The overarching theme of this year's 13th edition is much-discussed traditions and their importance in society. "We see traditions as natural, but that's only because they have been passed down through generations. They are invented by people for a reason. Therefore, it is necessary to review them over time and decide whether they still serve their original purpose or whether they are just a relic of time," says Kamila Fröhlichová, director of the Prague Pride festival.
This year's campaign was prepared by the VMLY&R agency with the aim of presenting the queer community as an ancient part of society, in contrast to historically recent traditions such as the white dress for the bride or meeting in a pub.
"All successful communication campaigns are based on the ability to bring a new, surprising angle that can generate the right interest and is also relevant to the target group. This is what we used to communicate this year's Prague Pride festival, with the theme of tradition. One might not normally associate these with queer themes, but the opposite is true. In the campaign, we're reminding people that queer people have always been here and are therefore a more traditional part of our society than it might seem at first glance," says Tereza Košt'álková, strategic planner at VMLY&R.
VMLY&R created the creative and strategic concept and four key visuals. One visual acts as an umbrella and communicates the LGBT+ community as a whole, while the other three represent representatives of each group (lesbian, gay, non-binary and trans community). A key element is the timeline, which anchors a particular tradition against the presence of different groups of the queer community in society since its inception.
The campaign will run from 2 July, mainly in outdoor spaces in Prague, online spaces and social media. Along with the festival itself, it will culminate on Saturday 12 August with the Prague Pride Parade from Wenceslas Square to Letná Square.