In an extension of its Meaningful Media initiative, Havas Media Group and Gay Times Group are partnering to celebrate Pride Month a month earlier with an educational awareness program that provides Havas Group’s 20,000+ employees with real answers to honest questions about the LGBTQ+ community so they can become more aware and informed allies.
Throughout the month of May, Havas Pre-Pride will provide answers to anonymous employee questions surrounding the LGBTQ+ community on a dedicated blog and social media. Pre-submitted questions by employees will link to answers and supporting resources from Gay Times contributors. Gay Times will also provide resources and best practices around the topic of Pride marketing in the current landscape.
The partnership stems from Havas Media Group’s Meaningful Media initiative that studies and champions the media that matters most to audiences—media that is engaging, trusted, and influential.
“It’s important that we think beyond the transactional as media agencies and create partnerships with media brands that go beyond just the commercial terms,” said Havas Media Group global chief strategy officer Greg James. “This initiative with Gay Times is about helping our teams internally get savvier about ‘underserved’ audiences. A publisher with a loyal audience is likely to be well-informed about this group and we all benefit by aligning with like-minded media brands to progress our understanding of Meaningful Media.”
“Gay Times has been at the forefront of numerous LGBTQ+ campaigns that focus on giving more back to the community than they take. We’re passionate about creating LGBTQ+ media that affects real social change and that’s why Havas’ Meaningful Media initiative was so exciting to us,” said Tag Warner, CEO of Gay Times Group. “We're so often asked genuine questions that may seem naive but are important to answer if we all want to do better for the global LGBTQ+ community. I hope Havas colleagues will be able to use the information we provide in the coming weeks to push the dial and affect real social change.”
The partnership is also part of Havas All In, Havas Group’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion program. Now with over 150 action plans in place across over 30 countries, Havas is impacting areas including gender, LGBTQ+, mental health and wellness, ageism, ability, and others.
"We're thrilled to be partnering with Gay Times to celebrate ahead of Pride this year,” said Patti Clarke, Havas Group’s global chief talent officer. “We have a unique opportunity to provide our employees with awareness and insights on LGBTQ+ topics and how to be better allies in the workplace and beyond.”