One of my clients, a relatively small regional bank, recently began advertising in one of the few publications targeting the gay and lesbian community of Massachusetts.
This is an incredibly progressive move on the part of my client because gays and lesbians are still a relatively untapped market. Yet, a generally accepted statistic (at least up here in the Northeast) is that gay, lesbian and transgendered individuals make up about 10% of the American population.
That's a huge market of consumers. Fairly sophisticated consumers, at that.
According to an article in the Magazine of Online Media, Marketing & Advertising (OMMA), 77% of gay Americans have conducted banking or related financial transactions online; 74% have brought a product or service online; and 69% have made airline or hotel reservations online.
As for those companies that pursue a policy of avoiding advertising to gays, I'm reminded of Petula Clark's 1968 NBC TV special.
While performing with Harry Belafonte, the white songstress innocently touched the black singer's arm. The show's sponsor, Chrysler, freaked.
A man and woman of different races had never before touched one another on American television and Chrysler was afraid of offending Southern viewers. A representative from Chrysler demanded the 'touch' footage be substituted with a different take. Ms. Clark and her producer famously refused and the show aired, nonetheless, to high ratings and much critical acclaim.
I see two lessons here. First, Americans aren't as hateful as some might think. And, two, tread very carefully if you're going to discriminate among consumers. The story of Ms. Clark's 1968 TV special is still now remembered by many -- it's even part of Petula Clark's Wikipedia bio. You don't want a similar footnote permanently attached to your brand advertising.
