As Australia’s largest circulating queer publication, we work with some of Australia’s leading brands and advertisers to ensure their campaigns are able to leverage the highly lucrative and thriving LGBTIQ+ market segment, and in turn drive even stronger advertising returns.

What’s the biggest thing we’ve noticed whilst working with some of Australia’s leading advertisers?

Surprisingly, it’s the general lack of understanding on the significant opportunity that comes with marketing specifically to the LGBTIQ+ community.

So, we’re cutting through the jargon, and putting it simply, with our top 5 reasons why advertising to the LGBTIQ+ community, should be a part of every marketing and advertising campaign.

1. They’ve Got Money, Honey

Accounting for approximately 11% (min.) of the overall population and an audience present within quite literally every other marketing subgroup, Australia’s LGBTIQ+ community are certainly not an audience to be overlooked.

Largely dependant-free and often part of dual high-disposable income households, the LGBTIQ+ consumer outspends their non-LGBTIQ+ counterpart in almost all spending categories, though specifically in:

RETAIL
Not only do LGBTIQ+ households make approximately 10% more shopping trips in a year than the average non-LGBTIQ+ household, but they also buy more at the checkout. In aggregate, LGBTIQ+ households spent an average of $5,596.10 at retail stores, 7% more than non-LGBTIQ+ households.

ENTERTAINMENT
Recent research also indicates that LGBTIQ+ consumers are 26% more likely to subscribe to paid audio streaming services than other consumers, are 23% more likely to purchase music festivals tickets and 50% more likely to ‘see a DJ they know perform’.

LGBTIQ+ fans also outspend non-queer fans on various types of music sell-through as well. Queer music fans spend 66% more on digital albums, whilst also making ‘old school’ cool again, spending 41% more on vinyl and cassettes than non-LGBTIQ+ counterparts.

ALCOHOL
LGBTIQ+ households spend significantly more on alcohol than non-LGBTIQ+ households – including 48% more on wine, 35% more on liquor and 27% more on beer.

TRAVEL
Globally, the LGBTIQ+ community spend more than $218 billion (USD) a year on travel, with the Australian LGBTIQ+ community increasing their travel spend each year by 2.8%.

PETS
LGBTIQ+ households spend on average 36% more on pet care products and 20% more on pet food than non-LGBT households.

Source: Nielson LGBT Consumer Report

2. They’re loyal as hell, baby

It’s no secret that the gays stick together…heck, if they can stand by Britney during her ’07 meltdown, you can bet they’ll stick by your brand if you bring them into the fold.

Recent research indicates that upwards of 90% of the LGBTIQ+ community (and their allies) actively work to support businesses that visibly support and advertise specifically to the LGBTIQ+ community, whilst simultaneously avoiding businesses that they believe to be ‘anti-gay’.

Known for being both loyal customers and extremely susceptible to marketing campaigns tailored specifically to them, the LGBTIQ+ market is certainly not an audience to be overlooked.

Source: BBC: The Economy The Pink Pound

3. A largely untapped, yet highly susceptible audience

Due to the vast difficulties in being able to definitively target queer consumers specifically via many popular marketing avenues (i.e. paid social, eDM, etc.), Australia’s LGBTIQ+ community are a largely untapped audience.

Many brands and marketers also fall into the ‘pride’ season marketing trap – pushing LGBTIQ+ brand messaging only in high visibility LGBTIQ+ periods. These periods of time are often flooded with numerous brands all flocking to ‘rainbow wash’ the media landscape, which in-turn, results in low cut-through, little-to-no brand recall and most importantly, comes across as inauthentic.

If your brand has LGBTIQ+ customers in pride periods, your brand has LGBTIQ+ customers 365 days a year.

Advertising to the queer community in non-pride periods, year-round, has a significantly higher level of authenticity, cut-through and brand recall, which directly translates into increased brand sentiment levels and subsequently into increased sales.

4. BRAND PROTECTION & GENUINE LGBTIQ+ ALLYSHIP

Rainbow washing’ is gaining more and more viral traction across the internet, and is a term that denotes brands who use pride symbols and messaging as a marketing opportunity, without doing anything tangible to support or giveback to the LGBTIQ+ community.

By including LGBTIQ+ specific media as part of your brand’s advertising make-up, you’re actively helping to give the LGBTIQ+ community a media voice, and in turn supporting queer employment – a genuine act of LGBTIQ+ allyship, which removes the risk of any ‘rainbow washing’ sentiment toward your brand.

5. YOU’RE SUPPORTING Australian MEDIA & LOCAL EMPLOYMENT

With LGBTIQ+ media in Australia being entirely made up of small independent publications, your brand’s advertising dollars directly go toward paying a local queer person’s wage…not into an overseas media giant.

In working with queer media, you’re assisting to support local LGBTIQ+ Australian writers, designers and more, which without advertising support, would not be possible.

By advertising with LGBTIQ+ specific media, you’re also able to attribute every dollar of support toward your CSR and diversity objectives.