Ian Johnson, Out Now
September 19, 2007
Corporations need to understand that gay marketing is much more than just creating a gay PR campaign or running advertisements in a few gay and lesbian media products.
Serious efforts to create gay marketing brand loyalty occur where such loyalty is earned, not bought.
That requires commitment and actions that back up words--to prove to the objects of all that gay marketing affection, namely gays and lesbians themselves, that companies and brands really are serious about deserving their business.
These days an element relevant to good gay marketing and communications practice includes the existence, and effective practical implementation of, corporate policies on equality and diversity. Equally as important for gay marketing purposes, is correctly understanding how such policies do, and do not, interplay with a brand's gay marketing strategies.
Corporate gay-inclusive E & D policies do several things:
- They show staff that all staff are treated equally, and with respect, by the company; no matter their race, religion, age, gender or sexual orientation.
- This increases the chances of an eclectic group of employees uniting effectively as a workplace team.
- That increases corporate productivity, which increases profits.
- On the demand side, there is anecdotal evidence that good E & D policies lead to potential gay marketing advantages for companies -- as consumers may choose to spend their pink euro, pink pounds and pink dollars with those brands that are marketed by companies that genuinely believe in respect for gay and lesbian people.
By treating gay employees well under corporate equality and diversity policies, brands provide a potential PR and marketing edge that needs to be well handled as a communications tool to communicate with customers. This requires careful handling with very good knowledge of the concerns of lesbian and gay customers; but, if done well, strong gay and lesbian-inclusive Equality and Diversity policies can be potentially useful to consider including as part of the broader gay communications messaging which is an element of an effective gay marketing strategy.
The Human Rights Campaign in the US is an equality lobbying group for gays and lesbians. This week they have released their sixth annual gay and lesbian Corporate Equality Index which says that an "unprecedented" 195 major U.S. businesses earned the top rating of 100 percent, up from 138 and a 41 percent increase on the previous year's data.
We urge strong caution in interpreting the gay marketing implications of such a score of a 'perfect' 100 percent--as many gays and lesbians working at the very corporations being scored thusly might well be experiencing individual issues and harassment at work related to their sexuality.
Far more important than scoring well on any index though; it is how well gay and lesbian Equality and Diversity policies actually filter down to the workplace shopfloor--as experienced by gay and lesbian workers--which is the crucial issue that needs to be considered, not just how well a company's policies manage to 'tick the boxes' in a corporate ranking index.
Nonetheless, it is encouraging to see more corporations than ever have, as we reported on at Gay Market News more than two years ago, begun recognizing that equality and diversity policies inclusive of gay and lesbian issues is not just a warm fuzzy policy option. It is becoming a modern workplace imperative.
And if the brand seeks proper gay marketing expertise to help it manage its gay marketing communications strategy, it might possibly also be able to become an effective part of the brand's gay marketing strategies as well.
As with all gay marketing though -- take your gay marketing advice only from the most experienced gay marketing professionals, or you just might find that what seemed like a great marketing idea in a meeting sometime could cause your brand significant grief in the real world gay and lesbian market place.
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Out Now Consulting has 15 years experience in working in all facets of gay and lesbian marketing, including gay workplace equality and diversity issues. To get expert gay and lesbian marketing insight, expert gay and lesbian target marketing advice, LGBT equality and diversity help, lesbian and gay marketing expert input, and access to gay community marketing professionals, all from the leading gay and lesbian community marketing experts: contact Out Now.
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