand it is more of German problem as such the airline staff are heavily affected but as an international company that "prides" itself as a supporter of diversity and inclusion, they should act better. Well, probably, white bloggers who fly first class mostly on miles won't even encounter these incidents. I had plenty with LH, including my parents and I was just really shocked when LH did not take it seriously when I detailed my complaints. That was 2014, and I stopped flying LH completely but the same thing happened again and again if you look at their facebook page, finally recently, they publicly acknowledged its issue in the wake of jews passengers. But i can say that it is a lot more rampant for darker skinned passengers, people with developing nation passports, including eastern european ones etc.
Call me jaded, but as there are many, many gay FA's in Lufthansa's ranks, this looks more like an initiative to increase FA engagement without paying them higher salaries. Towards the customer this seems to be a distraction too, because LH's management seems to think that this provide them with good press without investment in hard and soft product improvements.
It has also to be noted that, yes, Lufthansa flew the German team with...
Call me jaded, but as there are many, many gay FA's in Lufthansa's ranks, this looks more like an initiative to increase FA engagement without paying them higher salaries. Towards the customer this seems to be a distraction too, because LH's management seems to think that this provide them with good press without investment in hard and soft product improvements.
It has also to be noted that, yes, Lufthansa flew the German team with the "Diversity wins" A330 to a training site. But that site was in Oman! To my knowledge that particular A330 was never operated to Qatar.
So to me this move by LH is simply virtue signalling with the aim of generating good press in spite of a soft and hard product which has gone downhill over the years.
Oh look, another company pandering. Hardly newsworthy. Yawn.
Seems just logical to me when airlines do this. We, LGBTQIA+ are many among their passengers and their crews. Other business can have a more conservative stance, but for tourism related companies, it just seems suicidal to me. Go Pink Money!
Airlines and other business can acknowledge the community by treating everyone fairly and equally all year long, not rainbow ads one month every year.
Reminder: Lufthansa's recent actions speak louder than their empty words https://onemileatatime.com/news/lufthansa-pays-millions-jews-denied-boarding/
I see the transgender community represented in the ad and the Black / Brown community as well. But what about those of us that are East Asian and Gay? Don't tell me I am represented by a yellow stripe.
Do you have to make this all about you?
To represent every skin shade in the ad would probably require a few hundred people.
What do you think the green stripe represents, gay Martians?
So what does the Brown and Black shade represent?
How about the light blue and White?
Why weren't transgender people asked, "Do you have to make this all about you?"
I suggest you go ask them, Jeffrey Chang.
Just flew two long hauls on LH. Had great time and service. LH can do both
Respectfully, pride has devolved from a fight for equal rights (which was thankfully won in the USA) to a political movement that pushes an ideology that demonizes anybody that disagrees with it by labeling them as “hateful.” Given the divisiveness of the movement, it has no place in the corporate world.
I do agree with you that they pained the airbus.
STOP. Equality on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity is NOT protected throughout the USA. Many states have protections from discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodation, and other areas of society. But Many states have no protection. Only marriage equality is nation wide.
Your ‘divisiveness’ stems only from your lack of empathy for others. And the false equivalency of my right to equal protection under the law and your apparent discomfort of...
STOP. Equality on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity is NOT protected throughout the USA. Many states have protections from discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodation, and other areas of society. But Many states have no protection. Only marriage equality is nation wide.
Your ‘divisiveness’ stems only from your lack of empathy for others. And the false equivalency of my right to equal protection under the law and your apparent discomfort of others. You don’t have a special right to have the government enforce your religious beliefs on the rest of us!
"STOP. Equality on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity is NOT protected throughout the USA"
WRONG, See Bostock v. Clayton County.
Decision: An employer who fires an individual based on their sexual orientation or gender identity violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
clearly, you are not a gay man living in "free" Florida. I am.
"clearly, you are not a gay man living in "free" Florida. I am."
As a man that is gay living in California can you tell us all how I am being discriminated against?
Can I not hold discussions about my private life with kids in grades 1-3?
Am I not able to consent to medical procedures as an adult?
Do I have to play in male sports where my male physiology are proportionate to the other plays?
I will point out that the Supreme Court is currently weighing a case -303 Creative vs. Elenis - which would, if they rule as expected in favor of the plaintiff in this case, allow private businesses to discriminate against gay customers despite state anti-discrimination laws. Don't pretend like magically discrimination against members of the LGBTQ community have vanished.
I’m not religious. At all. Please don’t put me in a box. If there are any rights that are unequal for LGB I would fight beside you to make them equal. Unfortunately Pride is no longer about equal rights, it’s about an ideology and special treatment. If you wanna talk about a religion…
There’s nothing divisive about pride if you’re OK with LGBTQIA folks living lives freely, openly, without fear of discrimination or persecution.
Anti-LGBTQIA rhetoric is widespread. Marriage equality in the US is at pretty significant risk of being returned to states. Equal rights clearly haven’t “won” - the need for pride and allies is as great as ever.
Writing the word "respectfully" immediately prior to wildly mischaracterizing Pride doesn't convert your comment into a respectful one
STOP.
Haven't you learn anything from Roe v. Wade?
SCOTUS yesterday v. SCOTUS today.
As @BillnDC said, rights have not been won and are, in fact, under attack as much as they were 25 years ago. The difference is that the attack this time is out of step with MAJORITY public opinion. Unfortunately that will not stop regressive court laws and decisions or attacks by the vocal minority.
Lovely, but the real question is how much, in financial support, is Lufthansa giving back to a community that is one of its broadest customer base, not to mention LGBTQ+ owned businesses and organizations that work tirelessly to fight anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment and the violence and hatred directed at the community?
Now Kid Rock will make a hateful post shooting at Lufthansa planes like he did with Bud Light.
Consider he used a "full automatic" firearm against Bud Light, don't be surprised if he had access to Stinger missile MANPADS that can actually down an airliner.
All too often, companies will just put a rainbow flag on social media channels and a float in a Pride parade, and then call it a day.
. . . talking of superficial :-) :-) :-) i think, we all know, what country would win that title?
I really think LH is doing a great job with its positioning as a supporter of diversity in general