Close Up dares Filipinos to look at LGBTQ+ love differently in new Pride campaign

Toothpaste brand Close Up is closing the gap in its new Pride campaign. The campaign, titled "Close the Gap" features two out-of-home billboards along the C5-Kalayaan avenue interchange in Manila, the Philippines. 

"Close the Gap" aims to show support to the LGBTQ+ community in the Philippines during Pride Month. In addition, it dares Filipinos to close the gap on acceptance and serve as a symbol of how Filipinos should have a different perspective on everyone's freedom to love. 

The campaign was done in collaboration with creative agency Gigil. 

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The separate billboards each feature a man smiling. The first billboard features a man in a green hoodie facing the right and the words "dare to close the". It also features the campaign's tagline, #FreeToLove.

Meanwhile, the second features a man in a red hoodie facing the left and the word "gap". 

Although the billboards are far apart, if one were to look at the billboards from a specific perspective, the billboards look like they are combined into one, hence literally closing the gap between the billboards. 

From a certain perspective, the words combined reads "dare to close the gap" and the men appear to be leaning into each other for a kiss. 

The billboards were launched on the first day of June, right at the beginning of Pride, and is set to run for the entire month. 

"Closeup believes that everyone is #FreeToLove. We are hoping that with this campaign we can continue to inspire people to turn mutual attraction into action, free from self-doubt and the judgement of
others," said Abby Pel, brand performance manager, Closeup Philippines when MARKETING-INTERACTIVE reached out. 

Come June every year, it is customary for brands to release colourful, special edition products to show their support for the LGBTQ community in honour of pride month.

However, it is important to avoid 'Rainbow Capitalism', a term used when corporations are accused of profiting socially and financially by selling LGBTQ-themed products with no tangible support going to the community.

As such, marketers MARKETING-INTERACTIVE spoke to said brands should avoid generalised campaigns and to consult the community they are marketing to in order to avoid blunders or to come across as performative.

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