Out-of-home (OOH) media company QMS has leveraged its City of Sydney digital street furniture network to showcase brands during the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Festival.

Brands displayed during the Festival, which started on 16 February and will run through to 3 March, will include Diageo's Johnnie Walker, Durex, Absolut Vodka, Uber, and Visit Victoria.

QMS General Manager, City of Sydney, Olivia Gotch, was excited and proud to celebrate the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Festival with clients, the community and its own QMS team.

"As we saw last year with Sydney WorldPride, globally renowned events offer a significant audience increase opportunity fuelled by their emotional connection and ability to reach highly engaged audiences. Now in its 46th year, the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Festival is always an exciting creative platform for brands to showcase their boldest, boundary pushing campaigns in a display of colour, creativity and pride," she said.

Diageo Australia Marketing Manager - Whiskey, Melissa Barry, said: "During the Mardi Gras celebrations, our strategically placed Johnnie Walker outdoor activity will feature community trailblazers including Benja Harney, Robyn Kennedy and Katie and Lil Nicol-Ford stepping out in the classic Johnnie 'Keep Walking' stride, showcasing that we are walking together in our support of not only Mardi Gras but the entire LBGTQIA+ community.

"The QMS' City of Sydney digital street furniture network presented us with the perfect opportunity to capitalise on reaching big audiences while placing Johnnie Walker right in the heart of the festival to make a real impact where it matters."

Mardi Gras attracts a global audience and celebrates the LGBTQIA+ community through various events including dance parties, theatre, music, sports, films, and over 100 community events. Last year, the Mardi Gras parade coincided with Sydney World Pride, seeing a lift in audiences across the City of Sydney network of 16%.

QMS is also the official outdoor media partner of the Australian Olympic Team for the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games, the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games and the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games.