Gayvertising

The Pink Market

If there’s one solid and growing market in these times of uncertainty, then it’s the gay market. Gay culture has never been more alive and booming. The gay service industry, the LGBT federation, gay events, dating websites etc. These are just a few examples of that boom. Gay people are also well represented in the media through TV shows like Glee, Absolutely Fabulous, Queer Eye For The Straight Guy, Ellen and The Graham Norton Show. Not to mention the abundance of gay newspapers, radio stations and even TV channels.

Brand lovers

We don’t want to fall into stereotypes. Just as there are many different types and groups of straight people, there are just as many different subtypes within the gay community. Research has shown that most people within the LGBT community are quite an appealing segment to marketeers: they’re often childless couples who have a penchant for A brands and all things classy and trendy. In short, a brand loyal niche market with big spending power. Brands that these groups favour are Bang & Olufsen, Veuve Clicquot, Mini and Hugo Boss among many others.

A few marketeers quickly found the key to bond with this lucrative subgroup. Take for instance Absolut, who put out a special gay edition of their vodka. Car brand Subaru has included gayvertising in their communication strategy for over ten years now. Levi’s has simply made 2 versions of the same commercial: in one version the protagonist prefers women, in the other one he runs off with a man. Hallmark offers e-cards specially developed for the gay market. They made a ‘coming out’ series of e-cards, meant for those looking to come out of the closet in a modern way. You can also send your electronic congratulaions to same-sex couples who have decided to tie the knot. Their Valentine’s Day cards have also been updated to include everyone. SAS Scandinavian Airlines has launched a gay website as well, becoming the firs European airline to specifically target this group. The site is composed of special travel formulas with extra information such as hot spots and events. MTV launched a new channel in 2005 called LOGO, which is specifically targeted towards the LGBT market with their adjusted programming. Denmark even has a mobile provider for gay people called Gaymobile. Apart from mobile packages, they offer a mobile dating service and ringtones. On top of that, they donate 25% of their profits to the “Gaytrust” fund. A lot of producers don’t have specific gay-oriented campaigns, but limit themselves to running their ads in specialised gay media.

Gay brands

Whether they want to be or not: some brands are very popular with the gay community. This doesn’t go by unnoticed. Every year the “European Gay Car of the Year” is elected by the readers of the French gay magazine Ledorga. In conclusion, here’s a list of all the past winners:

2012: Citroën DS4
2011: Peugeot RCZ
2010: Fiat 500
2009: Alfa Romeo Mito
2008: Alfa Romeo Spider