Engaging LGBT customers -- an overview

A Brief Primer on Engaging LGBT Customers

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The “pink dollar” is not a mystery… …it’s a segment

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What research tells us

There are gay and lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people They are smarter, richer, nicer than everybody else They buy stuff – generally more than other people They prefer to buy stuff from other GLBT people Failing that, they prefer to buy stuff from brands they believe are “gay friendly” If you “target them” they will buy

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What research forgets to mention

LGBT people are subject to the same influences as everybody else

Not a hermetically sealed closet in which gays, and lesbians and transgendered people are isolated from the world We exist in the same space as everybody else, so that everything we see and do is related not only to how you speak to me as a gay person, but also how you speak to me as a general market person We e use media ed a in the e sa same e way ay And, like everybody else in this post millennium world we live in, We don’t want to be “targeted” or “reached” – we want to be engaged, embraced, seduced, surprised, connected with

LGBT are nott more likely lik l to t pay more for f commodity dit products d t just j t because b th the brand is perceived as “gay friendly”

The more involved and expensive the purchase, the less likely they are to pay more for the same thing

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What research forgets to mention

They mostly buy stuff for exactly the same reasons as everybody else

They travel for the same reasons

They buy cars for the same reasons

They buy toilet paper for the same reasons

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What research forgets to mention

But, they also buy some stuff for reasons specifically related to whom they are as GLBT consumers

We buy shaving cream for a number of reasons straight people don’t

And in some cases the needs that are filled by the product – the end experience of the product, may be quite different

Teeth whitener, condoms

White T-Shirts

And in many cases the specifics of the products they buy could be more fine tuned to requirements that are based on being G or L or T

Fi Financial i l services, i iinsurance

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What does this mean

Simply showing up won’t cut it any more Connecting with people takes more than a witty ad –people people are not sitting at home waiting to hear from you, they now decide when they want to hear from you and what they want to talk to you about

Are e you there e e when e they ey want a to o interact e ac with you

Are you giving them different ways of talking to you

Is the subject matter relevant

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How are products evaluated in GLBT terms

Same product – same need

toothpaste, cars, houses, travel

Same product – different functional need

shaving cream, white T-Shirts

Same product – different positional need

clothing, prestige cars

Different products –

services or products that are best enjoyed in an exclusive gay context – adventure travel; clubs

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But…

Even in same product-same need category, there may be different attributes that make the product or service more appealing to LGBT customers versus the attributes that appeal to GM customers

Gay men are more likely to share homes with roommates as opposed to family with kids – close to subway may be more persuasive than close to school Retirement product needs of lesbian couple are likely very different from those of a GM couple Even when laws demand full equality, q y, the attributes of products p have specific p applicability based on being gay o

Gay married couple has very different needs from an insurance plan than straight couple

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So‌

What we learned in our research is that gays, lesbians and transgendered will pay more for products and services that meet their needs as LGBT persons, in functional or emotional ways y better than other p products

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LGBT marketing virtuous circle

Relevant Differentiated

A product or service that is differentiated in terms of its relevance to the consumer specifically in relation to being gay or lesbian

Auth

entic (com p a n y philos ophy)

How the company engages the consumer emotionally policies that reflect commitment to equality practice what they preach

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Some discussion points

Just showing up ƒ

In an entertaining and intrusive way

Based on this ad, why would I travel on Air Canada rather than the competition?

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This is more offensive than using GM creative

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Sometimes advertising is not meant to sell or persuade, but simply to make a point

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But when they are meant to sell or persuade, they need to say something thi

Do people travel to get connected?

Or is getting connected more like an effect of traveling g Unless it’s about marriage

“If you’re going to sell something, sell something” (Andy Bagnall, Prime Access)

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Everybody E b d kknows why h th they wantt tto go to Vienna This ad tells me that I will be welcome and have fun being who I am, when I go

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Position the destination as of interest because of it’s “gayness” g y

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Category where degree of gayness makes a big difference Emphasizes attributes that can make a big difference and demonstrates how their product meets the needs of the customers uniquely ( (guarantee) ) Uses a wink-wink nudge nudge subtlety that our research suggests works really well in the marketplace

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Reaching the LGBT Market

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