Advertising industry LGBTQIA+ advocacy group, Outvertising has carried out a national census of the LGBTQIA+ community’s attitudes towards brands and advertising.
The Outvertising Consumer Report revealed that a strong majority (64%) of LGBTQIA+ consumers would be more likely to reject brands whose views don’t align with their own, as opposed to only 50% of straight consumers.
As a result, most (60%) LGBTQIA+ respondents believed that brands should openly express their social and political views, in marked contrast to only 41% of non-LGBTQIA+ consumers.
A further 59% of the community wanted brands to become actively involved in social issues – with only 37% of straight people feeling the same way.
Crucially, the LGBTQIA+ community appears to be significantly more receptive to advertising than its non-LGBTQIA+ customers, being 67% more likely to recommend items that they see in advertising in contrast their non LGBTQIA+ counterparts (49%).
Moreover, a strong proportion (40%) of LGTBQIA+ respondents indicated that they were more likely to be persuaded by advertising to guide purchase behaviours (vs 31%) and were more likely to recommend items that they see in ads to their friends and family (31% vs 24%).
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“LGBTQIA+ inclusion in marketing has been proven time and time again to positively affect brand affinity, reputation, and sales. And, it allows for people in our community to see themselves on TV, billboards, in radio and print – which strengthens identity, promotes acceptance, and ultimately, contributes to better quality of life for members of the community,” Outvertising joint CEOs Lucy McKillop and Marty Davies said.
“We believe it is imperative for brands to activate on the findings found within this report to understand where the community is consuming, what they want and need from brands, and how to ensure everything they do is authentic and representative.”
LGBTQIA+ consumers were also found to be more receptive to online advertising (51%) than any other format, with prominent levels (43%) of engagement with brands on social media.
Notably, advertising is largely recognised by the LGBTQIA+ community as a factor behind how they feel, with more than half claiming that advertising affects how they perceive their body image (as opposed to 1 in 3 non-LGBTQIA+) – this figure rose to a staggering 68% for LGBTQIA+ Gen Z consumers.
YouGov head of the data products team, Greg Dagger added: “At YouGov our purpose is to give the world a voice, and the Outvertising Consumer Report elevates the voices of the LGBTQIA+ community.
“The data in the report demonstrates that it is not a monolithic audience and its insights highlight the importance of providing brands and advertisers with the tools to take a targeted and data-led approach to their marketing. These findings are only possible through our inclusive data collection and we are proud of our work in this area.”
