33% of Canadian Consumers Say Brands Are Pulling Back from Pride; Yet 56% Say Participation Matters

New research by Omnisend shows that consumers are paying close attention to brand participation in Pride Month – and how genuine it is. A survey of 1,029 Canadian consumers finds that more than half (56%) of Canadians consider Pride Month brand participation important, with 12% saying it’s extremely important to them. At the same time, 33% admit they’ve noticed brands pulling back in 2025-2026.

Overall, attitudes vary across generations: brand participation matters most to Gen Z consumers (68%) and Millennials (68%), followed by Gen X respondents (50%) and Baby Boomers (41%). Among LGBTQ+ consumers, that number rises to 80%.

“Consumers are paying much closer attention to whether brands stick to the values they talk about,” says Marty Bauer, Ecommerce Expert at Omnisend. “That applies to Pride campaigns, but also to sustainability, social issues, and company culture in general. Topics tied to identity tend to draw even more attention because people often take them personally.”

32% expect year-round support

Of those consumers who expect brands to participate in Pride Month, 46% believe participation should be limited to brands that genuinely support LGBTQ+ rights. The clearest indicators of authentic support include:

• Donations to LGBTQ+ organizations (22%)
• Transparency about inclusion efforts (20%)
• Public advocacy (20%)

Ultimately, 32% of consumers expect year-round support, whereas changing logos to rainbow colors only in June (32%) or participating only when it’s politically safe (31%) are commonly viewed as performative.

Among those who have purchased Pride-themed products in the past (26%), the most common reasons were liking the product’s design (45%), wanting to support the LGBTQ+ community (38%), and knowing that proceeds supported LGBTQ+ causes (25%).

“For retailers, this means that a Pride campaign isn’t being judged only on the ad itself anymore. People look at whether the brand shows up consistently, even outside of June,” says Bauer. “They might not expect every brand to make bold political statements, but they do expect messaging and company behavior to feel real rather than reactive.”