MullenLowe SSP3's #RideThePride Tackles LGBTQ+ Bullying Within the Skateboard Community

Bullying is a problem that affects many teenagers in Colombia and around the world. One of the main reasons is their sexual orientation. Ahead of International Pride Day (27th June, 2021), ABInBev’s Pony Malta, one of the leading beverages among teens in Colombia, has launched a new campaign to highlight the bullying that takes place throughout skateboarding, one of the sports in which participants are bullied the most due to their sexual orientation, identity or gender expression.   

Pony Malta and its agency, MullenLowe SSP3, have launched #RideThePride, a movement that aims to help skaters destroy the fear that comes with being bullied by doing something they love: skateboarding. They have designed a range of skateboards that showcase some of the main feelings associated with bullying: fear, failure silence, loneliness, rejection, pain, and gifted them to LGBTQ+ skaters who have experienced bullying within the sport. 

The aim of the campaign is for skaters to destroy the boards during a session, with the message: ‘Skateboarding is the best way to defeat skateboarding prejudices’. The stories of these athletes were documented to invite all athletes to skate against bullying on International Pride Day.

The brand has also partnered with Colombia Diversa, It Gets Better Colombia, LGBTQ Working Table, and the sports movement Sobre Ruedas Girls, to create a helpline to assist those who have been victims of bullying. 

Juan Alonso Torres, marketing director for non-alcoholic beverages, AB InBev Colombia says: “In Colombia, gender identity or expression is the second-most frequent cause for a boy, girl, or teenager to be a victim of bullying; a disturbing figure amidst the fight for diversity. At Pony Malta, we want to support the members of the LGBTQ+ community and ensure they feel represented. We aim to bring out the best of our youngsters, and this campaign invites them to feel free to express who they really are and to channel all their energy through a sport with so much strength and projection as skateboarding.”

MullenLowe SSP3 executive creative directors, Juan Pardo and Diego Muñoz added: “Teenagers are already going through a period of huge change, and to be bullied because of their gender or sexual orientation makes everything harder. That is why actions like this are so important, for people to stand beside teenagers in Colombia and let them know they’re not alone, because no one should ever be a victim of bullying. We’re proud to stand alongside Pony Malta as they endorse this cause, to support young people and help them feel proud of who they are and encourage them to seek their own happiness.”