Every June, big brands show their appreciation for LGBT dollars, I mean dignity, by featuring queer faces in their ads and brand messaging. On one hand, it’s quite heartwarming and affirming to walk around cities throughout the world and see Gilbert Baker’s rainbow flags waving in store fronts and from lamp posts.
A real estate agent got more than he bargained for when he made his feelings on the upcoming gay marriage postal vote public. Rod Robertson put up a sign reading ‘please vote no to SSM (same sex marriage)’ outside his Sunshine Coast, Queensland, office. The sign bears the name of his Cooloola Sands, a new housing estate near Tin Can Bay, and was spotted by locals who posted it online or called in.
Ed Salvato is an LGBT travel expert and co-author of the recently released Handbook of LGBT Tourism & Hospitality Marketing: A Guide for Business Practice. He served on the Board of Directors of the International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association (IGLTA) for six years and is co-founder and chief content officer of ManAboutWorld magazine, a smartphone- and tablet-based mobile and digital gay travel magazine.
Though it might surprise some to learn that 65 percent of Americans feel that LGBT inclusion is good for the economy, it was what Ogilvy’s Bill Berman suspected his agency’s most recent LGBT marketing survey would show. “We had a sense that the cultural landscape is shifting to be more inclusive,” said Berman. “One of the reasons why we wanted to do the survey was to learn more how that shift pertains to brands and businesses. We had this inclination that because advertising doesn’t exist in a vacuum, there must be some sort of effect on non-LGBT audiences when a brand’s advertising is LGBT-inclusive.”
Years have passed since major corporations began to take notice of the LGBTQ community’s buying power, as well as its growing prominence. Companies are still developing strategies to target the LGBTQ consumer market. One major way to reach these consumers — tried, true and effective — is through sponsoring major events, like Pride festivals and Human Rights Campaign (HRC) projects.
The Texas Association of Business has been an outspoken opponent of the state’s proposed transgender bathroom bill, predicting the legislation will lead to a massive economic backlash and cost the state as much as $8.5 billion in lost business. The Indiana Chamber of Commerce was similarly alarmed by the 2015 push for the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, arguing that it would negatively affect the state’s “ability to attract and retain jobs, talent and investment.”
A new Canadian survey on the LGBT community suggests while just more than one-tenth of the population identifies as part of that group, many people are reluctant to tell others. More than half of the respondents who described themselves as LGBT said they have not come out to work colleagues, while just under half have not told their classmates. The findings are found in a survey that was commissioned on behalf of a Quebec foundation committed to fighting bullying, discrimination and violence.
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