Gay marketing
Encyclopedia
LGBT marketing is the act of marketing
to LGBT
(Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) customers, either with dedicated ads or general ads, or through sponsorships of LGBT organizations and events, or through the targeted use of any other element of the marketing mix
.
The LGBT market comprises a group of customers who buy goods and services from a broad range of companies across industry segments and in many countries around the globe.
However, some national governments have started to publish data that include demographics of sexual orientation
from census results. In the 2000 United States Census, two questions were asked that allowed same-sex partnerships to be counted, and the Census Bureau reported that there were more than 658,000 same-sex couples heading households in the United States.
have launched a specific LGBT targeted vacations website. While over fifteen years old in the United States, LGBT marketing is a relatively new marketing phenomenon elsewhere in Australia and Europe, including Belgium and the Netherlands.
Many brands that have previously ignored the existence of this segment of society now increasingly target LGBT customers. Time magazine in August 2006 carried a Business article on growing interest amongst brand name advertisers in Europe to target LGBT customers. Likewise, a number of new brands have emerged offering products and services that appeal directly to the LGBT consumer base. Successful examples include KJ Beckett, 2(x)ist
and Ginch Gonch.
was the subject of a boycott by the LGBT community starting in 1973. The boycott was initiated by labor unions to protest the company's antagonistic practices, and was later joined by African American
s, Latino
s, and the LGBT community. The LGBT community joined to protest Coors' hiring practices - polygraph tests were often required, during which the prospective employee was asked about their sexual orientation.
Coors ignored the boycott for several years, but made some concessions in 1978, and in 1995 began several countermeasures, including dropping the questions regarding homosexuality and extending domestic partnership
benefits to its LGBT employees. The company also hired Mary Cheney
as a marketing representative and began advertising in The Advocate
and at events such as Denver's PrideFest
.
Specialist LGBT marketing agencies in various countries provide specialised LGBT market services to companies seeking to target LGBT customers.
Marketing
Marketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...
to LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
(Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) customers, either with dedicated ads or general ads, or through sponsorships of LGBT organizations and events, or through the targeted use of any other element of the marketing mix
Marketing mix
The term "marketing mix" was coined in 1953 by Neil Borden in his American Marketing Association presidential address. However, this was actually a reformulation of an earlier idea by his associate, James Culliton, who in 1948 described the role of the marketing manager as a "mixer of ingredients",...
.
The LGBT market comprises a group of customers who buy goods and services from a broad range of companies across industry segments and in many countries around the globe.
Statistics
Marketing to the gay and lesbian community faces statistical obstacles in that few credible peer-reviewed estimates of the gay and lesbian marketplace have been published. In particular, the common use of nonrandom “convenience surveys” of attendees at gay resorts or subscribers to gay or lesbian newspapers has resulted in some unreliable statistical estimates of gay buying power. The exact number of gays and lesbians in a given market is generally, if not always, unknown.However, some national governments have started to publish data that include demographics of sexual orientation
Demographics of sexual orientation
The demographics of sexual orientation are difficult to establish for a variety of reasons. One of the major reasons for the difference in statistical findings regarding homosexuality and bisexuality has to do with the nature of the research questions. Major research studies on sexual orientation...
from census results. In the 2000 United States Census, two questions were asked that allowed same-sex partnerships to be counted, and the Census Bureau reported that there were more than 658,000 same-sex couples heading households in the United States.
Advertising categories
Major ad categories include travel, financial services, alcoholic beverages, automotive, entertainment, hair and skincare, luxury goods, pharmaceuticals, and fashion. For example, American AirlinesAmerican Airlines
American Airlines, Inc. is the world's fourth-largest airline in passenger miles transported and operating revenues. American Airlines is a subsidiary of the AMR Corporation and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas adjacent to its largest hub at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport...
have launched a specific LGBT targeted vacations website. While over fifteen years old in the United States, LGBT marketing is a relatively new marketing phenomenon elsewhere in Australia and Europe, including Belgium and the Netherlands.
Many brands that have previously ignored the existence of this segment of society now increasingly target LGBT customers. Time magazine in August 2006 carried a Business article on growing interest amongst brand name advertisers in Europe to target LGBT customers. Likewise, a number of new brands have emerged offering products and services that appeal directly to the LGBT consumer base. Successful examples include KJ Beckett, 2(x)ist
2(x)ist
2ist is an American fashion label that makes men's underwear. The company was founded in 1991 and is headquartered in New York City.-History:...
and Ginch Gonch.
Controversies
LGBT marketing initiatives have not been without controversy both for and against them. Coors Brewing CompanyCoors Brewing Company
The Coors Brewing Company is a regional division of the world's fifth-largest brewing company, the Canadian Molson Coors Brewing Company and is the third-largest brewer in the United States...
was the subject of a boycott by the LGBT community starting in 1973. The boycott was initiated by labor unions to protest the company's antagonistic practices, and was later joined by African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
s, Latino
Latino
The demonyms Latino and Latina , are defined in English language dictionaries as:* "a person of Latin-American descent."* "A Latin American."* "A person of Hispanic, especially Latin-American, descent, often one living in the United States."...
s, and the LGBT community. The LGBT community joined to protest Coors' hiring practices - polygraph tests were often required, during which the prospective employee was asked about their sexual orientation.
Coors ignored the boycott for several years, but made some concessions in 1978, and in 1995 began several countermeasures, including dropping the questions regarding homosexuality and extending domestic partnership
Domestic partnership
A domestic partnership is a legal or personal relationship between two individuals who live together and share a common domestic life but are neither joined by marriage nor a civil union...
benefits to its LGBT employees. The company also hired Mary Cheney
Mary Cheney
Mary Claire Cheney is the second daughter of Dick Cheney, the former Vice President of the United States, and his wife, Lynne Cheney. She is openly lesbian, has voiced support for same-sex marriage, and has been credited with encouraging her father to support same-sex marriage as well...
as a marketing representative and began advertising in The Advocate
The Advocate
The Advocate is an American LGBT-interest magazine, printed monthly and available by subscription. The Advocate brand also includes a web site. Both magazine and web site have an editorial focus on news, politics, opinion, and arts and entertainment of interest to LGBT people...
and at events such as Denver's PrideFest
PrideFest (Denver)
PrideFest is an annual Gay pride event held each June in Denver, Colorado. PrideFest honors the culture and heritage of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community in the State of Colorado. The annual event draws an estimated 200,000 spectators to downtown Denver and is presented by the...
.
Specialist LGBT marketing agencies in various countries provide specialised LGBT market services to companies seeking to target LGBT customers.
See also
- Commercial Closet AssociationCommercial Closet AssociationCommercial Closet Association is a New York City based non-profit organization, founded in 2001 to educate and influence the $1.1 trillion annual worldwide advertising market to foster understanding, respect and inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people to achieve a more...
- Out Now ConsultingOut Now ConsultingOut Now Consulting is a marketing agency that provides specialised gay marketing services to large companies by researching gay lifestyles and using the information to develop strategies to target gay and lesbian consumers.- Origins :...
- Pink Dollar
- Project SCUMProject SCUMProject SCUM was a plan proposed by R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company to sell cigarettes to members of the "alternative lifestyle" areas of San Francisco, in particular the large number of gay people in the Castro and homeless people in the Tenderloin...
- Michael Wilke
- Williams Institute
- Witeck-Combs Communications, Inc.Witeck-Combs Communications, Inc.Witeck-Combs Communications, Inc. is a Washington, D.C.-based communications firm that provides strategic public relations and marketing communications services for corporate and non-profit clients. Witeck-Combs specializes in the Gay and Lesbian Consumer Market; health, disability and social...
External links
- CommercialCloset.org - Nonprofit with worldwide LGBT marketing information, research links, and over 4200 LGBT-themed commercials and print advertising examples from 33 countries back to 1917
- Gay Market News - covers latest news on gay marketing
- Survey Reveals Gay Spending Power
- Corporate America Taking Notice of GLBT Market
- Survey: Advertising Motivates Gay Consumers