Pam Forbus, CMO of Pernod Ricard North America, joins Cheddar News to discuss Absolut's 'Out & Open' initiative paying homage to LGBTQ+ business owners.  

Between Bells

Absolut Celebrates LGBTQ+ Bars and Businesses with 'Out & Open'

and welcome back everyone to Between Bells absolute continuing its 40 plus years of supporting the L G B T Q Plus community and with their new out and open platform, the purpose will be giving initiative to bring awareness and pay homage to bars and restaurants that support the L G B T Q Plus community that the move comes as many of these bars and restaurants face a major, steady decline in the industry. So joining us now to discuss is pam Forbis, chief marketing officer over at Pernod Ricard North America, good to have you here. Thanks so much for joining us. So a lot of studies have shown that L G B T Q plus bars, those listings have declined by about 15% just between 2019 and 2021 obviously have to think the pandemic played a huge role in all of that. So how is this initiative that you guys are doing, really bringing attention to what these businesses have been experiencing here? Yes, thank you for the opportunity to share this important initiative. It's not a campaign for us, this is a continuation of ongoing always on support for the LGBTQ community absolute has had 40 years of, as you see, and 40 years of Ally Ship and the out and open campaign uh is a special campaign to bring awareness and intention to the importance of these communities and safe spaces. It's a series of video and audio stories, real life stories, genuine, emotional stories about the importance of these spaces. Um and it's right, the pandemic has really hit restaurants and bars very hard. We were surprised when we started working with the LGBT Chamber of Commerce known as the N. G. L. C. C. They said it actually has been an issue even before the pandemic that um these special places tend to close because for one reason um they don't have a lot of succession planning. So we thought that was absolutely something the brand could help with. And by the way the videos you talk to, a lot of members within the community in a lot of these videos. One of them, somebody all of us love is Bowen Yang. Why was he sort of a perfect fit for all of this? We love Bowen's work. His positivity, his voice is exactly what this is about. We know he's a great storyteller and story is how we connect as humans right? It's how we gain empathy for what people are going through. So he, his love letter to the L. G. B. T. Q. Bars was so special and genuine and it's exactly the tone we wanted to portray. We are Uh initiative is to donate $175,000 to the national um uh L. G. B. T. Q. Uh Chamber of Commerce to create training programs for these bars and restaurants to understand how they can plan for succession plan and give them real tools and for every listen to these stories will donate an additional dollar. Yeah and the and the bar he mentioned in particular was a great one eastern block on Sixth Avenue here in new york city. Really said of course that that one closed. What are some of the other stories that you got from? A lot of the other people that you guys talked to here? Yeah, there's a lot of themes, a lot of things about it being a safe space, about it being a place of community. More than just getting a cocktail, right? It's, it's a place where you can go and just feel belonging and feel that community and it's really important that we share these, um, and preserve these spaces for this generation and generations to come. You know, it's particularly, there's a lot of history here um, about coming into, you know, studio 54 for the first time feeling alive. Adrienne's story was really special. That history lesson there. I don't know um, what you thought. No, I mean, I just, I agree with all of them. And it's so true because it's just like when you go to your local gay bar, just the security you get. But also just the comfort that you get because you're surrounded with so many other people that are just having the best time within your community. You mentioned by the way, the LGBT Chamber of Commerce that you guys are working with. Tell us a little bit about this partnership and what are sort of the funds that you guys are getting from this going towards? Yeah, so we're we're working with them to create training programs both virtual and in person. There's a lot of gay bars that are, you know, in smaller communities and we will definitely be in the larger metropolitan areas with these training programs but are 100 $75,000 just to jump start to create these programs. It'll be training on how to choose a successor, some tax planning, just some general tools and business support so that these bars that are so special to this community don't close, they live on generation after generation. One of the brands, obviously you guys have absolute has been an ally of pride and gay bars in L G B T L G B T Q bars forever. Let's talk about sort of the importance of really being an ally here because so many of us within the community want more from companies than just saying you support the community and throwing a pride flag on things. It really matters that you stand behind the community and absolute is one of those great brands that have really done that. It is, I mean we definitely love Pride Month, it's the exclamation point where yearlong support an ally ship. We have a rainbow bottle that lives year round four years. It has and um, you know, absolutely Since 1980 has been supporting the community and we have spent over $40 million in donations and support of the community. So it's it's part of our DNA of the brand. It's part of the purpose of the brand. And the brand lives it and has been and pam last question I got for you, what does, what does it means a lot to a lot of people, but what does it mean to you when you when you go through a month like that, like this? It's again, it's it's that exclamation of bringing attention and awareness that this community is important and um we need to support them. It's something that we do year round, but it isn't it great to to fly the flag for a month and and be very proud. Um you know, many personal friends and family members who um it's it's just a great time of the time of the year to absolutely so well said, well, happy pride pam, thank you so very much for joining us, pam. Forbes is the chief marketing officer of Pernod Ricard North America