The Center, New York City’s LGBT community hub, launched Stonewall Forever: an interactive ‘living monument’ commemorating the 50th anniversary of Pride and the police raid at the Stonewall nightclub in Greenwich Village. Kicking off this month with a USD 1.5 million grant from Google, the digital exhibit features an AR map of the Stonewall National Monument, historical facts about the Stonewall raid and the early Pride movement, as well as oral histories from longtime NYC residents and current LGBT activists. Also, people can post their own photos, notes and more onto the virtual monument.

There’s growing backlash against brands that simply jump on the Pride bandwagon with a superficial rainbow logo (and rightly so). Here’s what you can take from Google’s initiative and apply to the next global movement your brand supports:

💡Get specific. When your brand participates a big international campaign (such as Pride) you can do better than leaving it at a vague, catch-all “Love wins” message. Donating a small percent of an item’s profits also won’t cut it. Google is making rich, first-hand perspectives an important historical moment available to everyone, globally. In an era when so many movements have become separated from their roots, can you help celebrate the local heroes who made them happen?

💡360° values. Stonewall Forever might be a valuable, meaningful experience powered by Google. But… And there’s a BIG ‘but’ here [grimace emoji], contrast this against YouTube’s decision to permit homophobic video content. We live in an age of transparency. People see these inconsistencies and they undermine the brand’s other attempts to do good. Dive into our classic GLASS BOX BRANDS trend report for more on that. So before you embark on a positive brand initiative ask yourself, “are we living up to these values in all areas of our organization?”