Culture, Conversations and Critical Queer History: Grindr’s Guide to Meaningful 2SLGBTQ+ Marketing

Pride Month within the advertising and market sphere is always an interesting affair. Even at the best of times – seeing as it falls in the same month as Cannes Lions – it can sometimes feel like an industry afterthought, but right now, with DEI rollbacks and public vitriol bubbling to the surface, some brands are more quiet than ever before. Sure, many of these were rainbow-washers to begin with – those who slapped on a colourful logo variant for a month because it seemed like the fashionable thing to do – but at the same time, there’s also those who just appear to be lost, unsure as to how they should proceed in these turbulent waters.

Of course, the 2SLGBTQ+ community isn’t going anywhere. Even if some brands fail to act, members of this demographic are still going to make decisions about whether they purchase given products on a daily basis, which means those who continue to serve their consumers meaningfully have ample opportunity to set themselves apart this year.

One such case, unsurprisingly, is Grindr. As a brand literally made for members of the queer community, it not only wants to step up and deliver content that resonates with its audience, but set an example of what it means to truly show up – something which other brands can take inspiration from. Whether it’s ensuring conversations are continued past the last day of June, advocating for actual 2SLGBTQ+ community voices to be included in marketing decisions, or delving deep into the culture to provide an offering which truly connects, all of these are viable ways to truly fly the colours, which the brand is able to demonstrate in spades.

With all of this in mind, LBB’s Jordan Won Neufeldt sat down with Grindr’s senior vice president of brand marketing and communications, Tristan Pineiro, with the hopes of learning more about effective 2SLGBTQ+ marketing, as well as what the brand is doing to celebrate Pride this year.

LBB> Pride Month may be here, but we’re in a time of pushback and DEI cuts. In your opinion, what are the best things these businesses can do right now to engage meaningfully and successfully with the 2SLGBTQ+ audience base?

Tristan> Pick up the phone on July 1st.

Frankly, the community doesn't need any brands rushing to meet a quota or check a box with DEI support during Pride Month, even in these political times. Moreover, brands need to stop treating queer people like a seasonal campaign, and start recognising that this community is their audience… often their most loyal and highest-spending one. In certain categories (like fashion, travel, entertainment, and tech) queer consumers often outspend cishet ones. That’s not just a moral case, it’s a business one.

So, when they do reach out after the annual Pride rush, they need to do so with authenticity, and in a way that reiterates that the brand understands this audience and is showing up for them by providing something they need or lack.

What does that look like? Well, it can be different for every brand, and should be nuanced based on location, price point, etc., but a creative marketing strategy will make the effort to demonstrate understanding.

​Subaru nailed this back in the ’90s. It developed a strategy that honed in on queer women, especially lesbian car owners. It made a killing with sales, even in a down market, through slogans that acknowledged them, aligning with non-profits that mirrored their interests, etc., and have shown up relentlessly for them ever since. And now that audience? Lifelong Subaru diehards. Be like Subaru.

LBB> Of course, authenticity is always going to be a crucial factor. How can these companies grab their slice of the pie without rainbow-washing in the process, or making it feel as if they’re just in it for a quick buck?

Tristan> Take time to listen to queer people; not a surface-level focus group or a one-off panel – go have a real conversation. Chances are, there are queer people inside your own organisation who’ve already thought deeply about this. If there aren’t, well... that’s your first problem.

Don’t study us, engage with us. Know the culture. Be part of the conversation before you even write a brief. Scroll queer Twitter/X. Follow the creators who are shaping the discourse. Get a sense of what people are talking about before you start talking. Still feel lost? Read Grindr’s blog. It’s pretty fabulous.

If brands are worried about rainbow-washing, here’s the litmus test: does your support extend beyond June? Is your community represented in your boardroom, not just your billboard? If you’re here for optics, we can smell that a mile away.

LBB> As an international brand, from your experience, does this approach need to change based on various regions of the world? Or is there a one-size-fits-all methodology?

Tristan> Queer people exist everywhere, but the way brands show up needs to be responsive to culture, context, and safety. In countries where it’s illegal to be gay, for instance, the stakes are different. Grindr operates in over 190 countries, and that’s taught us that our work must be both local and nuanced. There’s no one-size-fits-all campaign… Except maybe if you’re Lady Gaga.

Did you see the response to her concert in Brazil? It was an absolute scene. Brands across the country, including us, were vying to be part of that cultural moment. Sometimes music, especially gay music, transcends borders, briefs, and playbooks. It brings people together in a way nothing else can. Spectacular.

LBB> Let’s talk about what Grindr itself is getting up to. What does your marketing approach for the occasion look like, and what factors are driving this?

Tristan> This year, we’re taking Grindr’s ‘Global Gayborhood’ on the road, and across the ocean. The Grindr Rides Tour is back for its second year, but this time it’s bigger. Our bright yellow bussy is hitting Pride celebrations in cities across the US and Europe, including London, Berlin, Paris, and New York, turning digital connections into IRL moments. At each stop, we’re hosting a full experience: profile photo shoots, local artist takeovers, interactive games, drag hosts, merch giveaways, and a rooftop setup for VIP guests.

The goal is to bring the ‘Global Gayborhood’ to life; Grindr isn’t just an app you open, it’s a space you belong to. Whether you're Roaming (Grindr’s travel feature) from Madrid to Fort Lauderdale, or logging on in Bangkok, we want Grindr to be your pocket-sized passport to culture and community.

What’s driving all this? Two things: our users, and the moment we’re in. With nearly 40% of brands scaling back Pride engagement this year, we’re choosing to lean in. Our very existence is a political statement, and this tour is our love letter to the people and places that built queer culture.

LBB> Outside of the tour, will you be expanding the ‘Global Gayborhood’ footprint in any other ways? If so, what will this look like?

Tristan> The idea behind the ‘Global Gayborhood in your pocket’ is about meeting people where they are, literally. Grindr’s always been more than just a hookup app; it’s a social utility, and often for many, a lifeline – a way to find your people wherever you are in the world.

Expanding that footprint means making the app more useful, more local, and more culturally aware. We’re investing in tools that help people connect when they travel, discover queer spaces and events, access safety resources, and see their own community reflected back to them in the content we create.

We’re scaling this up globally because the demand is there and frankly, because we can. We have the reach, the audience, and the credibility to do this in a way that feels authentic, not parachuted in.

LBB> Grindr has also placed an emphasis on closing the queer history knowledge gap across generations. Why is this such an important issue for the brand to address?

Tristan> Knowing your history is more important now than ever before, and it’s critical that queer history be told and preserved amidst attempts at queer erasure. That’s why we launched ‘Daddy Lessons’ in the first place: to make sure the next generation knows whose shoulders they’re standing on.

There’s this assumption that gen z and younger millennials are disconnected from queer history, and that the cultural divide between boomers and zoomers is too wide to bridge. We don’t buy that. ‘Daddy Lessons’ is our way of closing the gap: 90-second episodes, hosted by a sexy lineup of daddies (yes, actual daddies), covering everything from jockstraps, to Alan Turing, to whether Abraham Lincoln might’ve been family.

For season two, we’ve timed episodes around key dates in queer history to keep that connection alive, especially during Pride Month, when the rainbow is out in force but the ‘why’ behind it can get lost in the noise.

But, let’s be clear, Pride isn’t the only time we should honour the people who paved the way. These stories deserve airtime all year. If we don’t tell them, we risk losing them.

LBB> With regards to ‘Daddy Lessons’, what was the creative iteration process like on your end? How did you figure out your approach for each, while also ensuring the messaging would resonate?

Tristan> It all started with a moment in the first season of ‘Who’s the Asshole?’ Katya was chatting with a guest about how young people are always looking ahead (on social media, TikTok, etc.) but don’t often look back. They don’t have a sense of where things came from. And I think she was right.

So, that got the wheels turning. What if we made queer history as scrollable, snackable, and sticky as the rest of the content in their feeds? That’s where ‘Daddy Lessons’ came from.

We teamed up with Clayton Littlewood, an incredible historian, to shape these punchy, sub-90-second episodes that break down the reference points that built our culture: Polari slang, the hanky code, the roots of the leather fetish, and more. The creative process was less about reinventing the wheel, and more about translating history into a language the algorithm understands. The goal wasn’t to sanitise it, but to serve it in a way that felt relevant, sharp, and sexy.

LBB> Do you have any anecdotes from bringing these various pieces to life? Tell us what the experience has been like!

Tristan> The craziest part? Some of the topics we covered – I didn’t even know about them myself. The green carnation? The Band of Thebes? Disco Demolition Night? These were new to me.

Working with Clayton was like having a one-man encyclopedia on speed dial. Every planning call turned into a history lesson, and not just for gen z… for all of us. And that cemented it – this isn’t just ‘nice-to-know’ content for the community; it’s necessary. So much of queer history isn’t taught or archived, and when you zoom out, it’s not just a queer issue, but a global one. We’re watching history repeat itself. If we don’t tell these stories and they disappear, this will continue.

LBB> Overall, what have been some of the biggest challenges that have come with this undertaking, and how have you overcome them?

Tristan> Grindr’s one of the most recognisable brands on the planet. We get name-dropped in sitcoms, stand-up sets, late-night monologues… you can’t escape us in pop culture. But, because we didn’t tell our own story for a long time, the brand means very different things to different people. That’s both a privilege and a problem.

So, the challenge has been: how do we take all that cultural ubiquity and redirect it to shape into a narrative that reflects the truth of who we are today?
Grindr is a deeply engaging product that brings real joy to millions of people. Yes, it’s about hookups. But it’s also about ending isolation, forming chosen families, starting movements, and sparking lifelong relationships. That’s why we talk about the ‘Global Gayborhood’, because we’re building a space that’s as vast and multifaceted as our users. The work now is making sure the world sees what we’ve always known: that Grindr is the culture.

LBB> Finally, seeing as it’s Pride Month, is there anything you’d like to say, either on behalf of Grindr, or to other brands who might need to critically think about their involvement?

Tristan> Here’s the thing. Grindr isn’t just a community platform. It’s a powerful connection engine. The global gays are highly engaged, culturally fluent, and major tastemakers. You can reach 14.5 million of them right here.

Whether you’re a global brand with a message, or a grassroots org working with Grindr for Equality to do real good, this is a platform built to help you reach the right people in the right way. So, if you’ve got something to say to the community, don’t whisper it. Come talk to us. Grindr is where culture happens, and conversations start.