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In the fashion world there are not only many rainbow people around, but also a lot of attention is paid to the associated consumers. Many brands, but also retailers, participate in this in a very cheerful and colorful way. Sometimes very good (e.g. adidas, Benetton or Diesel) sometimes less so (such as Zeeman). Zalando is also making a cheerful contribution.

Company

Zalando is an originally German shopping platform for shoes, clothing and fashion accessories. The company is based in Berlin and is active in 25 European countries. Zalando was founded in 2008 by David Schneider and Robert Gentz, who were inspired by the American Zappos.

They also have the online outlet Lounge by Zalando, physical outlet stores in 14 German cities, as well as various logistics centers. The affiliated brands can also call on Zalando for a variety of logistics and marketing services.

Revenue

Since 2010, turnover has increased by a factor of 50 (!) to 8.0 billion euros in 2020. Growth continues: last year Zalando generated a turnover of 10.35 billion euros and a net profit of 16.8 million euros (that was still 235 million in 2021), with approximately 17,000 employees. Despite strong sales growth, the company suffered losses through 2013, partly due to the costs of free shipping and returns and high advertising costs. In 2022, the company had 50 million active customers, who placed a total of 260 million orders. The average value per order was 57 euros. More than 80% of visitors browse on mobile. More than 7,000 brands now use the platform as a sales channel and more than 1.8 million items are offered.

Controversy

Like fellow Amazon, Zalando has been in the news several times negatively for abuses in its daily processes. An undercover report by the German channel ZDF in 2014 showed the working conditions in a Zalando distribution center, highlighting the high workload and strict control over employees.

When asked, Zalando indicated to me that a lot has happened and improved in the field of working conditions in the last 10 years, including the introduction of a DE&I policy.

The nudists

The Zalando advertisement in which a postman delivers Zalando packages to a nudist campsite, followed by a lot of shouting, won the prize for the most annoying advertisement in the Netherlands, the Loden Leeuw, in 2011 and 2012. However, this had nothing to do with the rainbow.

But they do do Marketing the Rainbow! That took a very long time, by the way. They were certainly not a trendsetter, but rather a trend follower. I already have more than 50 videos of them on my YouTube channel. I really like Goodbye Stereotypes, Hello Zerotypes, an uber-colourful fairground film in which – if you look closely – the same scene is repeated several times with reversed role models.

Corporate level

The corona crisis led to unprecedented sales growth at many online shops. It was at this time that Zalando ‘suddenly’ also included rainbow diversity in its advertising, after the DE&I policy had been formulated and implemented. This was referred to, among other things, as ‘Inclusive by design’.

Under the heading ‘do.BETTER’, the pursuit of diversity was endorsed at the highest level. Co-CEO and co-founder David Schneider says on the website and in the Diversity & Inclusion Report 2021: ‘At Zalando, our vision is to be the starting point for fashion, a fashion that is welcome for everyone. We strive to be inclusive by design, bringing to life the diversity of our talent, leaders, customers and partners. We want to listen, learn and take action for Zalando to build a diverse and inclusive experience and create an environment where everyone can thrive.”

The beginning – 2018: first Pride

It took a while, but in 2018 Zalando took part for the first time in Christopher Street Day (CSD for short, the strange name that Pride has in Germany) in Berlin. This also happened in the following years, such as in 2019.

2020: #JJ68xZalando

Zalando collaborated with hockey legend Jaromír Jágr and other well-known Czech personalities and influencers in the #JJ68xZalando campaign to motivate the country to get moving. Among these celebs were also 5 gay celebrities.

2020: Zalando x KPH x MISBHV – Stories hidden in clothes

With the growing number of cases of aggression and the intensity of hate speech in public debate, (to which both the government and the church enthusiastically contributed), the situation of Poland’s LGBT+ community has steadily deteriorated in recent years. Up to 70% of LGBT people have experienced violence. Furthermore, only 4% of victims reported these attacks to the police.

Zalando collaborates with KPH, a Polish NGO that fights for the rights of LGBT people, and MISBHV, a Polish clothing brand founded by Natalia Maczek and Tomasz Wirski. They made five designs of clothing that was damaged by violence against LGBT people: destroyed garments have been given new life and expressiveness. Each garment represented the personal experience of a ‘campaign hero’. The common denominator of the stories told is not the trauma rooted in them, but the desire to strive for change and promote tolerance.

The campaign, created in collaboration with agency 180heartbeats + JUNG v. MATT, was published on the social media of Zalando, MISBHV and KPH, as well as through PR activities. The main element is a series of films directed by Mikołaj Sadowski and shot by cinematographer Igor Połaniewicz. These videos tell the stories of the campaign’s heroes and the process of redesigning damaged clothing.

To further support the LGBT+ community in Poland, Zalando sponsored some programs of the Campaign Against Homophobia, aimed at LGBT people who have experienced violence and are seeking legal and psychological help.

2021: Your values are #HeretoStay

Zalando is not only committed to LGBT diversity, but – just like Dove and H&M, for example – it also fights prejudices about the ‘ideal’ body, they show people with physical disabilities and they strive for the empowerment of women. This was sometimes also combined in campaigns.

In 2021 they launched ‘Here to Stay’. The campaign aimed to start a dialogue about the stated core values, and to inspire and encourage people around the world to broaden their views on topics such as gender fluidity and body positivity.

The campaign features a series of images with ‘real’ people representing a dialogue about a value that is relevant to them. Each image comes with a statement, including “Queer Love.” Here to Stay’, ‘Sustainability. Here to Stay’, ‘Acceptance. Here to Stay’ and ‘Better Together. Here to Stay’.

There were also four shorts in this series Ame, Efrén, Pablo en Anna. These were released on social media in Spanish-speaking markets.

The debut at the event was initiated by grassroots organizations within the company, such as their LGBT+ group, whose members also feature on vibrant banners and posters for the campaign. The campaign motto, “Come as you are, wear what you love,” also references the organization’s mission, which supports a fashion ecosystem that welcomes everyone.

In addition to a float in the Pride parade, there was also the ongoing conversation about diversity and inclusion within Zalando, together with the internal employee group Diversity Guild. The Guild has previously led projects related to Diversity Day, International Women’s Day, the signing of the Diversity Charter and more.

Next week, Zalando will move from activism to size-inclusive shoes. Of course.

Alfred Verhoeven is a marketer and is in the final phase of his PhD research Marketing the Rainbow.
He previously wrote for ILOVEGAY about Spain has 6.8 billion reasons to love rainbow tourists, How Spain markets itself as rainbow destination, Everyone’s gay in Amsterdam, I Amsterdam, Gay Capital, The Ideal Traveler, Diversity & Language, Playing with Pronouns, Abercrombie & Fitch : The Rise & The Fall, Play the gayme: about SIMS and Candy Crush, Diversity in Toys, LEGO does the rainbow, Barbiemania, Bud Light and the 4 bln dollar woman, Dutch retailer HEMA loves everybody, Pronouns, About those rainbows, Alphabet soup, M&M’s and the lesbian invasion, Magnum and the lesbian wedding, Marketing the Rainbow: the process and all that came before it, Sport and (un)sportmanship,  Why you need a supplier diversity program, BeNeLux LGBTIQ+ Business Chamber (BGLBC), From B2C and B2B to B2G and G2G (oh, and G2C), The Men from Atlantis, The other kind of cruising, Booking.com, Home Deco, Haters and trolls: the ‘letter to the editor’ of the 21st century, 5 Bizarre LGBT Videos, TRANSparency, Transgender persons as a target group, Matchmaking, 5 videos that went viral, From Representation To Respect, Cultural sensitivities and social involvement in marketing, 4 reasons to practice diversity and The Rules of Market Segmentation.

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