One of the largest LGBTQ+ events in Asia, Tokyo Rainbow Pride 2024 was staged on April 20 and 21 this year.1 The festival was held at Yoyogi Park in Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward, and featured over 200 booths set up by organizations, companies, and municipal governments that actively support the LGBTQ+ community.
As part of its efforts to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion, the Dentsu Group took part in the festival for the eighth consecutive year.2 Under the banner of Pride Action, its booth was designed to offer opportunities for visitors to have fun while learning about actions they can take to support the LGBTQ+ community. The booth proved to be a big success, attracting more than 3,000 visitors over the festival’s two days.
As members of the booth’s production team, we will explain the background behind its creation and present some feedback from visitors and volunteer staff in this installment of Showcase.
Big changes start with small actions
A survey on LGBTQ+ issues conducted under the leadership of the Dentsu Group Inc. in 20233 found that more than 80% of heterosexual cisgender respondents in Japan were aware of LGBTQ+ inclusion, but less than 20% of them made an effort to use gender-neutral language.
This indicates a significant gap between awareness and behavior concerning the issue, and suggests that the number of people who are taking relevant actions is actually quite limited.
It has been through people’s actions, however, that the LGBTQ+ community has secured rights, discriminatory systems have been eliminated, and society has gradually become more accepting.
For the gap between awareness and behavior to close, we need as many people as possible to take actions that make the world a better place. As an enterprise specializing in communication, the Dentsu Group is fully behind this. We created our Pride Action booth based on this approach.
The Pride Action booth was divided into three main areas: a photo backdrop facing the walkway, an entranceway display, and a display space inside at the back. Numerous pride action messages were featured in the display space, as described below.
We can take action by choosing our words
On entering the display area, visitors immediately noticed many words on the wall. Based on the idea that choosing one’s words is a relevant action, we featured gender-neutral words along with explanations.
We can take action when communicating
The next display wall presented communication-related actions. It described ways of communicating and thinking that create safe spaces in which everyone can interact freely, highlighting how small changes in individual behavior can make a big difference in a communicative setting.
We can take action to change society for the better
The third display wall described actions to make society a better place through change. While the hurdles might seem rather high for some, the actions were presented with the hope that people will start by doing what they can.
Feedback from the booth’s visitors and volunteer staff
Examples of comments received
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“The booth highlighted the importance of words, which you would expect from the Dentsu Group, since it specializes in communication. It made me reconsider some of the words I commonly use. The comic pop art style of the booth’s design gave it more of a Tokyo feel than the other booths, and it was popular with foreign visitors, too.”
(From an employee of the Dentsu Group)
“Each of the displays made me realize how, without even knowing it, my everyday words and actions can lead to gender discrimination. This is my first time to attend Tokyo Rainbow Pride and my first direct experience with the LGBTQ+ community, but now I want to know more about gender equality.”
(From a festival visitor)
“The photo spots were popular with photo takers, but many visitors did not notice the display space behind the spots, so perhaps the booth could have been better designed to lead visitors to the displays.”
(From a Dentsu Group employee who volunteered to staff the booth)
The messages inside the booth’s display space seem to have left lasting impressions on the many visitors. While some may have expected the booth to showcase “actions,” in reality, actions are accompanied by words.
The Pride Action booth started from the finding that only about 20% of the people in Japan use gender-neutral language. So if it motivated people to start thinking more carefully about their word choice, our project will have been worthwhile. We want to thank everyone who visited the booth.
Urging people to never give up until change has come
This year marks the 30th anniversary of Japan’s first Pride Parade held in Tokyo in August 1994. About 200 people joined that parade three decades ago, but this year, some 15,000 people participated in the parade and around 270,000 visited the Pride Festival,4 which has been growing every year at its venue in Yoyogi Park. With its increasingly diverse participants, the event offers many ways of having fun and reasons to attend.
This year, the Dentsu Group’s booth was situated near the Rainbow Stage, a new venue offering entertainment programs targeting families and children, and among booths organized mainly by municipal governments and universities. This area of the festival was relatively quiet, allowing visitors to take photos and view the displays at a leisurely pace. In contrast, some areas of the spacious festival grounds were crowded and boisterous, making it harder for people to look around.
Tokyo Rainbow Pride and the events that preceded it have provided venues for conveying positive messages to huge numbers of participants as well as spaces for people to freely express themselves. We feel a deep sense of gratitude and respect for all the people who have been organizing these activities over the years. As a participant, the Dentsu Group looks forward to creating booths and events that encourage all visitors to be themselves, feel comfortable, have fun, and promote change more than ever before.
- Tokyo Rainbow Pride 2024 was originally scheduled from April 19 to 21. However, the opening day was cancelled due to strong winds.
- The main participants in charge of Dentsu’s booth have varied, depending on the year. In past years, they have included Dentsu Inc. and Dentsu Diversity Lab, a group-wide organization. In 2024, the booth was organized by dentsu Japan, which oversees and supports the Group’s domestic operations.
- To see the results of the LGBTQ+ Survey 2023, please see the following link:
https://www.group.dentsu.com/en/news/release/001047.html - The numbers of participants were announced by the event’s organizers in the following press release:
https://tokyorainbowpride.com/english/
Notes:
| Booth production team | |
|---|---|
| Creative director and copywriter: | Aya Fukui, Dentsu Inc. |
| Art director: | Taira Ishikawa, Dentsu Inc. |
| Designer: | Teppei Kanda, Ryoichi Karasuno, Dentsu Creative X Inc. |
| Production manager: | Haruka Kawai, Dentsu Live Inc. |
Related Link
Dentsu Booth’s Rainbow Pride 2024 Message (Japanese language only)
