Gay and Lesbian Advertising in the Last Decade

¶ … advertising geared to the gay and lesbian communities. Specifically, it will discuss advertising in the context of gay and lesbian culture, and how particular ad campaigns are significant to the gay and lesbian communities. While society has become more accepting of the gay and lesbian lifestyle, there are still many aspects of culture and society that disapprove of the gay/lesbian experience. Traditionally, mainstream advertising has not courted gays and lesbians, but some advertisers have recognized the size and dimensions of the market, and are beginning to break down the barriers in advertising to gays and lesbians in mainstream markets. In the last decade, advertising has become more open, and the gay lifestyle has become more accepted. Advertisers will continue to create new markets to create new opportunities for business and industry, and the gay/lesbian market is still waiting to be fully tapped.

The gay and lesbian lifestyle has existed for thousands of years, but it is only fairly recently been seen as a viable advertising market. Many experts and researchers believe gay advertising existed in the 1920s, citing several examples of print ads that seemed to indicate a gay or homosocial relationship between men (Boyce 26). In addition, author Alexandra Chasin cites a 1976 New York Times article that discussed the efforts of gay publications to attract mainstream advertisers, and other early recognition of the growing gay and lesbian marketplace (Chasin 30). Thus, advertising to gays and lesbians seems to have existed in some form for decades, but it is only in the last decade that it has really "come out of the closet." In fact, today there are numerous marketing companies entirely devoted to the gay and lesbian advertising market, and numerous studies have been conducted that indicate this market is profitable, viable, and growing. One report notes, "gay/lesbian consumers tend to be highly educated (37% are college graduates and one-fifth have graduate degrees) and in high-income brackets (27% have an annual household income of $100,000 or more)" (McFarland and Garber). Clearly, this is a viable advertising market, and as the gay/lesbian lifestyle becomes more open and accepted, then more advertising will appear that is geared to gays but also appeals to a general audience. Included in this analysis are some marketing terms such as "market," "demographics," "mainstream," "commodity," "niche market," "B2B," and "campaign." "Market" is a group of people or customers who represent the target audience for a particular product or service. "Demographics" are statistics used by advertisers to determine age, sex, and other important information regarding the market. "Mainstream" is the "normal" group of Americans that advertisers market their products to, such as white heterosexuals. "Commodity" is the product or service being sold. "Niche market" is a specialty market out of the mainstream, such as gays and lesbians, or Hispanics. "B2B" is the shorthand term for business to business, and finally, a marketing "campaign" is a series of ads or a group of different ads targeted to a specific group of consumers. For example, a Toyota marketing campaign might include print, radio, television, and Internet ads regarding a specific car line or auto feature.

One aspect of gay advertising is still being underrepresented, and that is the lesbian market. Perhaps two of today's most famous lesbians, Ellen DeGeneres and Rosie O'Donnell, are changing the way the world looks at lesbians, but the lesbian lifestyle is still not as recognized as the gay lifestyle, and advertisers target fewer lesbians than gays in their marketing campaigns. One writer notes,

Lesbians have not been targeted as consumers by the advertising industry for several historical reasons. First, lesbians as a social group have not been economically powerful; thus, like other social groups who lack substantial purchasing power (e.g., the elderly), they have not been attractive to advertisers. Second, lesbians have not been easily identifiable as a social group anyway (Clark 485).

Therefore, even as the gay and lesbian market is expanding, there are some limitations to what advertisers will do, and who they will target. One classic example of lesbian marketing is a John Hancock Insurance commercial that aired during the 2000 Summer Olympics and the World Series. The ad featured two women in line at an immigration office, holding their new baby they had just brought back from China for adoption. The two women discussed becoming a "family," and at the end one said to the other, "You're going to make a great mom," and the other said, "So are you." The ad drew so much criticism from the public that Hancock edited it several times, and finally removed the ad from their advertising program ("Best Practices"). The ad depicted an openly lesbian couple who was concerned about the future of their adopted child, and indicated John Hancock recognized the special needs of gay couples who hoped to start and maintain a family.

This ad is extremely important to the lesbian culture, because it portrays a "normal" couple adopting a child and worried about its' future. However, the family unit just happens to be made up of lesbian women. The ad indicates that lesbian women are like many other American women - they want to have families, raise children, and belong to a committed and loving relationship. The only difference is their choice of partners. The ad makes them seem like any other women, and so does not stigmatize or belittle them for their lifestyle choices. Traditionally, lesbian women have often rebelled against fashion and cultural "norms" to make a statement about society and its mores. Many lesbians have turned their backs on designer fashions and upscale looks in an effort to call attention to the perennial attention to beauty and feminism our culture promotes. However, studies show lesbians are increasingly affluent and upwardly mobile in our society, and they are increasingly consumer oriented, too. Because of this, more advertisers are beginning to recognize their importance, and as they do, it legitimizes the lesbian community. It also shows mainstream American consumers that there are other lifestyles in the world, but simply because someone is gay or lesbian, it does not mean they do not have the same needs and wants as most mainstream consumers. Lifestyle aside, gay and lesbian consumers buy products, desire commodities, and have money to spend, just like mainstream customers, and recognizing that makes them seem more a part of the mainstream themselves.

In another act of acceptance, Japanese automobile maker Subaru used tennis star and openly lesbian Martina Navratilova as their spokesperson in 2000, because they discovered through testing that they had a strong base of lesbian customers ("Best Practices"). This is equally important because Navratilova has been openly gay for many years, and most modern American consumers know that. Using her as a spokesperson indicated Subaru was not only courting the gay market, but the gay market approved, because Navratilova agreed to the assignment. Again, her participation legitimized lesbian women, and even placed them in a traditional "family" vehicle, a station wagon. While Subaru no longer uses Navratilova as their spokeswoman, her campaign proved successful. What is quite amusing about the campaign is that it followed the success of Paul "Crocodile Dundee" Hogan's campaign for Subaru. Hogan, a super-macho Australian actor created a persona that oozed sex appeal and machismo, and he was followed by a lesbian. This shows the different strategies of the marketing community, and indicates that very different consumer images may combine to form a long-term successful ad campaign. As long as advertisers such as John Hancock and Subaru are willing to gear their ads to a gay or lesbian audience, understanding and acceptance should continue to grow, and these types of ads should become more commonplace.

In addition to online and television advertising, print advertising is heavily utilized by many advertisers hoping to attract the gay and lesbian audience. Writer Clark continues, more common and more discreet means of reaching the gay male consumer, however, is achieved through the mainstream (predominately print) media. As one marketing director has pointed out, advertisers "really want to reach a bigger market than just gays, but [they] don't want to alienate them" either (Clark 486).

Many print advertisements are not openly gay in their content, but can be seen as appealing to gays by the content. This expert writes, "This dual marketing strategy has been referred to as 'gay window advertising.' Generally, gay window ads avoid explicit references to heterosexuality by depicting only one individual or same-sexed individuals within the representational frame (Clark 486). For example, Toyota debuted a print ad for its Seca Ultima model that featured two men loading their car for vacation. The car included their suitcases, sports equipment, and even a picnic basket containing champagne and French bread. The headline read "The Family Car" (Kates 25). Print ads may be seen as less controversial because the reader can simply turn the page of the magazine, but they also offer more lasting impressions than television commercials. This ad appeared in publications geared to gays because Toyota was targeting this market. Writer Clark maintains, more common and more discreet means of reaching the gay male consumer, however, is achieved through the mainstream (predominately print) media. As one marketing director has pointed out, advertisers "really want to reach a bigger market than just gays, but [they] don't want to alienate them" either (Clark 486).

Print ads have dominated gay advertising for a number of years because their target markets are quite specific, and the ads can be much more open about their content and meaning. One researcher found, "Advertising in gay print publications increased by 20% in 1996 to $73.7 million, according to the third annual Gay Press Report (1998)" (Kates 25). Print ads can be placed in predominately gay publications with little worry, but if they appear in mainstream publications, they can create problems. Alienation is perhaps one of the biggest concerns with advertisers who want to break into the gay and lesbian marketplace. The advertiser must walk a tightrope between the advertiser and the gay community. A too gay slant will alienate mainstream audiences, and a too little slant could alienate the gay audience. For example, a conservative family who viewed the Toyota ad might be offended that Toyota considered their values the same "family" values as those exhibited by these two gay men leaving on vacation. They could even boycott the company, or organize a nationwide demonstration or denunciation. There is a balance between the two extremes, and advertisers must recognize this balance when attempting to advertise to gays through mainstream media.

Probably the most important aspect of gay and lesbian marketing is how many advertisers have decided to gear ads to the gay community, and how successful some of those ads have been. In addition to being a wise marketing tactic, marketing to the gay and lesbian community is proving to be increasingly profitable. One study notes, "The Gay/Lesbian Consumer Online Census also found that advertisers who choose to use gay themes realize increased brand awareness and brand loyalty. Eighty-seven percent of G/L Census respondents remember ads with gay themes vs. those with non-gay themes" (McFarland and Garber). One of the most successful gay advertisements came from traditionally macho advertiser Miller Lite Beer. The television commercial depicts two women flirting with a man in a bar. Eventually, the man's gay partner sits down and takes his hand, while one of the women wryly comments, "Well at least he's not married" ("Best Practices"). This commercial aired during both gay themed shows such as Will and Grace, and on network and ESPN sports shows. Surprisingly, a large number of men also enjoyed the ad, and it was quite popular with women, too. Another successful print ad featured a gay couple marrying in a DuPont Pharmaceutical Company ad for an AIDS drug. While the ad did garner some negative reaction, the company continued to depict gay couples in many of its ads for the drug. Another researcher notes that more and more companies are discovering gay and lesbian consumers have money to spend, and are willing to spend it on their products. He notes, "Among the companies regularly advertising to gay and lesbian consumers are American Airlines, Levi Strauss, American Express, IBM, Saab, and Anheuser-Busch" (Buford 27). These are some of the largest corporations in America, and they are not afraid to go after the gay consumer's dollars.

Obviously, the last decade has seen a much wider of acceptance of the gay and lesbian lifestyle, and much more advertising geared to the community. What does this mean for their culture? With wider acceptance, more gays are finding the strength to admit their lifestyle. They are finding a legislative voice, and are working to change laws, including those that ban gay marriage. With the television coming out of "Ellen," and the advertisers who eagerly embraced the show, gay advertising reached new levels, especially in the mainstream marketplace. In addition to more acceptance, gay advertising continue to portray gay couples just the same as heterosexual couples, blurring the distinction between the two. As more advertisers jump on the gay bandwagon, the community can only continue to improve. Gays have been treated as second-class citizens for so long, that the continued advertising boom enhances their reputation, and their buying power improves. As companies target them, they become more brand conscious and brand loyal, and have more choices available to them. If the researcher is correct, and gays and lesbians do not trust advertising, then their trust will grow as more advertisers reach out to them. One of the reasons they can come out of the closet easier today is because of the strides made by people like Rosie O'Donnell and others who admitted they were gay, and even made it rather fashionable. The popularity of such shows as "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" is also helping more gays stand up for themselves, and be noticed by the advertising and other communities. Many of the specific advertising campaigns are especially significant because they not only recognize the gay community, they celebrate it. The DuPont ads for their AIDS drug depicted gays in gay specific situations, and a Nike ad showed an HIV-positive athlete participating in their sport, while casually mentioning they were HIV-positive. These moments are significant because they point to a deeper understanding of the gay community, and a deeper awareness that the heterosexual lifestyle may not be the "only" acceptable way to live. The gay and lesbian communities have fought for many years to be accepted and gain the same benefits, and these commercials may help them gain a foothold on benefits and equality. Ads that do not poke fun at the gay lifestyle can be positive and rewarding, and can help people who might never have had contact with a gay person to understand them a little bit more. If these ads promote nothing else but understanding and tolerance, they will certainly ultimately make a difference in the gay community.

While there are many successful examples of advertising geared to the gay and lesbian market, there are also quite a few disasters to report. Swedish retailer IKEA featured a gay middle-aged couple shopping for furniture in an ad from 1994, but the ad aired only once in Washington D.C. And New York City, and IKEA pulled it when conservative groups protested and began phoning in bomb threats to local IKEA stores. One writer notes, "Many wrongly assumed the commercial was meant to target gay buyers, but the campaign was about 'non-traditional' families, including a mixed race couple and a single mom with an adopted child" ("Best Practices"). This was the first commercial to show an openly gay couple in the U.S., and the director said that surprised him. It was no surprise that the gay community liked the commercial, and IKEA has continued to explore gay themes in its commercials from time to time ("Best Practices"). However, just as IKEA had problems with the gay depictions in their commercials, other advertisers have had problems with their commercials, too. McCormick Grill Mates initially aired a humorous commercial with a man grilling food that was so good; another man kissed him on the lips at the end of the commercial. However, reaction to the ad was so strong and negative that McCormick pulled the ad, and then edited out the kiss, replacing it with a taster crying tears of joy. Why did the company change the ad? The Commercial Closet Web site reports, "There was some viewer reaction,' says Mack Barrett, McCormick's spokesman. 'We like to think we're sensitive to our audience'" ("Best Practices"). Unfortunately, many advertisers still shy away from any gay-themed ads, or even openly gay actors or shows. When "Ellen" came out on national TV, mega-sponsors Chrysler and Coca-Cola, among others, removed the comedy from their advertising lineup after the show with her announcement that she was gay (Gross 161).