VisitSweden Gay Marketing by Out Now

Lesbian and gay travelers are not looking to be marketed to - they want to experience respect and understanding as equal consumers of companies products and services. What does that mean to marketers? Talk with gay consumers, not at them.


Ian Johnson, Out Now
June 24, 2009

Topics: Gay and lesbian travel. Lesbian and gay tourism. Gay marketing. Out Now. VisitSweden. LGBT Travel. GLBT tourism and gay travel. Lesbian travellers. Gay and lesbian advertising and lesbian and gay marketing. Stockholm In Full Glory. Sweden. Out Now UK gay marketing campaign for Stockholm.

Sweden is one of those places you really have to visit to properly understand its people.

Long famed throughout the world for attributes of tolerance and respect for differences, there is a far more complex reality at play when you get to know many Swedes.

One city where you are well placed to do precisely that is Stockholm.

Out Now recently launched VisitSweden's largest gay marketing campaign to date in the UK market.

Called 'Stockholm In Full Glory' the campaign was managed by the UK Marketing Manager for VisitSweden, Linda Ericson - ably assisted by her fabulous colleague Christina Guggenberger of Stockholm Visitors Board.

The campaign draws upon the inspiration of Magnus Lindbergh of VisitSweden New York office and also uses the statue photography of Landeros Studios.

Talk With Consumers, Not At Them

Out Now visited Stockholm in January as a guest of the Stockholm Visitors Board and Visit Sweden.

In working with any new client - it is important to assess how much of the 'Gay Marketing 101' basics they already know, and how much hand holding is needed.

In the case of VisitSweden and Stockholm Visitors Board, it was clear that both organizations were well aware of the valuable importance of the lesbian and gay travel market to their overall marketing strategies. Both Stockholm and Visit Sweden already included gay microsites on their main web sites.

What we needed to do was decide what was it about Stockholm - beyond the stereotypes of ABBA and Volvo cars - that could appeal to any traveler, including gays and lesbians.

The Four Themes of Stockholm

On my return in January to cold, wet London it was clear to me what things had made an impact on me during my just-completed first trip.

Water - Stockholm is a place that is surrounded by the stuff. It is everywhere. But more than that, it is profoundly beautiful - and I believe actually helps explain the serene nature that many Swedes seem to carry around with them during their everyday lives.

Beauty - lives just about every place in Stockholm. The architecture, the archipelago, the clean lines of style and elegance that slice through the city. Beauty simply envelops the visitor to Stockholm.

Design - Many of the world's leading designs originate in Sweden. Stockholm flies the flag for great Swedish design extremely well. From clothing to architecture to furniture and more. Great design leads the way for Swedish culture.

Legends - Ask anyone to name some Swedish legends and you will probably be surprised. After the mandatory ABBA response, we discover a wealth of legends like Greta Garbo, Bjorn Borg, Ingmar Bergman and more. Even what I believe is quite possibly the most spectacular museum in the world - The Vasa Museum in Stockholm - is built right around the greatest Swedish legend of all, the massive 17th century ship The Vasa.

Start a Conversation

What impressed me most about Stockholm was how little I knew of what the city is really like, before I visited.

All those elements - beauty, water, design and legends - were almost completely unknown to me as being critically important parts of what makes up the fabric of Stockholm as a unique European destination.

Out Now's challenge was to create a strategy for starting a conversation with lesbian and gay travelers themselves about why Stockholm belongs on their travel shopping lists.

We used a range of techniques.

First, we visited Stockholm and filmed local Stockholm gay guys sending an invitation to their UK counterparts to visit.

Video: The various themes are available online for viewing at the YouTube channel for VisitSwedenUK.

Here is the Out Now video for Legends.



The Legends and Beauty theme videos also include some nice gay-welcoming messaging from two of the people we spoke with. Natural and authentic - and very, very appealing for other gay people to hear so naturally expressed about a potential tourism destination.

These videos are then linked to an online promotion where people visit to enter to win a free trip to Stockholm.

That is motivated by winning a free trip of course, but it was also a good opportunity for Out Now to deliver some real-time market analysis for our client, so we recommended that the selection of the favourite video of the four should be an element to enter. Brand promotion tied-in with useful market research insight. A nice and efficient approach. (How Swedish in design!)

The marketing package was then supported with print advertising in two leading UK gay media titles, Beige Travel and GT.

This weekend, the final element of the Stockholm UK gay marketing promotion for 2009 is delivered - with a gay media FAM trip to Stockholm by journalists from leading UK gay media products and websites.

All in all, this has been a campaign for which Out Now feels a great deal of pride. And one which the client thinks is "quite good".

"Stockholm offers a unique and exceptional experience and we want the gay community to feel especially welcome" says Linda Ericson at VisitSweden. "This campaign provides a good platform to get our message out there in a creative way, and let people know what makes Stockholm so special."

One More Thing

Stockholm has just become the second GayComfort accredited Preferred Partner destination in the GayComfort program.

More on that later, but suffice to say that Christina Guggenberger and her colleagues at Stockholm Visitors Board know a thing or two about lesbian and gay travel marketing.

It is never enough to just 'talk the talk' - and tick a box claiming "we are gay-friendly".

Gay and lesbian consumers are far more sophisticated than that.

They expect their suppliers to 'walk the walk' - by delivering truly gay-comfortable, welcoming accommodation and attractions when they travel.

Which is precisely what GayComfort does for the fine hotels and attractions of the Stockholm Gay Network.

The 'Stockholm In Full Glory' campaign continues.

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If you would like Out Now to help you take your marketing to the leading-edge of sales results, please do get in touch.
---------------

AdWeek recently referred to one of Out Now's gay advertising campaigns as "the year's most talked about tourism ads." Out Now Consulting is a leading global gay marketing specialist agency, founded in 1992. Clients include Barclays, IBM, Toyota, Citibank, German National Tourist Office, Visit Britain, Lufthansa and Time Inc. Magazines. Out Now recently won the "Outstanding Interactive" category in New York at the 'Images in Advertising' awards for an online campaign for their client Lufthansa.

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To learn how to get lesbian and gay marketing strategy right -- rely on gay marketing expert strategic advice from Out Now -- the leading experienced global strategic gay marketing, research and communications agency.

Argentina Gay Marketing Tour De Force

One of the great parts of my work is meeting new people and seeing new places. Next month brings both when a gay marketing 'tour de force' takes hold of Buenos Aires in Argentina.


Ian Johnson, Out Now
June 18, 2009

Topics: Argentina. Buenos Aires. Gay marketing. LGBT entrepreneurs. GLBT market. Gay travel. Lesbian tourism. Gay and lesbian advertising. Out Now. Gay and lesbian marketing conferences. 2nd International forum of gay marketing specialists taking place next month in BA, Argentina.

Gay and lesbian marketing is literally spreading its reach around the entire globe.

One city with no illusions about the strong marketing potential of the global gay and lesbian market is Buenos Aires in Argentina.

Next month the 2nd International Meeting of Business People and Entrepreneurs Focused on The GLBT Market is taking place in Buenos Aires from July 15 - July 16.


Jam-packed with gay marketing goodness

The seminar program is formidable - with many leading gay marketing luminaries on the agenda.

I was privileged to be invited - and my seminar is called: Gay Marketing - How To Get It Right.

Or - as I am also delighted to offer: Marketing Gay - Como Crear Una Campana Efectiva.

The program features a well designed, high quality and very informative program of gay marketing content.

The event has received official recognition from the City of Buenos Aires - being allocated a certificate of financial importance - signifying just how seriously the city appreciates the immense value and power of the global gay and lesbian market.

Because of the global emphasis and importance of this Forum it is being sponsored by both the City of Buenos Aires Tourism Board and the National Argentina Tourism Department.

One presentation I am especially looking forward to is that from the President of the now global gay hotels brand - Axel Hotels - the highly respected Mr Juan P. Juliá.



Powerhouse organizers

The people behind this event are two highly impressive guys - Pablo De Luca and Gustavo Noguera.



Gustavo and Pablo are also behind some great gay targeted business initiatives including GMaps360 - an innovative gay and lesbian information maps service; and GNetwork360 - the organizing brand behind next month's gay marketing conference in Buenos Aires.

It is one of the highlights of my year to be invited to this leading-edge gay marketing event in Buenos Aires.

For those of you that can make it - please be sure to say hi there!

To register: click here.

The 2nd International Meeting of Business People and Entrepreneurs Focused on The GLBT Market takes place on July 15 and 16, 2009 at the very well-targeted 'hetero-friendly hotel', The Axel Hotel, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Reservations are limited, free of charge, and available now online. Book now to secure your - and your colleagues' - place.

---------------
If you would like Out Now to help you take your marketing to the leading-edge of sales results, please do get in touch.
---------------

AdWeek recently referred to one of Out Now's gay advertising campaigns as "the year's most talked about tourism ads." Out Now Consulting is a leading global gay marketing specialist agency, founded in 1992. Clients include Barclays, IBM, Toyota, Citibank, German National Tourist Office, Visit Britain, Lufthansa and Time Inc. Magazines. Out Now recently won the "Outstanding Interactive" category in New York at the 'Images in Advertising' awards for an online campaign for their client Lufthansa.

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To learn how to get lesbian and gay marketing strategy right -- rely on gay marketing expert strategic advice from Out Now -- the leading experienced global strategic gay marketing, research and communications agency.

Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras - Split Right In Two

Having lived in Sydney's gay and lesbian community for many years, I know that Sydney can really get its knickers into a twist over its much revered annual Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. Now a fundamental change to the running of the event is threatening to split the event in two. Learn what happened.


Ian Johnson, Out Now
June 17, 2009

Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras is a much treasured Australian institution.

From humble beginnings as a street parade demanding gay rights back in 1978, the event has grown to become the largest nighttime gay and lesbian parade in the world.

Mardi Gras cops it for lots of reasons.

Some have criticized its increasing reliance on commercial sponsorship back in the 1990s.

It has survived near bankruptcy several times, yet comes back, year-after-year, to face off its critics.

Now though, a new Sydney gay and lesbian community row has erupted that some feel threatens the very nature of the event itself.

Split In Two

Mardi Gras has, since almost its very beginnings, had two key core components to its own existence: a street parade, followed by a party that was designed to get people safely off the streets.

This combined parade and party nexus saw the event evolve to become a multi-million dollar generator of revenues to NSW State and Federal Australian tourism coffers.

A few weeks back, Mardi Gras organizers announced - quite unexpectedly - that after consultation with their own members and volunteers it had been decided that they would separate the date of the annual Mardi Gras parade so that it ran one week earlier than the annual party - already announced and booked as being the first weekend of March in 2010.

This raised more than a few eyebrows - especially given that in almost all of its 31 years of existence, Mardi Gras had included a night street parade followed by an all-night gay and lesbian party. Many of the earlier ones of which became quite legendary. (Trust me - I was there. They were amazing.)

The story went quiet for a few days.

Meanwhile in the background a gay cruise company in the US - Atlantis Events - were discovered to have been publicizing on their website that their first gay cruise to Sydney was "timed perfectly" to coincide with the annual Mardi Gras Parade and Party.

Sounds like a smart gay marketing match made in 'strategic thinking' heaven, right?

Only problem was the ship is in town for just a couple of days - and one full week before the Mardi Gras Party was supposed to happen.

Ouch!

As they say - the truth will out, and a former President of the pre-bankruptcy incarnation of Mardi Gras - decided he would spill the beans, 'quietly' posting a note onto a gay media website that the decision to separate the parade and party dates for 2010 Mardi Gras had little or nothing to do with 'consultation' with gay community members and volunteers, and far, far more to do with keeping the interests of Atlantis Events happy.

Atlantis Events is listed on the Mardi Gras website as being a "major" financial partner of Mardi Gras.

Their own website has been hastily changed and now reads:

We’ll update our plans for Mardi Gras more completely in mid-2009, but Atlantis will offer priority access to all the major events during our weekend stay.

How it all resolves will be fascinating to watch - but expect fireworks to fly at this year's Mardi Gras Annual General Meeting in August. When the worlds of commerce and Sydney gay community politics collide, it is rarely very pretty.

I so hope this is not a case of 'the tail wagging the dog'.

Being split in two must surely hurt. I suspect we are all about to find out just how much.

---------------
If you would like Out Now to help you take your marketing to the leading-edge of sales results, please do get in touch.
---------------

AdWeek recently referred to one of Out Now's gay advertising campaigns as "the year's most talked about tourism ads." Out Now Consulting is a leading global gay marketing specialist agency, founded in 1992. Clients include Barclays, IBM, Toyota, Citibank, German National Tourist Office, Visit Britain, Lufthansa and Time Inc. Magazines. Out Now recently won the "Outstanding Interactive" category in New York at the 'Images in Advertising' awards for an online campaign for their client Lufthansa.

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To learn how to get lesbian and gay marketing strategy right -- rely on gay marketing expert strategic advice from Out Now -- the leading experienced global strategic gay marketing, research and communications agency.

Gay CUD or Gay CRUD?

Is it safe to ask for a favorite song at Paris bars? Not necessarily. I did, and they literally threw me out. The reason? For requesting songs the Paris DJ preferred not to play. Learn why.


Ian Johnson, Out Now
June 12, 2009

To regular readers I apologize in advance.

I do not normally discuss my personal situation.

No offence to any of you - but I like 'Ian Johnson - CEO of Out Now' to be someone other than me if I choose to go out for a quiet night.

As it happens, tonight I did have a work hat on - and was reviewing a Paris gay bar I had heard good things about called The Cud.

I made what I would have thought was a minor mistake in asking the Paris DJ to play two of my favorite songs. The bar man in fact - when I asked if I could request a song - actually had encouraged me to write these down on a piece of paper he gave to me to show to the DJ at The Cud.

The DJ made clear he did not want to play these songs. I then stuck that paper onto a random piece of blu-tack I spotted on the wall. Quite some distance away from the DJ booth at this Paris club.

I had forgotten all about the music request until about 20 minutes later -- when out of nowhere THREE muscled door attendants turned up, specifically to remove me from The CUD dance floor - to the shock of the Swiss people I happened to be chatting with at the time.

When I asked the door people what had happened (in my very bad French) they told those now around me (outside this Paris club, and who politely translated for me) that "I would know".

As I can assume only that the reason was that I had dared to ask for a couple of songs that I would like to hear played by the DJ at the club, to the DJ's obvious distaste - that response annoyed me more than just a little.

Is The CUD a great place for gay men to visit in Paris? Well, in my opinion, NOT if you might dare to ask the Friday night DJ for a song. Watch out!

PS - For those who care - my infracting songs requested then forlornly stuck onto a wall were "Sweet Dreams - Eurythmics" and "Situation - Yazoo".

Annoyed the DJ did not want to play either of my songs? A little bit, but not overly. I was more amused by him really. Maybe that set him off.

Angry the Paris DJ then had me ejected for "daring" to stick the piece of paper with the two request songs written on it onto the wall? Absolutely. Quite shocked by that really. Still am.

If The CUD wanted ever to allow these songs to be played I might consider going back...

But if tonight's DJ was there - I seriously suspect neither of us would miss the other. The only difference between us being that I would never try to get my "thugs" to manhandle him out of anywhere.

There you go. AYOR - 'At Your Own Risk' I guess that The Cud gay bar in Paris would have to be rated, for gays, lesbians and their friends, based on my personal experience, and my opinion.

---------------
If you would like Out Now to help you take your marketing to the leading-edge of sales results, please do get in touch.
---------------

AdWeek recently referred to one of Out Now's gay advertising campaigns as "the year's most talked about tourism ads." Out Now Consulting is a leading global gay marketing specialist agency, founded in 1992. Clients include Barclays, IBM, Toyota, Citibank, German National Tourist Office, Visit Britain, Lufthansa and Time Inc. Magazines. Out Now recently won the "Outstanding Interactive" category in New York at the 'Images in Advertising' awards for an online campaign for their client Lufthansa.

Like this? Subscribe to Gay Market News. It's free. Enter your email address:

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To learn how to get lesbian and gay marketing strategy right -- rely on gay marketing expert strategic advice from Out Now -- the leading experienced global strategic gay marketing, research and communications agency.

Gay Tourism and Tel Aviv

As I write this a very important new gay marketing event is taking place in Tel Aviv. The first annual Tel Aviv Gay and Lesbian Tourism Expo is now underway. And it looks like the start of something big.


Ian Johnson, Out Now
June 12, 2009

TOPICS: Gay and lesbian tourism. Gay travel. LGBT marketing. Lesbian and gay travel market. Middle East. Tel Aviv. Israel. AGUDA. Tel Aviv Pride. Gay and Lesbian Tourism Expo now underway in Tel Aviv.

One of the hardest places to explain - to those who've never been - must surely be Tel Aviv in Israel.

I approached my first visit to Tel Aviv this year with a mix of excitement and trepidation, wondering what was waiting in such a place?

When one's information is gleaned largely from the drive-by reporting of sources such as CNN and Sky News, you could be forgiven for ending up more than a little misinformed about what life in Tel Aviv is actually like.

There is a lot going on at the moment to investigate these very issues - especially as it relates to tourism development - and we will report back to readers in due course about that.

But in the meantime, today is Tel Aviv Pride day - and one thing many people may be surprised to learn is that today the first ever Tel Aviv Gay and Lesbian Tourism Expo - organized by AGUDA, the national GLBT Israel association - is happening in conjunction with Tel Aviv Pride.

This groundbreaking event is a sign that things are progressing in Tel Aviv.

Out Now has received various favorable comments from our client base expressing their surprise and their genuine interest in becoming involved with this event.

Tel Aviv Pride happens today and is part of many initiatives of gay and lesbian interest that are currently underway in Tel Aviv and Israel.

It will not be easy to help the rest of the world get past the lingering recollections left by the sound-bites of long departed journalists, but with improving market insight and better-informed strategic tourism marketing thinking - I believe it can be done. The product is great, we just need to bring the market to it to see that.

To all those lucky enough to be in Tel Aviv today - Happy Pride Day!


---------------
If you would like Out Now to help you take your marketing to the leading-edge of sales results, please do get in touch.
---------------

AdWeek recently referred to one of Out Now's gay advertising campaigns as "the year's most talked about tourism ads." Out Now Consulting is a leading global gay marketing specialist agency, founded in 1992. Clients include Barclays, IBM, Toyota, Citibank, German National Tourist Office, Visit Britain, Lufthansa and Time Inc. Magazines. Out Now recently won the "Outstanding Interactive" category in New York at the 'Images in Advertising' awards for an online campaign for their client Lufthansa.

Like this? Subscribe to Gay Market News. It's free. Enter your email address:

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To learn how to get lesbian and gay marketing strategy right -- rely on gay marketing expert strategic advice from Out Now -- the leading experienced global strategic gay marketing, research and communications agency.

OutGames: Princess Mary Invited

Australia's very own homegrown Princess Mary from Tasmania has just been invited by an Australian gay sports group to attend next month's OutGames, in honor of diversity. Learn how a gay and lesbian sports team from Sydney would value the support of a Princess in Copenhagen.


Ian Johnson, Out Now
June 9, 2009

TOPICS: Princess Mary. Copenhagen. OutGames. Lesbian and gay sports. Mark Burrows. Wett Ones. Gay and lesbian surf lifesavers. Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade. Diversity and equality. Denmark. Sydney's Wett Ones gay and lesbian swimming sports team have invited Princess Mary of Copenhagen to next month's OutGames sports festival.

Crown Princess Mary, of Denmark is a woman that Australians have taken to their hearts.

After meeting the dashing Crown Prince Frederik, in Sydney during the 2000 Olympic Games, then falling in love and becoming Crown Princess - Mary, nee Mary Donaldson of Hobart, has become something of a living fairy tale.

Now, Princess Mary gets the chance to show her support for her home country during the forthcoming invasion of Denmark in next month's World OutGames.

Dear Mary...

One of hundreds of teams from around the world in all kinds of sports competing in next month's OutGames is Sydney's impressive Wett Ones swimming squad.

The Wett Ones are a great outfit - they are a gay and lesbian swimming group, fromed back in 1991, who invite anyone to join them - gay or straight - to foster the goals of community understanding, mutual support and fitness.

This group is sending almost one in every four of their 82 members all the way from Sydney to Copenhagen to compete in the Copenhagen World OutGames.

One of the team, Mark Burrows - who also organized the now iconic gay and lesbian Surf Lifesavers in Sydney's annual Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras - has just sent the Crown Princess Mary a letter inviting her to cheer the team on during the OutGames in Copenhagen.

The Mary Foundation

Her Royal Highness is Patron of The Mary Foundation - an organization that has as its stated objective the fact that 'Everyone has the right to belong'.

"I strongly believe that every individual has the right to belong to a community and to know that there are people who understand them and are concerned for their wellbeing. And this belief is the basis for The Mary Foundation," says Crown Princess Mary.

I will be there next month in Copenhagen to give a presentation on gay marketing at the invitation of the International Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce.

You never know - if the Wett Ones swimmers get lucky, maybe I get to meet Crown Princess Mary.

Let's hope Her Royal Highness might be inclined to stop by. It would mean a great deal as a message of support to many, many lesbians and gay men - from all around the world.

Letter to Crown Princess Mary of Denmark

Her Royal Highness The Crown Princess of Denmark
The Mary Foundation
Amaliegade 8 B
DK-1256 Copenhagen K

Tuesday 9th June 2009

Dear Your Royal Highness,

I write to you on behalf of Wett Ones Swimming Club in Sydney, Australia. We are a gay and lesbian swimming club; welcoming anyone, gay or straight to join us. We will be visiting your home city of Copenhagen to compete in the 2nd World OutGames from the 24th of July until the 1st of August 2009.

Wett Ones was founded in 1991 and currently has 82 active members, 18 of which will compete in Copenhagen. We have been training hard over the last nine months and all hope to break personal records and hopefully take home a couple of medals.

The OutGames will be a melting pot of people from the world over, coming together in the name of sport. As you would no doubt be aware, events such as this are not just about the sport – people meet life partners and lives change in ways previously un-imaginable. How could anyone forget Sydney 2000 and Princess Mary?

I am writing to you via your ‘Mary Foundation’ which I understand supports issues such as diversity and assisting people with belonging to their community. This is something people in the gay and lesbian community are acutely aware of and we applaud you for recognising such an important issue. It is only when we feel like we have this sense of belonging that we can contribute back to our community.

Although this is short notice and an even shorter long shot; if you are in Copenhagen during our stay we would appreciate any support or involvement you would be able to give. For instance, to see you at the brand new Bellahøj Swimming Arena would be great.

We realise you are a very busy Princess with many obligations and many people to see but if you are feeling a tiny bit homesick then why not come and meet some fellow Australians. Support 'the old country' and reminisce about how your life changed in such unimaginable ways back in 2000.

Sincerely,

Mark Burrows
Wett Ones Swimming Club

---------------

If you would like Out Now to help you take your marketing to the leading-edge of sales results, please do get in touch.
---------------

AdWeek recently referred to one of Out Now's gay advertising campaigns as "the year's most talked about tourism ads." Out Now Consulting is a leading global gay marketing specialist agency, founded in 1992. Clients include Barclays, IBM, Toyota, Citibank, German National Tourist Office, Visit Britain, Lufthansa and Time Inc. Magazines. Out Now recently won the "Outstanding Interactive" category in New York at the 'Images in Advertising' awards for an online campaign for their client Lufthansa.

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To learn how to get lesbian and gay marketing strategy right -- rely on gay marketing expert strategic advice from Out Now -- the leading experienced global strategic gay marketing, research and communications agency.

Levi's Comes Out For Gay Marriage

Today New Hampshire voted to legalize gay marriage in that US State. One California company, Levi's jeans, has a gay friendly history. Now, as more US states vote in favor of gay marriage, the Levi Strauss company has made its boldest retail marketing statement yet - in favor of US gay marriage rights.


Ian Johnson, Out Now
June 3, 2009

TOPICS: Levi's Strauss, gay marketing strategies. Lesbian and gay equality. Jeans marketing. Clothing and textiles. US gay and lesbian community. LGBT equality rights. Business news. Levi's jeans puts gay marriage rights forward in its retail marketing.

Levi's jeans is one of the more gay friendly brands, and has been for quite some time.

Out Now has been tracking Levi's gay market strategic development activities going back almost twenty years.

From support of gay and lesbian staff through LGBT equality and diversity policies, to advertising in gay and lesbian media to staff devoting their time to gay rights and causes on the company's charitable '501 Days'.

Now, the company has come out front and center in support of equality for marriage rights for all Americans - including gay and lesbian people.

Gay Market News has long made the point that we at Out Now believe that it is not really about gay rights, or even about 'gay marriage', it is - at its most basic - all about love.

Levi's retail marketing in the US now sees the store mannequins sporting distinctive white knots - a symbol in favor of gay marriage equality for all Americans.

The company is unlikely to be seen by many in a cynical light on this.

When a brand takes a consistent and supportive stance in relation to marketing and supporting their gay customers, they earn a lot of gay community support 'credit points' - much of which translates into brand loyalty, which a campaign such as their current retail marketing 'White Knot' campaign can only serve to strengthen.

Levi's look good and people can feel good about their brand choice by knowing they are helping build a more equal future.

You can watch the gay Levi's TV ad at our YouTube.com/GayMarketing channel.

The White Knot campaign supports the right of gays and lesbians to marry.



If you would like Out Now to help you take your marketing to the leading-edge of sales results, please do get in touch.
---------------

AdWeek recently referred to one of Out Now's gay advertising campaigns as "the year's most talked about tourism ads." Out Now Consulting is a leading global gay marketing specialist agency, founded in 1992. Clients include Barclays, IBM, Toyota, Citibank, German National Tourist Office, Visit Britain, Lufthansa and Time Inc. Magazines. Out Now recently won the "Outstanding Interactive" category in New York at the 'Images in Advertising' awards for an online campaign for their client Lufthansa.

Like this? Subscribe to Gay Market News. It's free. Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

-------------------
To learn how to get lesbian and gay marketing strategy right -- rely on gay marketing expert strategic advice from Out Now -- the leading experienced global strategic gay marketing, research and communications agency.