LGBT Weekly looks at the development and impact of Allstate’s #OutHoldingHands campaign
In the late July pall, after the hangover that is June Pride, we rarely revisit, let alone dissect, the fervor of the moment. We understand that the sixth month of the year is a nonstop, streaming overload of events, parades, news coverage and, because of a calendar set for the Supreme Court and Congress, it is also a potential impactful month. But then July follows. And the seventh month invites us to reflect upon what we just celebrated. Why, those of us who are paying attention ask, is Pride, as a concept, sentenced to one month of the year? A kumbayah moment of goodwill, short on time and long on visibility. Like Black History Month. Only spectacular!
I ask this weighted question because I was recently tasked with writing about Allstate’s #OutHoldingHands campaign, a sugary viral media campaign that, as I’ve already mentioned, codifies our spectacular-ness through a sleek mix of song, animation and purposefulness during the month of June. There is nothing funny about being in danger through the mere act of holding someone’s hand in public. But since the general public missed that meme, the insurance giant and YouTube personality – singer/songwriter Eli Lieb – have teamed up to create a novel way of generating buzz about an act of such simplicity yet the cause of such animus in others.
I wanted to know how, after everything that’s been written about this scaled down, “It Gets Better”-ish attempt to address a concern within the LGBTQ community, I could bring something singular to the subject, a point of view that hasn’t already been mined to death by others in the press and media.
But first some background. According to the Allstate press release we are told: “Through an interactive experience on Allstate.com/LGBT, people can upload a photo of themselves holding out their hand to become a link in a global hand-holding chain. Once they add their hand to the chain, they are prompted to extend an open hand to their friends via their social networks to help propel the chain’s growth.” Once there, “Individuals visiting Allstate.com/LGBT can view the animated short film with Lieb, titled Safe in My Hands and can download the remix of the 2015 Association of Music Producers (AMP) award-winning song by [Eli] Lieb featured in the film.” Naturally, there’s “a link for consumers to find a local Allstate agent to discuss their individual protection needs.”
It seems like such a natural fit, doesn’t it? A media campaign about holding hands with a company whose tagline – You’re in good hands with Allstate – lends itself perfectly in cosmic symbiosis.
But is it effective? While I don’t doubt a few outliers may extend a viral hand to some of their less evolved friends on the matter, more likely than not the chain would be undone. But then this is yet another in a long line of corporate media buy-ins that have capitalized on Gay, Inc. by promoting a cause to an already sympathetic audience. When I asked an Allstate representative what metrics they used to gauge success, I was told, “As a whole, we continue to measure the success of the campaign through engagement of the total program with our target audience. We particularly focus on the responses and engagement to our social media posts that highlight the campaign as well as views/shares to our short film titled Safe in my Hands featuring Eli Lieb.” Er, OK. So are you measuring success by numbers or by shifts in public perception? I asked Eli Lieb the same question. He confessed, “For me, if I get even one tweet seeing how the campaign really helped someone accept themselves, then it’s a success to me. I get emails very regularly from people saying they were suicidal but then after watching one of my videos, they learned to love and accept themselves. That to me is complete and total success.” I suppose that’s it then. If we can now declare we’re here, we’re queer, we’re used to it in 140-characters-or-less, we can ring the bell, declare success and go home? And are suicidal people so mentally susceptible to relief, that a viral holding hands campaign can tip the scales?
Two men or two women holding hands really isn’t that big deal outside of the United States. In parts of Africa and the Middle East, men hold hands as a sign of respect or simply affection. Women are frequently seen holding hands across all cultures. But in many industrialized nations, the fear of harassment is so great that, according to a report by the EU’s Fundamental Rights Agency, 74 percent of those asked refrain from doing so. In a recent video from ChebuRussiaTV on YouTube, published on Huff Post two men walked the streets of Moscow, Russia while holding hands and reaction to that served as a necessary reminder about the state of LGBT rights in Russia. The video shows reactions ranging from verbal attacks to physical assault on the pair.
Much to his credit, it didn’t stop President George W. Bush from holding the hand of Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah, which exacerbated all sorts of anxieties in the American public when it happened back in 2005.
This isn’t meant to be seen as a riff on Allstate or Lieb who also told me he lived a pretty unencumbered life growing up gay, when he actually accepted his gayness that is. “It really wasn’t an issue for me. I guess I was a late bloomer. I mean, I’m pretty sure I knew at a younger age but never really started to open up that part of my life until I moved to NYC when I was 20. I 100 percent knew my parents wouldn’t reject me for who I am. So I never had to prepare myself.”
And as far as the “Good Hands” people go, they rank a mostly respectable 85 on the widely read Human Rights Campaign’s annual Corporate Equality Index. Is there room for improvement? Yes. Are they ExxonMobil, whose reputation as hostile to the LGBTQ community is legendary? Not even.
We’ve come a long way from the days of the Coors boycott when a bunch of gay men in San Francisco forced Coors to change its hiring policies by not drinking their brew. It signaled a tectonic shift in corporate America’s views of the power of the gay dollar. But that same shift was also a cynical gambit to tap into the economically vibrant LGBTQ community. Where once gay Pride parades were acts of political subversion, they and their accompanying festivals are now mostly billboards for beer makers, banks and, yes, property and casualty insurance companies.
Development of the #OutHoldingHands campaign
• In 2013, Allstate created the Out Holding Hands campaign in partnership with long-time ad agency, Leo Burnett.
• In 2014, Allstate enhanced the Out Holding Hands campaign with development of a short animated film titled Safe in My Hands to connect and draw in consumers. Allstate approached out-singer songwriter Eli Lieb who wrote a custom song to accompany the film, which serves as the soundtrack and shares the same title, “Safe in My Hands.” The newly designed Allstate LGBT Web site gave consumers the opportunity to watch/share the film as well as download the song. Additionally, consumers can view insurance tips relevant to the LGBT segment and contact a local Allstate agent that is LGBT friendly.
• In 2015, Allstate once again enhanced the Out Holding Hands campaign by adding in a new interactive social tool and teaming up with Eli Lieb to create a movement by asking fans and supporters to take his hand to spread the love on Allstate.com/LGBT. On the site people can upload a photo of themselves holding out their hand to become a link in a global hand-holding chain. Once they add their hand to the chain, they are prompted to extend an open hand to their friends via their social networks to help propel the chain’s growth.
Viral campaign:
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