Table of contents for June 21, 2021 in Adweek

When Kiehl’s Canada approached Toronto illustrator Tim Singleton to design special Pride packaging for its popular face cream, the decision was a no-brainer. He’d used the brand for years, and more importantly, Kiehl’s vowed to use part of the proceeds to help the queer community in practical, tactical ways. The partnership will create 2SLGBTQIA+ workshops for 17,000 students, virtual workshops for 10 schools in remote areas and training for two new speakers—one of them trans—to bring a message of hope to 58 schools this year. Adweek partnered with him this month as well to illustrate our June 21 Pride Stars cover story, marking Singleton’s first magazine cover. We caught up with him about what influences his trademark style—a colorful, optimistic “rainbow explosion”—how he chooses brand partnerships and how Pride can…

Morning Consult surveyed U.S. adults about returning to movie theaters. Here’s what they had to say: 49% About half of U.S. adults are comfortable returning to movie theaters, including 59% of Gen Z, 57% of millennials, 51% of Gen X and 41% of boomers. 55% of adults say they are excited to head back to the movies. 2 in 5 adults (approximately) say they would feel comfortable returning to movie theaters in the next month. That’s more than twice the amount of adults who say it will be at least six months before they return to cinemas. In-home entertainment is still strong, with 52% of U.S. consumers saying they stream movies at least once a week and 61% of adults saying they stream TV shows at least once a week.…

How did you get to where you are today? First and foremost, I have amazing and supportive parents who placed a high value on education. Coming to Clinique and The Estée Lauder Companies was another pivotal moment. … I instinctively knew the privilege to lead this beautiful brand was an opportunity I had to grasp. How do you foster personal relationships as you grow in your career? Many mentors have been key to my success, and I now feel my job is to pay it forward. I believe it is my responsibility as a Latina business leader to seek out the talent in my organization and help them grow; so much onus is put on young women to find a mentor, but I believe the executives have just as much…

Many people have heard the story of how, one late June night in 1969, patrons of New York’s Stonewall Inn—outraged over being rounded up by the police—staged the uprising that began the LGBTQ+ civil rights movement. Far lesser known is that the inception of this historic event was a dingy little gay bar owned by “Fat Tony” Lauria of the Genovese crime family. Because the state liquor authority refused to issue licenses to bars “where unlawful practices are habitually carried on”—and because the police habitually raided gay bars regardless—only an organization as powerful as the mob could run such establishments successfully. Lauria bribed the Sixth Precinct cops $1,200 a month to keep the paddy wagon away but, in the predawn hours of June 28, it came anyway. New York, and…

When we began assembling this year’s class of Pride Stars, the editorial team was united in what we wanted to accomplish: a celebration. It felt important at this moment, in the summer of 2021, to celebrate a community that has persevered through obstacles both historic and ongoing to create inspiring brands, services, entertainment ventures, nonprofits and, most notably, cultural change. While some Pride parades may be postponed or canceled, the spirit of pride is not. The word itself means “feeling a deep pleasure or satisfaction as a result of one’s own achievements, qualities or possessions, or those with whom one is closely associated,” according to the New Oxford American Dictionary. We wanted to bring you that sense of abundance by highlighting 25 community members who are making a difference in…

As a gay woman and a marketer, every June I brace myself for the onslaught of rainbows. They’re in social media logos, storefront window displays, colorful capsule collections, TV spots and packaging as brands signal support for the LGBTQ+ community to sell everything from cars to HR software. Earlier this month, I woke to find our community caught up in the great chicken sandwich war again as Burger King and Chick-fil-A continue to battle for poultry sandwich market dominance. Chick-fil-A’s CEO, who has a history of opposing same-sex marriage, was revealed to be funding an ongoing effort to oppose The Equality Act, a bill that would prevent discrimination for LGBTQ+ individuals. Sensing an opportunity to news-jack during Pride month, Burger King tweeted it would donate up to $250,000 to the…

BE BIG IN THE ROOM [My first mentor] was thought-provoking and really pushed to get the best of people. The most memorable experience was my first big brief in front of a huge crossfunctional agency group. I was terrified, and he scribbled a note and passed it all the way across the room to me. I opened it and it said, “Be big in the room.” The level of confidence that gave me not just in that meeting, and the way I think about that as a leader today, is to always make sure your voice is heard. If you have something to say, speak up. BE SENSITIVE TO THE MOMENT Once the vaccine was announced, we started to see something on the horizon that we could all get excited…

As part of yet another ongoing antitrust probe into Google’s business, the U.K. Competition and Markets Authority has been granted oversight of the tech giant’s proposed alternatives to third-party cookies, called Privacy Sandbox. If the CMA finds the proposals don’t fall on the right side of regulation, it can reopen its investigation, potentially delaying the removal of third-party cookies. Google has outlined a number of other commitments around how it plans to architect a replacement. Interested parties have until July 8 to comment on the commitments, and once these are accepted by the CMA, they become legally binding.…

Picture this: You’re the CMO of a major brand at the center of a quickly spreading TikTok trend. Rolling notifications make it clear that this clip is a hit across multiple social platforms and gaining steam. Do you repost their content? Send free products? Is your CEO willing to approve the title of TikTok youth brand ambassador in a pinch? Once that’s all decided, what do you owe the budding influencer who helped catapult your product into the spotlight? While brands are not legally obligated to recognize social-savvy fans, doing so could be the key to fresh partnerships and continued relevance. “While brands don’t necessarily have a responsibility to reach out to creators who find virality around their brand or product, it’s certainly a missed opportunity if they don’t,” Katy…

After over a year of delays, the ninth installment of the Fast and Furious franchise, F9, is finally cruising onto the big screen June 25—and unlike many other films released during the pandemic, there is no option to stream it at home. The film’s anticipated theatricalonly release will unofficially kick off a busy movie season as studios look to resuscitate box-office revenues. But priorities have changed considerably in a year’s time. Companies that found success boosting streaming services’ subscriber numbers with would-be theatrical releases are considering how to balance their flow of films to feed the box-office beast while still servicing their growing streaming fans. “They want to use any combination they can to make sure that all of their different profit engines are being oiled,” said Geetha Ranganathan, senior…

CELEBRATING 25 LGBTQ+ LEADERS MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN MEDIA, MARKETING, TECH AND BEYOND For the second year running, Adweek is recognizing remarkable LGBTQ+ leaders across media, marketing and tech industries with our Pride Stars honors. In a year when people didn’t get to celebrate Pride to its fullest—or at least in the usual way—our honorees remained steadfastly joyful and persistent. This class of Pride Stars includes some very visible stars, leaders who have a long track record of doing impactful work and visionaries who are finding new ways to make a meaningful difference. These individuals were chosen by our editorial team and stand out for their sheer talent—whether they’re key players or making magic with side hustles—and, as always, we’re proud to share their stories. —Ko Im Tre’vell Anderson EDITOR…

On a breezy night in the summer of 1978, 30 volunteers packed into the attic floor of the San Francisco Gay Community Center. Under the watchful eye of activist Gilbert Baker, people began dunking strips of cotton canvas into barrels filled with dye and salted water. Once they’d finished washing and drying the fabric, the volunteers hit the sewing machines. There was a deadline to meet. A few days later, the rainbow flag made its debut in the city’s Gay Freedom Day Parade. Today, 43 years later, the rainbow flag is so ubiquitous that we take its presence as a given. Insofar as a body of citizens as ethnically and socially diverse as the LGBTQ+ community can have a single unifying symbol—its own brand—this one is it. The flag not…