We can’t change, what we can’t see.

We released the Destination Pride platform on January 15, 2018. Since then, it has become a globally respected utility for members of the LGBTQ+ community and its advocates. Its real-time data visualizations have been integrated into third-party platforms (e.g., the International LGBTQ+ Travel Association’s website). It has become a trusted source of information during times of duress. And it has provided an ongoing advocacy and communications platform for PFLAG.

Our goal was always to shine a light on global inequities facing LGBTQ+ communities – and to help pressure governments and policy-makers around the world to grant LGBTQ+ communities equal rights and protections under the law.

Destination Pride's communications objective was to drive ongoing public awareness and broad engagement with issues of LGBTQ+ inequities.

To call attention to the inequities that exist around the world for the LGBTQ+ community, we created DestinationPride.org - a data-driven search platform that reimagines the Pride flag as a dynamic bar graph, then uses it to visualize the world's LGBTQ+ laws, rights and social sentiment.

Our algorithm automatically calculates six key measures of acceptance, such as marriage equality, sexual activity laws and real-time social media sentiment. It then generates a Pride flag visualization based on the data. Each visualization provides a quick snapshot and point of comparison for how far a destination is on its journey to LGBTQ+ acceptance.

To launch Destination Pride globally, we created geographically individualized social media ad campaigns targeting people who were interested in LGBTQ+ topics, groups and events, and those interested in travel. In total, we created more than 100 unique campaigns, running in 92 countries and 46 languages.

In its first month, Destination Pride attracted and engaged users from more than 140 of the world’s 195 countries and became the most shared and discussed communication platform in PFLAGs 45-year history within the first month.

As the campaign took hold in social media, PFLAG mentions increased by 1,226% and the conversation began to inspire calls for action among tourism offices, business leaders, politicians, celebrities and the mainstream media.

Since launch, Destination Pride has attracted visitors from 167 of the world’s 195 countries. That includes visitors from every province and territory of Canada, every state of the USA, every country in Europe, and 91 countries throughout Africa and Asia. We saw engagement from Afghanistan to China to Zimbabwe.

Destination Pride has become an indispensable tool for the global LGBTQ+ community. Analysis of destinationpride.com engagement shows a strong correlation between global news headlines related to gay rights and significant spikes in traffic to DestinationPride.org

Objective Metric of Success Goal Achieved

Reach Impressions 1,000,000 300,000,000 +

Engagement Site Visits 10,000 56,636 visits

Destination Searches 20,000 (2 x visits) 103,085 searches

Breadth of global engagement 50 countries 165 countries

Impact Media hits 25 135

Earned media value $75,000 $300,000+

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1 Netbase social listening study, May 2018