2021 Winner
2021 Winners
Fondation Émergence
Colours of Pride
Fondation Émergence is a Montreal-based NFPO whose mission is to raise awareness around the plight of the LGBT community. In 2003, it founded the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHT), now observed worldwide on May 17.
Every year, Émergence picks an overarching theme/problematic for the IDAHT and develops a campaign, as well as informational material (guides, posters, pamphlets, stickers) around it. As hate crimes against the LGBTQ2+ communities keep rising all around the world, the 2021 IDAHT was meant to raise awareness on this growing violence.
The campaign objectives were three-fold: generate real-life conversations around the rise of LGBTQ2+ violence, expand Emergence’s network of allies and opinion leaders, locally and globally, and position Emergence as a key voice/resource for the LGBTQ2+ community.
Given a modest budget of 20K$, the agency needed to come up with an engaging and impactful PR-worthy idea that could easily be amplified.
The campaign stemmed from the observation that the ubiquity and festive nature of the iconic pride flag, a joyful symbol of celebration and affirmation, tends to overshadow the persistent hardships of many members of the community. In the Western world, many open-minded citizens have even come to believe that LGBTQ2+ communities are now widely accepted, and that homophobia is becoming a thing of the past. Therefore, some even question the necessity of celebrating a pride month and strutting the pride flag, as acceptance seems widespread and normalized. But that acceptance isn’t commonplace around the world, and we continue to see homophobia in our own backyard.
To remind citizens of the cost of LGBTQ2+ pride and that showing their colours is not always a choice, they launched COLOURS OF PRIDE. They reinterpreted and recreated the pride flag to echo the colours of real bruises and injuries suffered by members of the community around the world, including Canada.
Colours Of Pride took actual bruises from victims of homophobic hate, and used those colours to create a pride flag. It launched through a hero video introducing the “new flag” and featuring prominent members of the community who had suffered hate crimes. Seeded across Émergence’s and the IDAHT social platforms and amplified by key allies and political and opinion leaders of the community, as well as a PR push, the video quickly garnered interest from local and international news outlets.
Wild postings were put out in a few select Canadian cities, while posters and informational pamphlets were translated in 20+ languages and sent to Émergence’s allies/counterparts all across the world, so they could be distributed in schools and community centers.
Actual “bruise flags” were sent to United Nations Member States that still have homophobic laws, specifically the six where the death penalty is prescribed as punishment for consensual sexual acts between people of the same gender.
A website featured the stories of courageous “victim-ambassadors” and provided tools and resources to help other victims and their entourage heal.
Émergence’s campaign really helped bring the IDAHT under the spotlight and remind citizens in Canada and across the world of the growing violence against LGBTQ2+ communities. It also helped cement Fondation Émergence’s key role in the fight against homophobia and transphobia, as it generated record website visits, +40% YOY, toolkit orders, +8%, requests for interviews and invitations for conferences, x2, and donations, +15%. Émergence’s social channels also grew by more than 150%, thus expanding Emergence’s network of sympathisers, allies, and future amplifiers.
The Colours of Pride video generated more than 2.4 million views across all platforms. A lot of notable local celebrities, notable activists and social media influencers shared the video. Also, notable news outlets such as Radio-Canada/CBC, Journal de Montréal, CP24 and many local TV and radio stations covered the initiative, allowing for additional reach and awareness of the platform.
Several officials and political decision-makers underlined May 17, including the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, by mentioning Émergence and the campaign in his official statement. Member of Québec Parliament Jennifer Maccarone tabled a motion for the National Assembly to highlight the International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia under the theme "For some, showing their colours isn’t a choice.”
Every year, Émergence picks an overarching theme/problematic for the IDAHT and develops a campaign, as well as informational material (guides, posters, pamphlets, stickers) around it. As hate crimes against the LGBTQ2+ communities keep rising all around the world, the 2021 IDAHT was meant to raise awareness on this growing violence.
The campaign objectives were three-fold: generate real-life conversations around the rise of LGBTQ2+ violence, expand Emergence’s network of allies and opinion leaders, locally and globally, and position Emergence as a key voice/resource for the LGBTQ2+ community.
Given a modest budget of 20K$, the agency needed to come up with an engaging and impactful PR-worthy idea that could easily be amplified.
The campaign stemmed from the observation that the ubiquity and festive nature of the iconic pride flag, a joyful symbol of celebration and affirmation, tends to overshadow the persistent hardships of many members of the community. In the Western world, many open-minded citizens have even come to believe that LGBTQ2+ communities are now widely accepted, and that homophobia is becoming a thing of the past. Therefore, some even question the necessity of celebrating a pride month and strutting the pride flag, as acceptance seems widespread and normalized. But that acceptance isn’t commonplace around the world, and we continue to see homophobia in our own backyard.
To remind citizens of the cost of LGBTQ2+ pride and that showing their colours is not always a choice, they launched COLOURS OF PRIDE. They reinterpreted and recreated the pride flag to echo the colours of real bruises and injuries suffered by members of the community around the world, including Canada.
Colours Of Pride took actual bruises from victims of homophobic hate, and used those colours to create a pride flag. It launched through a hero video introducing the “new flag” and featuring prominent members of the community who had suffered hate crimes. Seeded across Émergence’s and the IDAHT social platforms and amplified by key allies and political and opinion leaders of the community, as well as a PR push, the video quickly garnered interest from local and international news outlets.
Wild postings were put out in a few select Canadian cities, while posters and informational pamphlets were translated in 20+ languages and sent to Émergence’s allies/counterparts all across the world, so they could be distributed in schools and community centers.
Actual “bruise flags” were sent to United Nations Member States that still have homophobic laws, specifically the six where the death penalty is prescribed as punishment for consensual sexual acts between people of the same gender.
A website featured the stories of courageous “victim-ambassadors” and provided tools and resources to help other victims and their entourage heal.
Émergence’s campaign really helped bring the IDAHT under the spotlight and remind citizens in Canada and across the world of the growing violence against LGBTQ2+ communities. It also helped cement Fondation Émergence’s key role in the fight against homophobia and transphobia, as it generated record website visits, +40% YOY, toolkit orders, +8%, requests for interviews and invitations for conferences, x2, and donations, +15%. Émergence’s social channels also grew by more than 150%, thus expanding Emergence’s network of sympathisers, allies, and future amplifiers.
The Colours of Pride video generated more than 2.4 million views across all platforms. A lot of notable local celebrities, notable activists and social media influencers shared the video. Also, notable news outlets such as Radio-Canada/CBC, Journal de Montréal, CP24 and many local TV and radio stations covered the initiative, allowing for additional reach and awareness of the platform.
Several officials and political decision-makers underlined May 17, including the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, by mentioning Émergence and the campaign in his official statement. Member of Québec Parliament Jennifer Maccarone tabled a motion for the National Assembly to highlight the International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia under the theme "For some, showing their colours isn’t a choice.”