Syracuse, New York – July 9, 2001 – As
mainstream advertisers begin dipping toes into the Gay/Lesbian oriented
marketing pool, many of them unknowingly perpetuate the myths and
misconceptions of homosexuality and the “lifestyle” assumptions that straight
society is comfortable with.
While these advertisers have the best
intentions, what needs to be addressed is why these good intentions are, in some
cases, paving a rainbow road to hell.
Unfortunately,
many of these campaigns are blindly conceived and executed, often running the
risk of alienating their targeted customer.
While the Gay/Lesbian consumer dollar has
become a hot commodity among many industries, the fact still remains that
advertisers, and their agencies, lack the knowledge of how to appeal to the
Community. Many who have portrayed Gays
and Lesbians in mainstream electronic and print media have used typical
societal stereotypes and humor, entrenched in the idea that targeting them this
way automatically creates brand loyalty.
So why isn’t it working?
What is often lacking is the intelligence
in the message itself. Just as a bikini-clad female spread across the hood of a
high performance car doesn’t send women
flocking to the auto dealer, putting two men on a beach drinking a certain
brand of beer and holding hands isn’t going to create a deluge of Gay men at
the coolers of convenience stores.
With proper guidance, perhaps the image
of two men having that beer after building a swing set for their children in
the hot sun would be much more compelling.
The subtle, sensitive message, while still open to interpretation as most
advertising is, speaks loudly.
So
how can the Community help diffuse the myths?
Since many companies have begun targeting
Gays and Lesbians in mainstream media, much of the Community has accepted a
compromise: It doesn’t matter what they say, as long as they spell your name
right. Is it just an attempt at enticement while still smacking of
middle American social acceptance?
Maybe advertisers just don’t know how
to do it right. Perhaps now that the
“closet door” is open, the Community needs to pick up the ball and run with
it.
In fact, one Gay-owned advertising/PR
agency has chosen, after 16 years of working with Fortune 500 mainstream
advertisers, to specialize in serving as a conduit between the Gay/Lesbian
Community and their clients.
“Mainstream corporations have been aware
of this niche market for sometime,” says Jeffrey Garber, president of OpusComm
Group, Inc. “They have mainly targeted Gay publications, as not to risk
offending mainstream middle America.
While these publications are important, they don’t cross over to mass
media and may be missing a large percentage of the target market. A few have taken the next step by putting
Gays and Lesbians in their campaigns, but usually as the butt of a joke. You have to understand though, this, as
television has taught them, is what “sells”.
Mainstream viewers love and accept the Cher-loving “Just Jack”, and
Friend's Chandler’s cross-dressing, gay father because they are not to be taken
seriously.
“But to truly reach out to the
Gay/Lesbian market, the right message needs to be that the Community is taken
seriously. This is done by sensitively
addressing pertinent issues the same way you would if you were targeting, say,
the African-American market.”
OpusComm Group, Inc. has partnered with
Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and
GSociety, Inc. to conduct the first grand-scale accredited research into the
consumer habits of the worldwide Gay/Lesbian community to educate mainstream advertisers
in the delivery of a positive message to this unique niche market.
The 2001
Gay/Lesbian Consumer Census is the first major worldwide study conducted by
a university recognized as a leader in academic research. The Census will be conducted online from
July 9th – August 9th, 2001 at www.glcensus.org.
The research itself, conducted by a team
of researchers led by Professor Amy Falkner of the S.I. Newhouse School of
Public Communications at Syracuse University, looks to reach beyond the scope
of the U.S. Government 2000 Census.
“The U.S. Census requires people to be
“out” and partnered to participate and not everyone is ready to run down the
street with a rainbow flag and let the government know their details. The anonymity of the Internet will solve
this problem and hopefully inspire participation so we can get a more complete
picture of the Gay/Lesbian Community, including singles and couples, both in
the U.S. and elsewhere in the world,” says Falkner.
“On a personal level, as a lesbian and a
mother, I am interested in an undertaking such as this which recognizes the
depth, and I suspect, the variety of the Gay/Lesbian audience. Misconceptions about this audience
abound. There is much political debate
that revolves around the lifestyles of the Gay/Lesbian Community and we think
this research could frame those discussions in a more accurate light. Better understanding will result in more
informed discussion.”
With web sites such as GayWired.com and
LesbianNation.com in their family of companies, partner GSociety, Inc. also
believes there is much lacking in the way of knowledge available to advertisers
in targeting the Community. “We need to
know whether our community’s first identity is Gay/Lesbian, “ says Cary
Gilbert, Director of Sales for the largest Gay and Lesbian Entertainment
Company. “For example, does an
African-American Gay male identify as African-American and then gay, or gay and
then African-American? The answers to
questions like this will dramatically affect future marketing campaigns.”
“GSociety recognizes the tremendous need
for academic research on Gay and Lesbian consumer habits. Many studies have been conducted with a bias
towards their outcome. With Syracuse
University, we can be assured that the results will be clinical and
objective. Society at large wants and
needs to know this information, and we are excited to be a part of this
groundbreaking effort,” says Gilbert.
Garber adds, “this is an excellent
opportunity for the Gay/Lesbian Community to not only have a voice, but a
strong voice. And we’re listening.”
# # #
