Interpride Global Pride Crossing In-Game Island
Submitted by We Are Social

Interpride Global Pride Crossing In-Game Island

Influencer Marketing

We Are Social built a Pride-themed Animal Crossing New Horizons island for Interpride, and the #GlobalPrideCrossing hashtag garnered over 25M+ impressions within two weeks.

25M+Hashtag Impressions
90News Coverage Pieces
3.85MCoverage Views

About the campaign

Interpride and We Are Social moved Pride Month into Animal Crossing New Horizons, and #GlobalPrideCrossing garnered over 25 million impressions in two weeks. Interpride is a non-profit, and Pride Month had lost its biggest stage to the Covid-19 pandemic. Hundreds of physical Pride events were forced to cancel, so millions of LGBTI+ people lost a chance to celebrate together. The goals were to re-engage the community and generate earned media with no media spend.

The agency built a Pride-themed island inside Animal Crossing New Horizons where gaymers could gather and celebrate. The island held a rainbow brick road, a Queer Hall of Fame and a Pride-themed clothing collection. The agency also teamed up with influencers and invited global LGBTI+ communities to join in and express their identity.

The agency reports that the hashtag #GlobalPrideCrossing garnered over 25 million impressions within two weeks. Gaming creators drove over 1 million minutes watched across Twitch, Facebook and YouTube. The work earned close to 90 pieces of news coverage and 3.85 million coverage views, including features on Forbes, BBC, PinkNews and Hypebeast.

Case in 60 seconds

Pride Month lost its biggest stage when the Covid-19 pandemic forced hundreds of physical Pride events to cancel, so Interpride had to re-engage the LGBTQI+ community and generate earned media without any media spend.

Gaymers had already made gaming platforms their safe spaces for interaction and self-expression, and Animal Crossing New Horizons was their top subject, so a Pride held inside that game would meet the community where it already gathered.

We Are Social treated an in-game island as a Pride venue free from the barriers of the outside world, where self-expression was part of the design and gaymers could gather and celebrate openly.

A Pride-themed island in Animal Crossing New Horizons carried a rainbow brick road, a Queer Hall of Fame and a Pride-themed clothing collection, while influencers and gaming creators drew viewers across Twitch, Facebook and YouTube under #GlobalPrideCrossing.

We Are Social reports that #GlobalPrideCrossing garnered over 25 million impressions in two weeks and that its gaming creators drove over 1 million minutes watched across Twitch, Facebook and YouTube. The agency also reports close to 90 pieces of news coverage and 3.85 million coverage views, with features on Forbes, BBC, PinkNews and Hypebeast.

Strategy Breakdown

LGBTQI+ gamers, known as gaymers, and the wider global LGBTI+ community that lost its physical Pride events to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Pride exists so LGBTI+ people can come together and be seen, and the pandemic cancelled hundreds of physical events, so millions lost the moment that gives the month its visibility.
Interpride acted as the host that rebuilt the missing Pride stage online, carving out a space where gaymers could gather and celebrate while physical events stayed cancelled.
Gaymers were already using gaming platforms as safe spaces for interaction and self-expression, so the community needed a reason to celebrate there rather than a reason to move somewhere new.

Creative & Execution System

Assets & channels

  • Twitch
  • Facebook
  • YouTube

Partners

  • We Are Social

Participation mechanic

  • Gaymers and global LGBTI+ communities were invited to join a Pride-themed island in Animal Crossing New Horizons and express their identity through its activities, including a rainbow brick road and a Pride-themed clothing collection.

Results & Evidence

MetricValue
Hashtag Impressionsover 25M+ impressions
Minutes Watched1M+
News Coverage Piecesclose to 90 pieces
Coverage Views3.85M coverage views

Why We Are Social's strategy worked

  1. 1

    An event that loses its physical venue can move into a game world where its audience already meets, because the community carries its existing habits of gathering and self-expression into the new space.

  2. 2

    Gaming creators extend an in-game event past the players standing on the island, since their channels turn one play session into something a wider audience can watch.

  3. 3

    A campaign with no paid media can still earn press attention when the venue itself is the story, because a familiar event staged somewhere unexpected gives journalists a fresh angle to cover.

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