The news: Monthly subscription dog toy company BarkBox is under fire for a leaked Slack message showing the company stepping back from its Pride marketing initiatives, per The Wall Street Journal. The message claimed that promoting its Pride offerings alienates a large portion of BarkBox’s audience.

• The message argued that if BarkBox wouldn’t “[promote] a MAGA-themed product,” the company should question whether a Pride campaign would be appropriate in the current political climate.
• Following the leak, CEO Matt Meeker claimed the message does not align with BarkBox’s values and stated that he was “deeply sorry.”
• While BarkBox’s Pride collection is still up for sale on the company’s website, a spokesperson did not comment on whether it would be actively promoted.

The state of Pride marketing: BarkBox isn’t the only company questioning its Pride commitment under the current administration. Thirty-nine percent of company executives surveyed by Gravity Research plan on reducing Pride engagement this year, a 20% jump from 2024, with 61% citing pressure from the Trump administration as the reason.