There is a quiet transformation going on in companies across the UK in the way they market to niche audiences – and especially people in the LGBT communities. There are cultural elements that might influence changing attitudes, but fundamentally, this transformation is fuelled by two factors: money and insight.
There’s a pot of gold at the end of this rainbow. There are about 4m lesbian, gay and bisexual adults in Britain today; in total, they spend more than £80bn annually, according to Stonewall. In 2011 there were 8000 families with a same-sex couple at the helm, either in a civil partnership or cohabiting (ONS). YouGov says that 60% of gay people are more likely to buy products from firms they believe to be ‘gay-friendly’, and 50% are more likely to buy products from brands that use images of gay people in ads. Simply on the numbers, you cannot blame any marketer for singling out this attractive audience.
There has been a shift from focusing on what’s on the outside – treating gay people as a homogeneous (sorry) group – to what’s on the inside. A little research at my local Sugar Shack, which specialises in waxing men’s unmentionables, brought this insight from the manager: ‘There’s a little Louis Spence in everyone.’ This may or may not be factually correct, but the principle of targeting what’s on the inside – optimist, adventurer or budget-conscious – can be a more powerful approach