Document Type
Report
Publication Date
2025
Journal / Book Title
Joetta Di Bella and Fred C. Sautter III Center for Strategic Communication
Abstract
A study from Montclair State University faculty in the Joetta Di Bella and Fred C. Sautter III Center for Strategic Communication in the School of Communication and Media showed the ongoing commitment to Pride Month by Universal Studios has been received positively online. In contrast, Target’s rolling back of support for Pride Month and diversity/inclusion elicited negative reactions in social media. Results show 320% more positive emotional sentiment in posts about Universal’s #loveisuniversal campaign, with 85% of posts advocating #BoycottTarget expressing negative emotions towards the company including anger, disgust, fear, and sadness. #BoycottTarget posts also contained 165% more negative emotions in relation to the company, as opposed to the “63% Joy” #loveisuniversal elicited. Overall, 105,000 posts mentioning #loveisuniversal or #BoycottTarget were evaluated for this study and Google Trends analysis reflects spikes in activity towards both hashtags around Pride Month. Importantly, the study found more posts and engagement expressing negativity about Target stepping back on inclusion than there were about Universal’s ongoing support.
MSU Digital Commons Citation
Benton, Bond; Luo, Yi; and Choi, Jin-A, "Pride Month support can generate 320% more positive social media posts for companies; dropping support can increase online negativity by 165%, study finds" (2025). College of Communication and Media Scholarship and Creative Works. 57.
https://digitalcommons.montclair.edu/scom-facpubs/57
Published Citation
Benton, Bond, Yi Luo, and Jin-A Choi. 2025. “Pride Month support can generate 320% more positive social media posts for companies; dropping support can increase online negativity by 165%, study finds.” Joetta Di Bella and Fred C. Sautter III Center for Strategic Communication. School of Communication and Media, Montclair State University