Gay-friendly brands will gain loyalty

Despite the fact that the gay community accounts for 6% of the UK population, according to media advertising and marketing publishers MPG, they are only now starting to be specifically targeted in advertising and media campaigns in the mainstream press.

As your article asserts (MW last week), the notion of the pink consumer has been around since the Nineties, and while this group has been widely accepted as a good audience for spending, they’ve been largely sidelined in terms of direct marketing attention.

Brands that reach out to this group now stand a far better chance of creating customer loyalty and acceptance, being seen as a gay-friendly

rand can be an excellent point of difference for all liberal-minded people as can be seen with Lloyds TSB promoting gay rights within its company. This shows there is now an opportunity or the right brand to make an impact.

In an age of dialogue when consumers are choosing which channels and brands they want to interact with, companies are being forced to follow consumers’ lead.

This offers brands and media owners the chance to blaze a trail in terms of targeting a gay audience, which will allow them to be taken more seriously than those that jump on the bandwagon further down the line.

However, it’s not just doing it, it’s about doing it right. Clear Channel Outdoor, Pride London and, obviously, Gaydar Radio offer some great media and sponsorship packages.

There may be brands that don’t wish to target a gay consumer specifically because of a reluctance to target niche groups or a fear of doing it badly. However, brands that appeal to a broad audience should invest in communicating with all its facets, be they gay, ethnic or religious groups.

And with a broadening of media channels, such as social media platforms and advertising opportunities opening up with publishers moving to tablet technology, a diversity of audience communication is becoming a more simple and hopefully an attractive proposition for marketers.

Pete Davis
Managing director, Getmemedia.com