Trend
The gay and lesbian community keeps a close watch on how and where you're presenting your brand in the marketplace. Bob Witeck, of Washington, D.C.-based Witeck Combs, which
specializes in marcom to the gay community, offers the following statistics from research his firm conducted with Harris Interactive on the key factors that influence gay and
lesbian brand decisions:
- 72 percent - Whether a company advertises in gay media
- 72 percent - If a company demonstrates effective corporate citizenship
- 71 percent - If a company establishes progressive policies towards gay and lesbian employees
- 50 percent - If it shows gay images in advertising
- 34 percent - If it shows gay images in its packaging
Tactics
- Adopt effective corporate citizenship tactics that include but are not limited to support of gay community organizations, gay employees, and other gay stakeholders.
- Work with other promotional departments and agencies to ensure your company considers gay media not only for story pitches, but for ad buys.
- Be vocal about your organization's progressive policies regarding homosexual employees.