In today’s consumer-driven, U.S. economy, smart targeting and reach take on a whole new dimension. Marketers continue to refine, segment, target, and drive deeper into niche audiences to get their message across to the consumer. So how are we, the LGBT audience, different? We really aren’t!
In many ways, we are just like the everyday consumer. We read books, we obsess over our pets (OK, maybe a bit more than the average person!), we live in the ‘burbs, we pay our bills online, and we shop at the local grocery store. For the most part, day in, day out, the LGBT market is just as consumer-driven and consumer-savvy as the next person. So, why and how do marketers successfully reach us with their message? Here are two differing points of view I can offer:
1. Marketers do a great job of targeting us. How?
If you read any of the typical gay mags like Out or The Advocate, or go online to check
out your next dream trip with Olivia.com, you will notice some pretty smart marketing!
The advertisers here do a great job of not just showing off their products; they do so
in a gay-friendly way. Southwest Airlines may be the master of this. A recent Southwest
ad featured the headline “We’ve been a great travel partner for over 35 years.” The ad
features various recognizable destinations and two men holding hands on a beach in the
center photo. Make no mistake, Southwest was targeting us! And — surprise — when I
looked for the same ad in my Vanity Fair, Vogue, and Oprah magazines, I could not find it!
Why not? Why don’t we see ourselves in mainstream media more often? I love the customized landing page Southwest developed for those of us who go online to check out their tempting travel destinations (www.southwest.com/gaytravel). But hey, isn’t America ready for us to be seen in everyday places too?
2. Marketers waste their money trying to target us with their message. Why?
In some ways, we blend in to our communities. Many of us have lifelong partners,
we live in the suburbs, and we want to have a “normal” life. Why can’t we just mow our
yards, plant a summer garden, walk our dogs, jog in the neighborhood every morning,
and throw a holiday party for all our straight and gay friends and family? Well we can! And
we do. My partner and I recently hosted our annual holiday party. We did bother to select
a particular vodka that is well known as being a gay friendly brand, Absolut®. And we
were not swayed by the recent gay targeted ads for Svedka Vodka with their catchy headline “Homometrosexuals prefer Svedka over trendy labels.” We did not, however, select gay-friendly wine brands to serve just because they support gays. And I can report
we had a nice mix of our friends from work, our family, our neighbors, and our gay friends
for a great holiday celebration!
So, we can see smart and effective LGBT marketing continues to be a challenge. See Ben’s post from November 13th on this blog for his point of view on the Top Ten Mistakes to Avoid when Targeting Gay and Lesbian Audiences. Also, Community Marketing, Inc. (CMI) offers “Three Steps to Gay Market Success” for investing in gay and lesbian marketing: Step 1. Research; Step 2. Positioning and Preparation; and Step 3. Market Planning. While all of this may seem like Marketing 101, both Ben and CMI point out some unique challenges and difficulties in effectively reaching this audience. Check them out for more info on how to do smart LGBT marketing.
Bottom line: I still think good marketers will reach LGBT consumers in very relevant and
targeted ways. I’d love to know what you think. Let me hear from you. More to come next
month on consumer marketing to the LGBT audience.
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Hi Kim. This is belated WELCOME to the Out Front Blog family. We’re very glad to have you here.
This post is really interesting, particularly your personal insight about the types of marketing that impact you and your resulting purchase decisions.
I look forward to your next post!