Brand marketing is complicated, especially for large retailers with a diverse customer base. Just ask Target. Virtually every demographic shops there, either in person and/or online. And so, Target, like most others with a wide audience does its research, identifies patterns of behaviors of each of its demographics, and is then able to segment its advertising for each target audience. This works for brands when marketing and sales are conducted online, or in specific target audience publications, but there is more to marketing than just ads.
All brands have an image and a “voice” in the minds of consumers. This comes from the products and services they offer and their marketing strategies. And over time, their advertising has reached out to and included a greater diversity of customers, including the LGBTQ community. The LGBT community was not given a thought – it was not a “quality” ad campaign segment.
How and Why LGBT Advertising Came to Be
The LGBTQ community was closeted forever because homosexuality was against the law and punishable by imprisonment, death, or confinement in a mental institution. The Stonewall Riots of 1969 shone a spotlight on LGBTQ people, and an open movement for rights and equality began. Although the event is talked about extensively today, that hasn’t always been the case. The media coverage that did exist, at the time, often portrayed individuals fighting for equal rights in a negative light.
Further, the laws did not cooperate, and the vast majority of enterprises did not feel a need to reach out to those customers. Diversity to them meant multiple age groups and, as time went on, the inclusion of other minority groups.
Blacks and Latinos began to appear, showing those groups in a positive light, by the late 60s. Such an enterprise considered itself an equality-focused brand and so did its customers. The LGBT community was not even a thought as brands carefully planned each marketing campaign. In short, the community was not a “quality” ad campaign segment.
Enter AIDS
The HIV/AIDS epidemic of the 80s didn’t help either. Non-LGBTQ Americans wouldn’t go near queers, and no brand stood to publicly provide LGBTQ representation in its advertising, for fear of losing its larger consumer base. Sadly, even the mainstream media failed her, often promoting stories that were sensationalistic and damaging. The entire public perception of the queer community was focused only on the “abnormal” sex they engaged in. Many religious leaders, in fact, compared the epidemic to other examples of God’s wrath and insisted that queers would ultimately die off due to their “sins.” Brands were not about to touch that “hot potato” with any kind of recognition.
A few standouts included Absolut Vodka which put the artwork of a gay activist, Keith Harting, in an ad. This wasn’t really risky because non-LGBTQ consumers didn’t know.
More of a statement was made by the British company Benetton, with an ad campaign titled “United Colors of Benetton” which featured lesbians in one of its advertisements. This was risky. And other brands did not follow suit.
Greater Acceptance Begins in the ’90s and ’00s
The 90s began as the 80s – almost no LGBTQ representation in advertising or media, except for a few subtleties. For example, Subaru engaged in lesbian advertising with some slogans like, “We’re completely comfortable with our orientation” and “It’s not a choice, it’s just how we’re built.”
Outright LGBTQ inclusion began with IKEA in 1994. During daytime TV, the company featured a gay couple shopping for furniture, as any other couple would do. This took a risk, to be sure, and the retailer had no idea how non-LGBTQ Americans would react.
And react they did. While other LGBT advertising was largely in print in publications for the LGBTQ community, this was the first time anything appeared so publicly. A media firestorm ensued. IKEA was swamped with letters and phone calls from both sides of the controversy. Far-right non-LGBTQ people condemned IKEA and tried to promote a boycott. There was even a bomb threat at one of its stores. In the end, IKEA did not see a decline in sales as a result of that ad campaign. And finally, the queer community was portrayed as people who engage in perfectly normal life activities, not just “known” for the type of sex they engage in.
IKEA’s example sent a strong message to other retailers. It was the right time for LGBTQ inclusion in advertising. But still, companies shied away from using it in anything other than their print media that targeted the LGBT community. Only in the entertainment field were LGBTQ people openly portrayed. Such films as Philadelphia, Bound, Teenage Apocalypse Trilogy, Boys Don’t Cry, and Paris is Burning are prime examples of depictions of a diversity of sexual orientation, even bisexual and transgender.
Some major companies did step out with LGBTQ inclusion, although still with subtlety. Washington Mutual had an ad showing a checkbook with two male names; Levis ran a commercial with two separate endings, one with a gal and a guy and one with two guys, both with happy endings.
2010s – Big Changes
This decade witnessed much more normalization of LGBTQ inclusion in society as a whole as acceptance of diverse gender identities gained hold. Much of this was due to millennial and emerging Gen Z generations coming to be major voices in the culture, politics, and every other aspect of life in America. LGBTQ people – lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and other non-hetero gender identities – were much more publicly visible, and there was some evidence of higher levels of acceptance by non-LGBTQ people.
In 2014, a Google consumer survey, comprised of a national sample, addressed the topic of equal rights and diversity in the companies consumers choose to patronize, specifically relating to the importance of LGBTQ inclusion. Of those consumers under 34, 46% stated they would do repeat business with a company that was LGBTQ-friendly. And more than 54% stated they would choose a company that honored LGBTQ people over a competitor that did not. While the Google consumer survey is old, it pointed to a trend that has continued. The LGBT community, along with its allies, was becoming a major segment for all types of media advertising, and enterprises took note.
In 2017, Skittles began supporting Pride. Their participation, (what’s better aligned than “taste the rainbow” after all?) was repeated for a second year, and continues today.
But lest we give a huge round of applause to those enterprises who began to honor LGBT folks in their media advertising, let’s remember that no organization sacrifices its commitment to profit. Once the “big boys” realized that LGBTQ people constituted $743 billion in consumer spending, they were a bit more interested in moving toward including them in higher levels of their media marketing campaigns and showing them in a much more positive light – engaging in regular, normal, everyday activities. This trend will continue because just last year, LGBT consumer spending reached over $1.5 trillion. And if last year is any indication, their spending will soon surpass that of every other minority group, because LGBT households have nearly double the income when compared to the national average.
And for the most part, non-LGBTQ people were pretty accepting. Those non-LGBTQ people who have adamantly opposed LGBTQ people have promoted and launched boycotts of retailers like Target who presented positive media representations of the communities in their marketing and supported Pride events, financially and otherwise. These people viewed (and still do) LGBTQ people purely in terms of their sexuality, whose choice of sex that is against natural and God’s “laws.” They have failed to show any understanding of LGBTQ people as people with the same goals, values, etc. as anyone else in our culture. The boycotts have not been effective.
The Impact of Marriage Equality
In 2015, the Marriage Equality Act was passed, an event that provided LGBTQ people with all of the legal standing that only heterosexual couples enjoyed in the past. LGBT couples now had the power to establish families, and alert companies launched media ads that showed non-hetero couples and families.
And all of this went even further. Some companies featured their LGBT employees in ads. Nike featured Chris Moser, a transgender athlete. And corporate support for Pride events became almost a “badge of honor.” All of this was welcomed by Millennials and Gen Zer’s who see such support as being aligned with their values.
Hypocrisy?
Yes, some companies try to have it both ways, in an attempt to keep the favor of LGBTQ people and their allies and, at the same time, assuage those opposed to the LGBTQ lifestyle and their rights. It’s called “rainbow washing.” In 2018, for example, AT&T donated $1 million to The Trevor Project. At the same time, it donated almost $3 million to political campaigns of those who opposed LGBTTQ rights. And it is not alone. Others, like Northrup Grumman, Lockheed Martin, Ernst &Young, and Deloitte are just a few other examples.
So, Where Do We Stand Today?
We’ve come a long way compared to decades ago.
Media ads of consumer retailers continue to recognize and honor LGBTQ folks. And this helps to promote the understanding, certainly on the part of older adults who grew up in an era where conversation about this lifestyle was verboten. This is a good thing.
Media ad campaigns continue to support Pride Month each year, not just for the sake of attendees, but also as an opportunity to profit from the sale of Pride merchandise.
We need to understand this. Retail companies base their marketing and advertising on lots of research data. They would not be engaged in promoting and featuring the LGBTQ community and lifestyle if that data did not say it was a smart thing to do.
On the other hand, we should also give credit where credit is due. Some corporate leaders and executives are personally committed to diversity and equality, in their own workplaces and society as a whole. This is despite the discriminatory policies and actions of many local, state, and federal leaders.
That said, we still have a long way to go. While gay and lesbian consumers have been courted by advertisers and the media, other segments have been ignored – or worse. AB-Inbev was happy to leverage its relationship with Dylan Mulvaney when it was beneficial to the brand. But, it failed to offer her any sort of protection when that partnership created a firestorm of controversy that led to her receiving death threats and being slandered. Then, there was the horrifying coverage of the Imane Khelif story by even progressive and mainstream media outlets. The message was clear. Trans people and even people who simply don’t meet arbitrary standards of gender norms are acceptable targets.
In the future, brands must do better. Queer folks paying attention. They see companies that only pay lip service to supporting people who are LGBTQIA+. This includes brands that are only inclusive when it comes to segments of this population that are deemed to have mainstream acceptability – e.g. white, straight acting gays and lesbians.
Queer Advertising Today And Moving Forward
How will advertising look in the future? Let’s close out by looking at where successful brands will need to be.
- Reaching The Entire Spectrum – LGBTQIA+ marketing will fail if brands only care about the “LGB” and ignore the rest. Genuine diversity includes and represents trans, queer, intersex, and asexual consumers. It also recognizes and honors intersectionality. People aren’t just queer. They may also be POC, disabled, veterans, mothers, and more.
- Brand Trust and Relationships – are built through consistent and ongoing support. Queer consumers pay attention to where companies spend their political donations, how they treat LGBTQIA+ employees, and where they stand on issues when it isn’t Pride month.
- Short Form Videos Will Dominate – Thanks to the popularity of TikTok, Facebook Reels, and YouTube shorts, short form video and niche influencers have become a marriage made in heaven for brands.
Finally, brands must show they are willing to ride out the storm. When companies advertise on queer platforms, when they feature LGBTQIA+ folks in their ads, and when they partner with queer influencers they are going to experience backlash. However, that is nothing compared to the lived experiences and lack of safety experienced by members of these communities every day. Simply put, companies that want to sell their products to this consumer group must prove they won’t buckle under public pressure to sell them out.
