Scope of lgbt marketing in india

MUDRA INSTITUTE OF COMMUNICATION, AHMEDABAD
Scope of LGBT Marketing in India

Acknowledgements
I would like to thank Mudra Institute of Communications, Ahmedabad (MICA) for the wherewithal
to explore an academic area which I may never have taken up in such detail otherwise.
The research project has been an enrichment – both personal and academic, for me. I would like to
sincerely thank my guide Prof. Harmony Siganporia for guiding me at all stages, for ensuring that
my every doubt and query was adequately resolved, and for being there at all difficult junctures. She
has driven me to excel, and is an attribute that will hold me in good stead all my life.
Along with Prof. Siganporia, I would like to convey my sincere thanks Prof. A.F. Mathew, for
inspiring me to explore such diverse dimension. I would like to express my gratitude to Prof. Anita
Basalingappa for the motivation she provided me all along, and for her support during the testing
times.
I would also like to extend my sincere thanks to my parents, for giving me the opportunity to explore
my talents, and for their patience and support in all my endeavors. I am both proud and lucky to have
a wife, who has been the prime source of support behind me coming to MICA and who has ensured
that I make most out of my time here. I am grateful to my friends for being there for me every time I
hit a roadblock, and for reassuring me of my talent at times when the going got tough.

Executive Summary
India is undergoing huge social and economical changes at this very moment. The elite corporations
are vying to expand their business on the Indian shores and Indian consumers are also getting
exposed to international brands and their brand communications. Even though the value driven
Indian market appears to be a very lucrative decision for businesses to expand their operation, but
increasingly brands are finding it extremely difficult to create a foot-hold and then to grow in such a
competitive and cluttered scenario, brands need to do something really different in order to make
sure they stand out in the crowd.
Content has become the new king and to create differentiation, brands are trying to explore the
market scenario and come up with ideas which will get them loyal customers. And co-incidentally, a
few brands have already started the process. Through the report, I expect to raise a few questions,
few debates which will further fine tune the process. But, in order to do that, one must remember that
almost all the aspect of traditional market positioning has been tried out and are extremely cluttered.
To grow quickly, brands need to tap onto the previously untouched market, that of the lesbians and
gays. Through the course of this report, we will try to figure out, using various reports, the estimated
market in India driven purely by LGBT consumers; we will try to analyze their purchase drivers and
consumer behaviour.
Due to the unavailability of India specific data, we will take instance of activities that have happened
in other similar countries and try to extrapolate and extend it onto the Indian markets.
But in doing so, we can’t discount the role of Indian culture in the consumer decision making process
and consumption patterns. Thus we will try to understand whether a certain part of gay cultures can
be extrapolated on a global level, in order to fit into the consumer context in the target countries. We
will try to understand customer demographics from a very quantitative point of view and try to
generate insights from them.
Choice of media vehicles and choice of language becomes critical while designing campaigns
targeting this community. For that, we will analyze in detail the media consumption pattern of the
community members and cultural code and symbols which are intrinsic to the culture of the
community.
Finally, following the global cues and other local trends, we will try to understand which industries
have a prospect to kick-start a revolution as far as marketing is concerned, as this will not only make
the brand stand out in the cluttered market, but will also pioneer in creating a entire new segment of
customers.

Table of Contents
Introduction:...........................................................................................................................................6
Literature Review: .................................................................................................................................7
LGBT as a customer segment................................................................................................................8
Over-indexing in consumption...........................................................................................................9
Entertainment: ................................................................................................................................9
Travel and leisure: ........................................................................................................................10
Lifestyle product:..........................................................................................................................11
Internet usage: ..................................................................................................................................12
Brand loyalty:...................................................................................................................................12
Emergence of the ‘global gay’ identity................................................................................................14
Essentialism vs. Constructionism debate .........................................................................................15
Mass media and identity of global gays...........................................................................................16
Gay movements across the globe.....................................................................................................18
LGBT consumer demographics and lifestyle ......................................................................................19
LGBT values and its impact on brands................................................................................................26
Shared Attitude.................................................................................................................................26
Shared Values...................................................................................................................................26
Shared Goals ....................................................................................................................................26
Shared Practices ...............................................................................................................................27
LGBT codes and symbols....................................................................................................................27
Categories which can spearhead in India.............................................................................................29
Travel and leisure.............................................................................................................................29
Airlines:............................................................................................................................................32
Luxury:.............................................................................................................................................33
Online Dating:..................................................................................................................................35
Beverages: ........................................................................................................................................35
E-commerce .....................................................................................................................................37
Telecom service providers: ..............................................................................................................38
Research Methodology ........................................................................................................................39
Primary Research: ............................................................................................................................40
Primary Research – Brand Perspective:...........................................................................................40
Primary Research – HR perspective: ...............................................................................................41

Scope for further research...................................................................................................................41
Bibliography ........................................................................................................................................42
Appendix..............................................................................................................................................46
Research questions and objectives ...................................................................................................46
Secondary research:......................................................................................................................46
Primary Research:.........................................................................................................................46
Primary Research – Brand Perspective:...........................................................................................47
Primary Research – HR perspective:............................................................................................47

Introduction:
No one in the mainstream world remembers why July 1991 is significant. But for the marketers, July
1991 was a time when they found themselves standing in the crossroads of a huge marketing
possibility and moral and ethical dilemmas. In July 1991, the ultra conservative “wall-street journal”
deemed the worldwide lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community as a “dream-market”.
Today, with only the LGBT market being valued at a whopping $ 2 Trillion worldwide
(www.prlog.com, 2011), shows us the immense potential of the erstwhile “Pink Rupee”. The
International Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (IGLCC) concludes that the average
population of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender form around 6% of population in developed
and developing countries (IGLCC, 2008).
By 2004, 36% of Fortune 100 companies had already started advertising directly to the LGBT
market in the United States (Skallerud, 2009). According to a 2006 press report, $223.3 million is
spend annually to talk directly to the American Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community
members (Skallerud, 2009). The data shown in the report is featured from Prime Access, which
tracks around 284 Gay Press Publications in the United States. This also mentions that much more
amount has been spent on sponsorships and online advertising, which this survey report does not
track (Prime Access, 2006).
Following the global cues, the situation is fast changing in India as well. According to
OutNowConsulting.com, a London based consulting firm, which has been conducting surveys
among the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender communities around the globe and also provides
advice to international giants like Lufthansa, Toyota and Citibank among others on catering to this
community, the Indian LGBT market is thriving at around $ 200 Billion (CNBC Business, 2011).
This estimation is following the global trend of 6% of GDP (as mentioned earlier as well). This fast
expanding purchasing power of the community is prompting the corporations to take keen interest in
the Indian market, which is currently dominated by a strong 45 million population (CNBC Business,
2011). If we have to estimate the total buying potential of the Indian urban LGBT population, then
we have to further cut-down the population by Indian total urban population which is around 28.4%
as of 2007 (expected to reach 40% by 2030) (Hindustan Times, 2007) and further dissect it to the
percentage of urban population who belongs to SEC A1, A2 and A3 (according to the new SEC
classification), which currently stands at around 18% (Market Research Society of India, 2011).
Calculating with the figures cited above, this segment amounts to 200x0.284x0.18 or around $10
Billion. This actually means that we are potentially seating on a $10 Billion virtually un-tapped
market opportunity.

The above argument leads us to more marketing specific areas of our study. From the analysis, we
know that we are targeting –
 Urban
 Middle-to-high income group
 Members of the LGBT community
So, once we are done zeroing on the Target Group. We will need to know the habits of this
community which will help the brands to reach this community in a more relevant way. In the
discourse analysis lying ahead, we will try to understand the community in a better and broader way.
Also, we need to understand that this particular TG of consumers we are trying to analyze are well
read, well travelled, socially connected set of people are not only aware of latest trends and fashions
but also like to keep themselves updated to local and global cues. Please note that, the entire context
of this discourse analysis has been designed in a way to include ONLY this urban, middle to high
income individuals who are members of the LGBT community. Usage of words like LGBT, gay,
lesbian, GLBT along the lengths of this analysis will continue to represent this segment of consumers
and this segment of consumers ONLY, until otherwise mentioned, specifically.
Keeping that in mind, it is safe for us to assume that with growing “westernization” in/of India, the
prevailing global cues will also be followed to Indian shores, if not happening already. Thus, we will
try to analyze prevailing global cues and will try to understand its fitment in the Indian context. But
before proceeding, we must understand that information relevant to the Indian scenario is not
available and generating the information is beyond the scope of this analysis, thus we will be taking
help of relevant global data and analyze the same under the lens of changing Indian cultural context
in this era of rapid globalization. Also, it is extremely important for us to keep in mind that the trends
we see today are global, gone are the days when trends used to “latest in the west” and only stands at
“latest”, be it in any industry. Greater connectivity, lesser information asymmetry, efficient
knowledge and technology transfer processes have not only ensured that trends can be replicated and
produced anywhere to cater to consumer demands, but have also accelerated the process of the same
happening, thus, standing in the present situation, we can expect similar amount change in terms of
consumer behaviour which has happened in last 50 years, to happen in next 5-7 years.
Literature Review:
By now, we know the financial worth and the buying power of the LGBT community worldwide, in
this section; we will go over various international document and publication to understand the
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community in a more detailed manner. We will try to

understand their consumption patterns, demographics, brand awareness and loyalty, how to talk to
them, which language to speak and industry segments which can be largely benefit by talking to this
particular community. We have to understand that this approach is fairly new in the Indian context
and thus we will require some amount of extrapolation taking cues from the global phenomenon.
However, due to de-criminalization of homosexuality in India, more and more members of this
community are coming out in the open and are expressing their sexuality. Thus this provides us with
the right opportunity to talk to them.
Worldwide, the LGBT community is sometime also referred to as DINKs, or Double Income No
Kids, this only justifies the claim that the community members have higher disposable income
compared to their ‘normal’ counterparts (Commercial Closet, 2008). Even though now more and
more gay couples are adopting kids or opting for a natural childbirth (by using IVF, mostly for
lesbian couples), the spending power remains high (Commercial Closet, 2008). Also, the community
members enjoy more freedom in-terms of buying luxury items and frequent travelling. The US
census data shows us that 57% of same-sex couples have both the partners working compared to
their heterosexual counterparts, for which the number is 48% (Commercial Closet, 2008).
Similar study conducted in the United Kingdom reveals something even more interesting. In a survey
done by outnowconsulting.com among 300 gay men in United Kingdom, it was found that 40% of
them had a degree, incomes were higher than average (at around £20,000/year) (Skallerud, 2009).
They took two international flights every year and the average credit card spending was £424 per
month (Skallerud, 2009). The participation in this survey was absolutely voluntary in nature, where
they responded to a survey circulated in the December 2003 and January 2004 issues of the Bent
magazine, distributed as a free-street publication (Skallerud, 2009).
A similar report suggests that average salary levels are much higher, at £30,000/year, compared to
the national average of £18,000/year (whitehead, Scanlon, Monk, & Short). The break-up shows that
gay men earned an average of £31,000/year compared to lesbians, who earned £26,000/year
(whitehead, Scanlon, Monk, & Short). The average monthly disposable income among the
community members were found to be £663 per month, where as men earned £743 and women
averaged at £493 (whitehead, Scanlon, Monk, & Short).
LGBT as a customer segment
The major characteristics that set the LGBTs as a customer segment are:
 Over-indexing in consumption
 Internet usage

 Extreme brand loyalty
Over-indexing in consumption
The consumption of the LGBT market segment in over-indexed in terms of consumption (Hub-
pages, 2009). The segment consumes the major advertising categories of entertainment, travel and
leisure and lifestyle product and services at a much higher rate than the national average. The factors
that contribute to the fact that members of the LGBT community consume these more than their
heterosexual counterparts are higher median income, higher disposable income and more
discretionary time. We will now look into these factors one by one (Hub-pages, 2009).
Entertainment:
According to a 2007 study done by New American dimensions and the asterix group, titled “Real
World Lesbians and Gays”, members of the LGBT community are more likely to indulge in
entertainment activities which demonstrate the community’s propensity to over-index (Hub-pages,
2009). This study also portrays that gay men and women are more likely to participate in nightlife
activities, regardless it being gay themed or not (Hub-pages, 2009). Gay men and women are also
more likely to indulge in activities like fine dining, concerts, plays, dances and musical activities
(Hub-pages, 2009).
This study also reveals that 43% of gay men are regular bar goers and they dine out 2.3 times a week
on average and 29% of them actually spend more than $100 per week for doing so (Hub-pages,
2009).
One of the fastest growing trends in this particular segment is the market for gay sports bar. In the
US alone, there has been a stream of gay sports bar opening across the country. What we believe has
happened here is the passion for sport has transcended the gender boundary and a healthy mix of gay
and ‘straight’ people are found hanging out in the bars. Adding to that, these bars offer nothing like
what a typical gay bar people assume they will. There are no karaoke, no live bands and no drag
(Bloomberg Businessweek, 2011).
What works in such scenarios is the presence of the niche created based on only SPORTS. And also
superior, extra-friendly customer service, in order to break the stereo-types of a typical gay bar
(Bloomberg Businessweek, 2011).
Talking about the Indian scenario:
We have specialised sports bar already opening their doors to Indian consumers, Manchester United
Café bar being one of the examples of an international franchisee catering to the Indian masses. This
demonstrates a trend of consumers demanding niche, custom made service according to their mood

(or we can call it whims and fancies). With that being pointed out, we can assume that the affluent
gay customers in India will also look forward to receiving such custom made lifestyle service, even if
it comes at a premium.
With the banishment of the social stigma attached with this particular lifestyle, especially in the
customer segment we are talking about, have encouraged people to come out in the open about their
preferences. Many successful examples like VIP industries Radhika Piramal have also addressed the
myth about LGBT people being weak, dumb and even disabled, posing a hindrance to their personal
growth. Among all the categories we will be discussing in this piece, entertainment, possess the
highest possible growth opportunity as far as India in concerned. And with a constant influx of
foreign tourists and business professionals, many of them gays, these establishments will also attain a
secondary revenue source through these expats. And it will be relatively easy for such establishments
to attain traction, in terms of footfalls as this consumer segment is socially well connected and word-
of-mouth spreads faster and penetrates deeper than any conventional mass media commercial.
Travel and leisure:
Due to the fact that members of the LGBT community love to travel, this particular industry segment
has experienced significant amount of growth over past 30 years. The presence of IGLTA
(International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association) is the biggest fact which can substantiate this
claim. IGLTA has over 2000 member businesses worldwide and it is spread over 84 countries
(iglta.org).
A survey conducted by Harris Interactive and Witeck Combs communication in June 2011, clearly
indicates an increase in travel intentions among gay and lesbian Americans (Witeck Combs, 2011).
Even during the economic downturn, less number of lesbian and gays cut their vacation plans
compared to their heterosexual counterparts. According to the survey, 38% gays and lesbians
expressed their intention to take a vacation whereas 34% of heterosexuals expressed the same
(Witeck Combs, 2008). Due to this spending power of the American lesbians and gays, Bob Witeck,
CEO of Witeck Combs Communications quoted that “Though gay customers are not more affluent
than others, they appear to budget more discretionary dollars towards travel, even during downturns
in the economy such as we face now” (Witeck Combs, 2008). Witeck also added that another similar
research conducted after the WTC attack indicated that lesbians and gays had a higher possibility to
start travelling compared to their heterosexual counterparts after the 9/11 attack (Witeck Combs,
2008).
Not only are gay Americans more likely to travel this summer than last, those who are travelling are
planning to spend more money (Witeck Combs, 2011). LGBT adults report on average they are

likely to spend about $1,300 between May and August 2011 for their leisure or business travel, while
during the same time period last year (2010), the average planned travel expenditure was $1,058
(Witeck Combs, 2011).
This is not only a trend visible in United States alone, the reverberations are echoing in Indian shores
as well. According to Sanjay Malhotra, founder of India’s first gay friendly travel business indjapink
(www.indjapink.co.in) travel and tourism, as a sector, has immense potential to grow, along with
hotel, bars and airlines (CNBC Business, 2011). According to the CEO of outnowconsulting.com,
Ian Johnson, the budding trend in start-ups catering to gay and lesbian consumers is only mirroring
the patterns of market development elsewhere, specially the west (CNBC Business, 2011). Taking
cues from the global foot-prints, it is fair to assume that, in another 5 years, hotels and hotel chains
will soon follow suit to gain competitive advantage with the gay and lesbian travellers (CNBC
Business, 2011).
Lifestyle product:
Lifestyle products are another segment which can be largely benefitted by talking to the members of
the LGBT community. This might include anything from fashion, beauty products and nightclubs.
This is due to the proven fact that gays and lesbians all over the world enjoy a higher disposable
income and also due to the fact that these are the sectors where the lines between homosexuality and
heterosexuality is already blurring, even in India. Moreover, more number of gays and lesbians
prefer to keep them updated with the latest happenings in style and trend world over. According to a
2008 survey conducted by Harris Interactive, nearly half (48%) of gay and lesbian adults keep
themselves updated with latest style and trends, compared to only 38% of heterosexual adults (Harris
Interactive, 2008).
If we decompose the data to further levels of granularity, we will see that 53% of gay men keep
themselves updated with latest style and trends compared to only 30% of heterosexual males (Harris
Interactive, 2008). This is actually an improvement over 2007 data, where the figures were 39% and
32% respectively (Harris Interactive, 2008). What will encourage marketers further is the fact that
45% gays and lesbians are actually inclined to upgrade to a newer version of a product or fashion,
compared to only 33% heterosexual adults (Harris Interactive, 2008). When it comes to men, the
figures are even better, around 49% gay men are interested in regular upgrades compared to 35% of
heterosexual males (Harris Interactive, 2008). Taking cues from the same, international
heavyweights like D&G, Benetton and Kenneth Cole have already started to interact with the
members of the community.

When it comes to fashion, India is a little behind, but it is surely and steadily catching up. This claim
can be substantiated by the fact that India’s first Multi-Designer gay store, D’Kloset has opened up in
Mumbai (Pink Pages, 2011) and it has been in operation since Christmas 2010. Also, with designers
like Wendell Rodricks coming out of the closet, hope is that the Indian Gay and Lesbian fashion
scene will only move northwards.
Even though the gay and lesbian nightlife in India is far behind by international standards, but with
more and more gay and lesbian tourists coming to India and quite a few places are tagging
themselves as ‘gay friendly’ (Times Of India, 2012), this situation is bound to change very soon. But
for the time being Voodoo club (Colaba. Mumbai), GayBombay, Pause (Bandra, Mumbai), Ginger
(Russel St., Calcutta), Pegs and Pints (Chanakyapuri, Delhi), Club GoPink (Goa) etc continues to be
the happening gay and lesbian clubbing destination (Indiadost.com).
The only gay and lesbian lifestyle product that is at par with the international standards is online
dating. This is because 1) Gays and lesbians use internet more than heterosexuals and 2) Internet
assures their identity to be kept secret (Witeck Combs, 2010). All Indian dating sites today comes
with a dedicated section for gays and lesbians and because sex is not a taboo in gay and lesbian
community, such sites are mostly used for searching potential partners.
Internet usage:
Gay and lesbians use more internet than their heterosexual counterparts. This fact can very easily be
justified using the Witeck combs 2010 report on internet usage. According to this report 54% gays
and lesbians regularly read blogs, compared to 40% heterosexuals (Witeck Combs, 2010). And also,
these people are more politically and culturally aware, as 25% of them (as compared to 16%) read
culture and entertainment blogs and 22% of them (as compared to 16%) read political blogs (Witeck
Combs, 2010). They are also more active on social networking, as 55% of gays and lesbians visit
social networking site daily compared to 41% heterosexuals. Among internet users, lesbians however
outnumber (63%) gays (52%) (Witeck Combs, 2010).
Brand loyalty:
Members of the LGBT community happens to be extremely loyal to certain category of brands, for
example, alcohol, study shows that 60% of gays and lesbian ask for a specific brand of alcohol
compared to 42% heterosexuals (witeck combs, 2007). The same research further indicates that gays
and lesbians take their rights very seriously, and they might even shun or adopt products depending
how they treat their employees. For example, 88% of gays and lesbians say that they will consider a
brand if it is known to provide equal workplace benefits to its gay and lesbian employees and also
make sure that they are not discriminated upon (witeck combs, 2007).

Corporate Community Relations and Corporate Social Responsibility can play a major role in
winning the brand loyalty of the community members, as 77% gays and lesbians will be interested to
consider a brand who supports non-profit and other causes which are important to a gay or lesbian
person (witeck combs, 2007). These programs might include AIDS education and research, support
of Gay Rights Initiatives, associating with a pride parade or film festival etc.
The brand loyalty demonstrated by the gays and lesbians can be hugely beneficial for a brand, this is
well proven in the case of Philadelphia Tourism, their LGBT specific marketing efforts gave them a
return of $153 for EVERY marketing dollar spent (MSNBC, 2007). However, some marketers
believe that in case of travel and tourism, there is nothing as ‘LGBT Specific marketing’, for
example, Thomas Roth, President of Community Marketing Inc. believes that gays and lesbians, like
any other mainstream community, wants to be addressed specifically and they also look for more
personalization (MSNBC, 2007).
With the rationale provided till now, we can safely conclude that LGBT, as a customer segment, is
extremely lucrative. But the question remains whether communicating to them from a brand
perspective will be feasible or not. We will try to answer these questions now.
Quantity: World-wide, 6% (on average) of the population falls under this category (IGLCC, 2008).
Moreover, they are a part of every culture and nation.
Accessibility: 50% of gays and lesbians worldwide live as they are, as we call it, OUT
(Homoeconomics). Even though the other 50% is merged in the mainstream, we can communicate to
them using mediums, like the internet (as described above), using community specific language and
codes (Homoeconomics). How can we possibly achieve that, we will see in the coming lines. Pride
parades and other such events are also an effective way to reach the community.
Economic feasibility: Communicating to the LGBT community is rather cost-effective. Mainly due
to the fact that they are present online, in the blogs and the social networks, and they prefer online
medium because they can keep their identities safe, they provide the marketers a cost-effective
medium to reach them. Also, using the online medium, it will be a possibility to customize the
communication in order to address specific concerns, which will increase the chances of a conversion
(Homoeconomics). Even though the marketers have barely started to speak directly to this
community, the segment displays an extraordinary loyalty towards brands who speak to them (witeck
combs, 2007).
If we have to analyze the customer segment from the aspect of the 5 P’s, we will realise that we need
to change anything in the first 3 P’s. We will not require a different product than what we market to

the heterosexuals, neither will we need to price it differently and we can use the same channels and
touch-points to sell the same. However, in case of services, we will need to modify the
product/service offering to suit the need of the community, for example, travel destinations. But
otherwise, there is absolutely no product change required whatsoever. In case of pricing, adopting
and talking about a charity model, where a part of the price is donated to causes which are of interest
to the community, will help the brand to move up the loyalty scale (Homoeconomics). But in case of
people, we have to make sure either we employ a healthy mix of homosexual and heterosexual stuff
in the workplace and talk about zero discrimination or do not portray any sort of aversion towards the
homosexual employees. And to talk about these things, we will require promotional strategies which
convey the message to the community members. For this, we need to realise and remember that
mainstream advertisements do not work for gays and lesbians, to approach them, we can use
1) Specific gay and lesbian ads which will be tailor made to be put up in gay and lesbian media
using targeted approach
2) Neutral advertisements that conveys a message which is of concern to the LGBT community
(AIDS awareness, for example)
3) Use coded messages/symbols in mainstream ads (rainbow or pink ribbon, for example, details
have been provided in section 4 of this article)
Emergence of the ‘global gay’ identity
Anthropological studies over the ages have emphasized on variations in homosexual identity creation
in different cultures. However, recent evidences do point out that the emerging trend of the global
gay identity, which is bridging the gap of cultural barriers. If we have to figure out the primary
reasons behind this shift, then we have to talk about intensification of the ‘essentialism’ vs.
‘constructionist’ debate, the impact of growing mass media consumption and the development of
international gay movements, all of which has a significant role to play in the solidification of the
global gay identity. As we examine these social and cultural factors, we will realize that the
complexities of globalization are an integral part of homosexual identity creation.
Cultures around the world contain unique norms, traditions and values regarding sexuality. These
sexual norms have changed over human history and as a recent phenomena, homosexuality is
emerging as in international development. Anthropologists, over the years, have attempted to classify
sexual relationships of different cultures based on gender and sex acts, among others. Despite having
such taut classifications, it is becoming increasingly important to acknowledge the international
identity of gays.

The single-most important factor in the development of this global identity is globalization. Easy and
frequent travel, expanding networks and faster communication and the privilege of information have
exposed different homosexual ideologies and lifestyle practices. In order to confirm the inception of
a global gay identity, we have to explore different aspects of globalization that harnesses, or deters,
the creation of the international identity. We do understand that some patterns indicate the presence
of cultural specificity, but other patterns suggest this to be a universal phenomenon. The way we
consume media is also a major area of study to understand the global gay identity. The western
media, in many cases, has been alleged to create the global gay identity, by onslaught of media
precipitation. The development of international organizations, movements and communities has also
become an icon of brotherhood among gays across cultural and geographic boundaries. These
factors, despite the cultural diversity and prevailing intolerance, contribute to the formation of the
global gay identity.
However, we need to understand that the homosexuality still being in a way “illegal” in India, the
struggle of homosexuals in India is quite different than their western counterparts, where the
boundary of legality does not traumatize the members of the community. Also, we do understand that
assuming the Indian gay lifestyle will be identical to the western culture, will be wrong. Every
culture always will have their own influences on creating a unique social identity for gays and
lesbians. Taking that into account, we will try to analyze how globalization and mass media have
contributed to create a global gay identity, which is subscribed by gays and lesbians across different
cultures, including the ones in India. The identity is spread across the universe by the mass media
vehicles, which is also highly westernized, as we will see in coming sections.
Essentialism vs. Constructionism debate
According to J. Schippers, as described in his 1989 work “Sexual Identity: Essentialism vs
Constructionism”, this issue is mainly the concern over the process, through which a gay identity is
formed. Essentialism believes that this identity is a universal phenomenon, which develops
intrinsically in human characteristics. On the other hand, constructionists argue that that
homosexuality is an invention, to explain certain sexual behavior in a cultural context. Both theories
posses their own merits and demerits, while Essentialism does not take into account the cultural
differences that have emerged in homosexual behavior, Constructionism fails to explain the
‘premature’ feelings, expressed by many, before learning about the concept of homosexuality.
Thanks to advance psychoanalytical research performed by Jan Schippers (1989), we are now aware
of the presence of appositional consciousness, in which sexual and other emotional feelings develop,
and the propositional consciousness, which allows for the cognitive recognition of actions and
identity (Schippers, 1989). And according to Shipper, with increasing global exposure, the

appositional urges of gays are fostered easily and it is fortified even more easily in the identity
created in the propositional consciousness.
In an individual level, identity creation is a collective set of processes experienced by the
homosexuals, identifying them with the community at large. According to Dennis Altman (1971),
“the very concept of homosexuality is a social one, and one cannot understand the homosexual
experience without recognizing the extent to which we have developed a certain identity and
behavior derived from social norms.” In his series of efforts to identify the construction of
homosexual identity, Altman acknowledges the impact of community particular and society in
general, in the process of formation of homosexual identity across the globe. In his work, Altman
recognizes the fact that the global gay identity is constructed on the foundation of oppression, and
according to him, without the oppression and intolerance, homosexuals would not require sticking to
their identity, which is an effort to protect their rights and gain societal acceptance. If the divide
between sexual orientations reduces across the globe, homosexuality will remain just as a behavior
and will no longer describe an identity (Sutton, 2007).
It is of extreme importance to understand that despite their global scale, cultural significance of
homosexual acts vary globally. To cite an instance, in latin America, a person who essentially
disregards the dominant gender role, is known to be a homosexual. So, if a man is sexually attracted
to another man, but conforms to the male gender role, will not be called as a homosexual (Altman,
Global Sex, 2001). According to Peter A. Jackson (1998), even though latin American homosexual
culture appears to be quite similar to its North American counterpart, local specificity varies widely
between cultures. But, the western gay culture is fast changing the perception of and about
homosexuality the world over, and unfortunately, the global gay identity is bending more and more
towards the western gay identity.
Mass media and identity of global gays
Homosexuality is evolved to be one of the most distinct and contemporary socio-cultural identity in
today’s world. Thanks to globalization, billions of people across the globe are being exposed to the
evolving western lifestyle of the homosexuals. Although the difference in identity, lifestyle and
behavior of homosexuals within western countries is significant, an emerging trend of concreting the
homosexual identity stereotype is not only pervading the western discourse, but also saturating
different cultures in different parts of the globe. Some of the typical stereotypes include a taste for
fashion, beauty and luxury, an active and enviable sex life and an existence of femininity within the
inner self. Formation of this stereotypical identity has its root in the western culture, which Altman
describes as “it is as impossible to prevent identities and categories from travelling as it is to prevent
pornography from travelling across the internet”. Before the internet arrived, it used to be the

Newspapers and Televisions used to provide the world with the insights regarding homosexual
identity and culture, which it derived from the west. These mediums were instrumental in conveying
messages of achievements, failures, lifestyles and stereotypes of a handful of homosexuals based in
the west, to the entire world. Thus, it was not late before certain ‘stereotypical’ attributes of the
western homosexuals became the basis of creation of the global gay identity (Sutton, 2007). Some of
the stereotypical identity markers that were used in the western culture, when related to
homosexuals, are hairdressing, acting, decoration and housekeeping, a taste for opera and public
nudity. Here, we also have to mention that creativity and individualism is also a product of such
stereotypes regarding the homosexuals. This set of values and characteristics, even though accurate
for a substantial number of homosexuals in the west, was an offshoot of mainstream, commercialized
and middle class gay identity, and not necessarily with the poor gays or with the closeted business
executive. Regardless of such incompatibilities, homosexuals around the world, when exploring their
sexuality, more often than not tend to identify themselves with the gay identity provided to them by
the mainstream media (Sutton, 2007).
One cannot ignore the role played by Television and video in broadcasting the homosexuality of the
western culture to the rest of the world. While describing the effect of pornography on gays of
Thailand, Neil Miller (1992) explains that self-identified gays, who had rigid gender roles between
sexual partners, have started to experiment as both ‘King’ and ‘Queen’ in sexual relationships
(Miller, 1992). The video tapes gay seminars and meetings in New York and San Francisco have
paved the way for homosexuals of Tokyo to use them as a model to develop their own organizations.
In one of the most compelling cases of effect of mass media on homosexual identity formation,
across cultures and geographies, Tom Boellstroff (2001) stated that over 90% of his LGBT
respondents in Indonesia came to know themselves as Lesbians and Gays through mainstream media
(Boellstroff, 2001). Even if we assume that these people became aware of the homosexual categories
through their friends, it is most likely that these friends first heard about the categories from
mainstream, mass media sources. And unfortunately, these mass media sources are more often than
not provide an incomplete picture, negative in nature and based on gossips of western celebrities.
This phenomenon is well described by the fact that Indonesians LGBTs, for some time, used to use
the terms gay and lesbians interchangeably, as they were unaware of the distinct identities of the two.
It will be fairly accurate for us to conclude that the media connection between the gays of the west
and that of the rest of the world is full of faults and distortions. But, what we need to understand is
the fact that globalization have made the rest of the world to come really close to the western gay
culture.

Talking about the influence of ‘western’ culture over the multitude of homosexuals around the world,
we must also acknowledge the fact that countries like Australia and Canada, along with several
European nations, have also contributed towards the transmission of homosexual culture codes, but
America have produced the most resilient model towards forming a global gay identity, as described
by Altman (Altman, Homosexualization of America, 1983). This is ironic in a way because America
does not provide that conducive an eco-system of tolerance and a liberal viewpoint where
homosexuality may thrive. But, due to its economic hegemony on globalization, its homosexual
culture has been able to penetrate into various cultural markets all over the world and Americanize
the global gay identity (Altman, Homosexualization of America, 1983). The dichotomy of gender
and the idea of being part of a distinct identity have motivated several cultures around the globe to
embrace this model. This is despite the fact that the European model, which allows for lesser
separation thus reduces the minority status, blurs the line between homosexuals and heterosexuals
and provides for better social integration.
The American model has been able to create a global gay identity, which feeds from the passion to
be different, the quest for personal rights and the allegiance towards gay solidarity (Altman,
Homosexualization of America, 1983). And it is likely that in near future the American model of
self-conscious gay movement will be established across cultures. The tunes of American gay theme
“In the navy”, blasting from the speakers across every gay bar in the world, only reminds us that it
will be sooner than we might think (Altman, Homosexualization of America, 1983).
Gay movements across the globe
The role different global movement have played in the formation of a global gay identity have been
beyond the confines of media and saturation of American popular culture (Altman,
Homosexualization of America, 1983). Particularly, political movements have shaped the global gay
identity and allowed for its growth in certain parts of the world. Similar to any other movement,
LGBT movements across the world also learn from and influence each other. The similarity in such
movements across the world includes mass demonstration, AIDS awareness, pride parades etc.
Despite the similarities, there exist differences as well, but they are more to do with the role of
national politics, presence of religious hegemony, lack of ‘sibling movements’ and impact and
awareness of AIDS among the general population. Despite all these differences, number of people
across the globe is subscribing to this global gay identity, and the global gay movements have got a
major role to play in this transformation. This is primarily because of the achievements of gay
movements across the world. A few examples will include,
 Amnesty International agreeing to look into the situation of gay prisoners in 1991

 Canada providing refuge to victims of anti-gay policy of their nation, thus becoming the first
North American nation to do so, in 1992
The gay movement in South Africa is one of the most prominent and powerful examples of
international movements for gay identity and emergence of gay culture. The pressure exerted by the
politicians and international governmental lobbyists provided the much needed help to bring down
the prevailing apartheid system, and with the monumental change in the social system, came along
the revolutionary gay culture. 1980 marked the inception of South Africa’s first multiracial gay rights
organization, GLOW, and the prides parades started. We need to take note of the fact that these
parades were modeled around similar parades in New York and San Francisco (Sutton, 2007). With
the collapse of the apartheid system, the exile South African leaders, returned home with
international ideologies, including liberal western system of gender diversity and legitimization of
gay rights. Due to this, while re-building the nation, gays of South Africa, just like any other South
African citizen, developed a strong passion for nationalism and liberalism. And the gay identity in
South Africa since prevailed with a sense of a proud national identity, unlike that in the America.
From the discussion above, it is safe for us to say that globalization is among the most significant
forces in today’s world. The cultural divide among people, which kept the people in different parts of
the world separated once, is breaking down, allowing new global identities to evolve. It is
understandable that the global gay identity is a culmination of contributions made by various
complex socio-cultural processes, which includes perception of identity, exposure to expanding
media vehicles and socio-political movements, and all of these are combining to create a global
identity that gays and lesbian around the world can relate to (Sutton, 2007). However, we must admit
that this global identity lacks certain amount of diversity, owing to the domination of western gay
philosophy, particularly the American gay discourse, which is instrumental in creating the global gay
identity and gays around the world, belonging to different cultures, must choose to accept or reject it.
However, despite the differences and obstacles, a global community is emerging, whose primary
concern is to fight to control AIDS, secure human rights and obtain the identity that they have been
ignored, rejected, persecuted and denied. However, it will be interesting to see whether the future
belongs to a unified, global gay cultural code, or a harmonious existence between the global identity
and individual cultural codes and system.
LGBT consumer demographics and lifestyle
Globalization has ensured that in today’s world, there is no such thing as “Latest trend in US”, social
media, increased brand footprint in different geographies have made sure that trends always end up
becoming a global trend. And as we have demonstrated the fact that the western gay identity has a

major role to play in creating the global gay identity, it will make sense to understand the lifestyle
and livelihood of gays and lesbians in America and other western countries. This will help us to
understand the segment in a better and deeper way. The following is the result of a study conducted
by Community Marketing Inc. (CMI) over 30,000 gay and lesbian participants across the globe.
Before we proceed any further, it is of utmost importance to clarify the fact that this is NOT an effort
to quantify or provide a definition to the LGBT population. Instead, the objective of this report and
subsequent findings is to provide guidance to different brands, in order to understand the community
in a better way and for being able to reach out to the community using their media vehicles, events
and organizations.
Before we begin analyzing, we must understand that we will be talking about a highly connected and
well-informed group of people. This is evident from the fact that 26% of gay men and lesbians are
said to be aware of latest trends, new products, concepts or services, compared to only 18% of the
general population. This proves that members of the LGBT community are Early Adopters (Prime
Access, 2010). Not only they are Early Adopters, members of the LGBT community also happens to
be great influencers as well, which can be substantiated by the fact that 60% of gays and lesbians
claim that people often come up to them to seek advice (both gay and straight) whereas only 34% of
the general population could make such a claim (Prime Access, 2010). In light of these facts, we will
not further dissect and analyze the members of the LGBT community.
The following information is referred from Community Marketing Inc.’s Annual LGBT consumer
Index study (http://www.greenbook.org/Content/CMI/GayLesbianConsumerIndex2010.pdf). Where
more than 30,000 respondents have been questioned about demographics, psychographics, purchase
pattern etc., this report will help us take a closer look into the psyche of the segment.
1) Living Environment: One area where gays and lesbians showed major differences was the
household they belonged to. Lesbians were found to be more likely when staying with a
partner and with children and often with a pet. Lesbians, also, showed a higher tendency of
reporting living outside cities and often owned a home and/or a car.
Contrastingly, most gay men reported living with a roommate or mostly, alone. Lesbians
were found to be more open about relationship choices, 75% of them indicating a possibility
of getting into a relationship, compared to ‘straight’ women, whereas, gays were found to be
only 63% likely to get into a serious relationship.
Even though 40% of the total population reported living a big city and 21% reported living in
a medium sized city, it was found that more gays (42%) stay in big cities compared to
lesbians (32%). Almost 1/3rd
lesbians reported that they were living in a place (suburb, rural
area etc.) which is not a big city, compared to only 27% men.

The study found that people renting places (39%) are far lesser than number of people with
their own accommodation (54%), and gays were they one doing most of the renting (41%)
compared to their lesbian counterparts (35%). In terms of type of accommodation occupied
by the members, it was found that lesbians were occupying more of urban stand alone homes
(24% and 20%), suburban stand alone homes (27% and 22%) and rural homes (12%
compared to 9%). But the gays were found to more comfortable in urban condos or
townhouses (17% and 9%) and apartments (23% and 18%).
46% of the total participants said they were living with their partner, lover or spouse where as
a little more than 1/4th
confessed stayng alone. The community members are also fond of
pets, evident from the fact that 23% of them own a cat and 27% of them own a dog. For the
rest, 12% stayed with their roommate, 9% with their children (in case of 7%, children are
under 18) and only 7% stay with their parents.
Lesbians are found to be more likely to be staying with a child (19% and 5%), a partner (59%
and 42%), 39% had a dog (only 23% men have dogs) and 38% had a cat (18% for gays).
Whereas, gay men were found to be leaving alone (33% as to 19%), or with roommates (14%
as to 8%) or with parents (7% compared to 6%).
2) Participation in Entertainment: As mentioned earlier as well, the community members
have displayed a higher tendency compared to their ‘straight’ counterparts to dine out,
especially with friends or prospective partners, atleast monthly, if not on a weekly basis. As
gay men showed a higher tendency to stay alone, they also reported higher propensity to dine
out compared to their lesbian counterparts (37% as to 27%). Whereas, consistent with their
propensity to stay outside big cities, 41% lesbians reported enjoying the outdoors on a weekly
basis, compared to 33% of gay men. Gays seem to be more sociable than lesbians, as they
seem to enjoy their time at the bars and clubs on a regular basis (49% compared to 31%
lesbians) and other activities like going out for a movie (40% as to 29%) and attending a live
musical performance (21% as to 14%).
The panel displayed a lower propensity towards other activities, even though almost 26%
lesbian and 38% gays reported visiting the gym or a sports club once a week. Only 48% of
the community reported visiting such establishments.
Almost equal number of gays (33%) and lesbians (37%) expressed their interest about
attending a community fundraiser. Among other seasonal activities, the most visited where
political fundraisers, going for a spa or yoga sessions, where lesbians showed more
enthusiasm compared to gays.

The community members, in general, showed a greater tendency to spend big bucks, on an
average on activities like dining out with friends in restaurants, clubs and bars and on
alcoholic beverages, coffee and tea. Restaurant goers reported an average spending of
$60/week, whereas spending on bars and alcohol was averaged at $30 per week, which
ironically, is more than the average spending on clothing at $26. Spending on coffee and tea
averaged at $14 per week and bottled water at about $10 per week.
3) Beverage Consumption: Beer, wine and vodka were found to be the beverages of choice for
the community members. In terms of beer and wine consumption, gays and lesbians were
found to be equally likely to consume the same, but gays demonstrated a higher tendency to
drink vodka, compared to the lesbians.
Among beers, participant showed fondness towards different brand of light beers, such as
miller lite, coors lite and bud light and the average consumption were about 5-6 units every
week. Apart from coors, miller and bud, the participants also reported consuming brands like
stella and corona.
About their choice of places to have a drink, 69% reported enjoying their drinks at a bar or a
restaurant and 16% among them reported an average consumption of 2-3 drinks per week at
their favorite bar and restaurant. Not taking into consideration the number of people who
mentioned they don’t drink in bars and restaurants, the average weekly consumption were
found to be about 5 drinks.
4) Purchase Influencers: when asked about the purchases the panelists have made, most of
them talked about purchasing sports equipments, especially running shoes, which 33% of
total respondents said to have purchased. Apart from shoes, the segment demonstrated a
tendency of buying bi-cycles (13%) which included different types of bikes including city
bikes (4%), road bikes (4%) and mountain bikes (5%). Other sporting equipments in the list
included camping gear (13%) and hiking boots (8%).
Lesbians, consistent with their accommodation habit of staying outside big cities, bought
more sports equipments than gays, which included running shoes (36% as to 32%), camping
gear (20% as to 10%) and hiking gear (11% as to 7%).
Talking about other purchases, the panel displayed an affinity towards electronic equipments
and stated that 29% have bought a laptop and 28% have got a new PDA or a smartphone. HD
television was the next hot buy at 26% followed by standard feature phones at 24%. They
community showed signs of financial maturity as well, demonstrated by 21% buying stocks,

mutual funds and other investment instruments. As far as real estate is concerned, only 5%
reported having purchased one and 17% stated to have purchased a car.
In terms of shopping for electronic gadgets, gays have outnumbered lesbians, this is well
demonstrated the facts that 30% of gays have purchased PDA or smartphones compared to
24% of lesbians buying the same. The trend continues in terms of HD television where gays
out run the lesbians by 27% to 22%, desktop computers (14% to 10%). But in the case of
standard feature phones, the table is heavier for lesbians (29% as to 23%). In terms of
financial instruments gays have demonstrated a higher likelihood to have invested in stocks
and bonds than the lesbians (23% as to 18%). But in case of laptops, cars and real estate, the
group did not differ much in terms of likelihood.
The community members sounded equivocal when asked about whether company policies or
brand values have an impact on the purchase decision or not, 45% of them mentioned being
influenced by fair employment practice of the company, which included points like non-
discrimination in recruitment practice, recognition of employees and other LGBT sensitive
policies. Panelists also mentioned getting influenced by companies supporting gay political
causes (marriage rights), where 37% admitted being influenced by such a company, other
influencers included gay organization charities (34%) and participation in different gay
events by the company (29%).
As mentioned earlier, the community showed high loyalty towards the brands, even though
53% respondents mentioned that they are loyal towards one particular brand, but might want
to try out another brand depending on the factors mentioned above, about 25% stated that
they prefer certain brands but have tried new brands in regular intervals, and about 12%
stated absolute brand loyalty.
High level of awareness among the community members enabled them to identify the
marketing mission behind supporting a cause. Almost 53% respondents viewed them as pure
marketing campaigns despite it actually helping a cause. Gays were more dominant in
voicing their opinion compared to lesbians (55% to 50%). 42% respondents praised cause
related marketing as a good avenue to raise money and create awareness, and lesbians led the
ranks here with 47% share of voice compared to a gay share of voice of 40%.
This leads us to the marketing terms the community members are most likely to accept. The
preferred marketing term to address the community were found out to be “Gay and Lesbian”
(mean of 4.3) and not “Lesbian and Gay” (Mean, 4.0). Other terms which were tried out were
“LGBT” (Mean 4.0) and “Gay friendly” (Mean 4.0). if we try to compare the terms LGBT
and GLBT, women were found strongly in favor of LGBT whereas men were found to accept
both the terms with equal favor.

5) Media Preferences: When asked about the media consumption habits of the panelists and
what they do the most compared to a 45 hour workweek, participants reported spending a
mean of 37 hours per week in activities that included using the internet for personal work
(13.1 hours/week), watching TV (12.2 hrs), listening to music in various online and offline
channels (10.5 hrs), listening to radio (6.7 hrs), reading (5.8 hrs) and working out (4 hrs).
Gays were found to be spending more time with their computers and watching TV, compared
to the lesbians, they spent an average of 14 and 13 hours respectively while lesbians spent
around 11 hours on each activity, every week.
Gays and lesbian were found to be hooked onto blogs and other social discussion forums,
which they read atleast once a month and the most visited blog sites were found to be the
Huffington Post (18%), Towerload (9%) and perez Hilton (8%). Gays and lesbians displayed
different tendencies while consuming this blogs. Gays were found to be hooked on
Towerload (11.2% to 2.1%) and Perez Hilton (8.6% to 6%), averaged monthly, lesbians were
dominating visits to sites like Queerty (13.7% to 6.2%) and Pam’s House Blend (6.1% to
3.7%), averaged monthly.
Facebook was unanimously voted the best social networking site for both gays and lesbians
and 66% reported using it atleast once a month. MySpace was a distance second with only
25% respondents having visited it atleast once a month, followed by linkedin at 19% and
twitter at 18%. No specific preferences were found among lesbian and gays in this numbers,
both were equally likely to consume this social media platforms.
Even though there are no differences in social media consumption habits, there exists some
differences as to why it’s being consumed, in general, the prime usage drivers remain as
staying in touch with friends and family (63%), looking to meet old friends (45%), finding
new entertainment sources (43%). Apart from this, the other influencers are finding
information about upcoming events (32%), the state of the community in general (30%), new
tourist destinations (25%). As the community is socially very active, motivations like dating
(23%) and hooking up (22%) were also found to be prime motivators behind the consumption
habits.
If we have to look into further detail as to who consume what more, we will see that gays use
the social networking platform more than the lesbians for entertainment (46% to 36%),
finding new destinations (27% to 21%), dating opportunities (28% to 9%) and hooking up
opportunities (30% to 3%), whereas, lesbians used social networking more for staying in
touch with family (38% to 32%). Gays were found to be prone to respond to advertisements

on mainstream blogs and networking sites and on LGBT specific websites, more than the
lesbians, where the numbers are 25%, 39% and 14% respectively.
Ergo, the media most used the panellists on a daily basis were found to be TV (72%), Radio
(59%), mainstream websites (51%) and daily newspapers (Non-LGBT) (39%).
Our tech-savvy group of panellists were found to check their emails multiple times a day
(46%), use text messaging multiple times a day (31%) and visit facebook multiple times a
day (28%). Gays displayed higher tendency (45%) towards checking their emails all day long
than lesbians (38%). The motivations mentioned above keeps the lesbians hooked onto
facebook more than the gays and only 23% lesbians reported to NOT have a facebook profile,
compared to 27% gays. Despite the differences in consumption motivations, gays and
lesbians didn’t differ in the overall frequency at which they used text messaging, facebook
etc.
6) Religion: When asked about their views on religion, 47% of panellists expressed that they
belonged to a moderate to somewhat religious family background, 31% of them found to be
very religious and 22% not very religious. Even though participants expressed belonging
from a religious family, 45% responded by mentioning that they were not religious currently,
37% mentioned that they were somewhat religious but not a regular attendee at the service.
Only 17% mentioned that they were part of a church or a faith community.
The findings tell us quite a few things about the members of the community, such as:
 Gays are more sociable compared to lesbians. They do enjoy meeting new people and
hooking up. Also, they spend more on hanging out and alcohol.
 Lesbians are more family oriented compared to gays.
 Both gays and lesbians are heavy consumers of entertainment and wellness products and
services
 Lesbians prefer the outdoors more than the gays
 Gays are bigger subscribers of financial products compared to lesbians
 Both gays and lesbians are active participant and consumers of social media
 Gays love to travel more than the lesbians
 Facebook is the choice of social media platform for both gays and lesbians
 Gays have more affinity towards electronic gadgets compared to lesbians
 Both gays and lesbians trust blogs and other social discussion forums as their source of
choice for obtaining different sort of information
 Lesbians find it easier to relate to the term LGBT rather than the term GLBT

LGBT values and its impact on brands
As multicultural individuals, we understand that culture provides us with a unique lens to observe the
world, which includes brands as well. The prime objective of marketers should be to create a connect
among the consumer and the brand, keeping in mind the presence of this unique cultural lens. LGBT
customers also view brands and communications through a unique cultural lens. The distinct gay
culture has to be considered while to strategize to expose them to marketing communications which
in turn will motivate this untapped customer segment. Even though we understand that LGBT culture
is not a single monolith, but there lies significant reward in being able to tap into the gay consumers’
shared values and experiences. The reward we are talking about here is mainly higher revenue and
increased return on marketing investment.
According to Wikipedia, culture is a collective set of shared value, goal, practices and attitudes
which are the characteristics of any organization, institution or group. If we try to break this
definition into granular pieces and analyze the cultural insights, it will lead us to measurable
marketing results.
Shared Attitude
Members of the LGBT community share the outsider status, which constantly reminds them of the
fact that they are not part of the mainstream culture. This motivates many lesbians and gays to create
their own roadmap in life. This spirit of independence is a great way to tap into this market. Also, as
gender roles are more fluid in nature for gays and lesbians, they are less likely to resound to the
stereotypical portrayal of the masculine and the feminine.
Shared Values
This particular customer segment values diversity and the sense of inclusion, to a great extent. This
insight leads us to use our marketing tools to devise communication strategies to portray that brands
are also follower of equality, and it treats its entire customer equally, whether they are gay or
straight. This compelling message, when delivered artfully, can go a long way in winning the brand
loyalty of LGBT consumers. Also, with the presence of highly targeted media channels in today’s
world, such communications and easily and efficiently delivered to the LGBT consumers.
Shared Goals
Members of the LGBT community share a common goal, that of health, happiness, love and
prosperity. But due to the sexual orientation, these goals imply different meanings. For example,
publicly recognizing the presence of true love in the face of detrimental social standpoints, make the
celebration of true love even more special. The goal of the brands should also be to help LGBT
community member to achieve their goals and make their lives a celebration.

Shared Practices
Out of many shared practices, the one that marks a significant milestone in the life of every member
of the LGBT community is to come out in open and reveal one’s true sexual identity to their family
and friends. This leads us to the concept of creation of a “chosen family”, which is nothing but a
group of close friends from the LGBT community, who provide constant and relentless support and
love, which, in a traditional scenario, is usually provided by one’s own family. This happens to be
one of the landmark moments in the journey called life of any member of the LGBT community and
brands need to find out a way to not only be a part of this journey, but also to be present in
milestones like this. But, the point that needs to kept in consideration the fact that this has to be done
in an unexpected or a totally innovative way.
These insights should be called upon and taken into serious consideration while devising a
communication strategy targeted towards the audience. These insights also help the brands to create
compelling programs to keep the target group engaged with the brand. Putting an effort to understand
the lesbian and gay community in a better way and then create communication strategies using the
insights developed, marketers can create successful marketing campaigns, which will not only create
brand loyalty, but it will also help to convert this loyalty and awareness to find success in the form of
increased sales figures and greater customer satisfaction.
LGBT codes and symbols
In a study done by Dr. Al Marshall of Australian Catholic University, 12 gay and lesbian
publications across 6 different cities were studied and the advertisements were analyzed to
understand the codes and symbols used in there (Marshal, 2009). These publications were:
Paris: Tribu, Sensitif
Los Angeles: Frontiers, Odyssey
Barcelona: Shangay, Gay Barcelona
London: One80London, 3Sixty
Sydney: SSO, SX
Munich: Leo, Blu
This study of 347 Advertisements belonged to different product categories. The product category that
featured most number of times were clubs and bars, followed by online and off-line retail, movies
and theatre and travel and rental (Marshal, 2009).

The imagery content analyses of the advertisements indicate the presence of an average of 2.2 codes
every advertisement (Marshal, 2009). Among the common images found, the one single image or
icon that features as the dominant imagery is that of the youthful, shirtless, hairless and Caucasian
male (Marshal, 2009). The other dominant theme is having no gay imagery at all. These ads can be
presented as the mainstream advertisements (Marshal, 2009). But the most interesting thing is the
fact that there were not many differences in the advertisements among these 6 metropolitan markets
(Marshal, 2009).
21.9
2.9
9.8
7.8
11.8
9.8
18.7
17.2
% of Total
Clubs and bars
Finance/insurance/legal/tax/business
DVD/CD/Theatre/Concert
Saunas/Sex clubs/Sex lines
Health Products/HIV prevention/Self
development
Travel and events (parties, film
festivals, pride parades)
Retail(online/offline)/Café/Restaurants
Other(online dating, alcohol, personal
and beauty products)

In truth, LGBT marketing is not only more prosperous than traditional mass-marketing, but also a
more challenging one. But, when strategically planned, it is less risky and with vastly more profit
potential. Truth-telling by members of the LGBT community, news reporting, research and time
have opened up the complex and once mysterious and threatening lives of modern LGBT consumers.
Corporations that have demonstrated they value diversity and brands that have engaged in consumer
dialogue that builds equity have succeeded with both the gay and lesbian consumer segment and the
increasingly diverse general marketplace. The challenge for a brand should be to break into the
market, generate a reputation by creating product/service differentiation, cachet or fad, then hold on
to the loyalty of its LGBT customers when the next fad or quality competition comes along
(Independent Gay Forum, 2001).
Categories which can spearhead in India
Travel and leisure
Apart from Indjapink, there have been a flurry of speciality LGBT tour operators in India, GoPink
Asia (www.gopink.asia) is a tour operator who specialises in custom making tours only for gay men
and India features as a premium destination in their website. Even though most of their business
come from Europe (especially France) and US, but they are considering opening their India business
very soon.
Out Journeys is a travel agent who caters both to gay men and women. They specialise in offering a
diverse range of services, including independent and group-tours, at a very reasonable rate (Go India,
2012). This group also felicitates interaction between members of the community by the means of
parties and get-togethers and visits to gay only bars in major cities in India (Go India, 2012). The
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45
Youthful (appears under 30)
Shirtless (bare chest and stomach)
Hairless (upper body)
Sexually aggressive to other men
Touching/Embracing other men
Gay symbols (rainbow, pink traingle etc)
Muscular (muscle tone, low body fat)
Caucasian
Other (fetish clothing, accessories etc)
No visual gay elements
31.7
35.4
29.1
2.3
6.3
13.5
30.8
30.5
4.8
41.7
% of occurrence
% of occurrence

organization prides on their delectable choice of destinations, personalized service and handpicked
guides, chauffeurs and escorts (Go India, 2012).
Pink vibgyor, is an offshoot of an established travel agency named Vibgyor, which has been in
business for more than 10 years and offers inexpensive and eco-friendly packages to gay and lesbian
travellers (Go India, 2012).
Sita tours and travel is the only player from the established Indian tourism player to foray into the
LGBT tourism space. They specialize in unique and authentic travel experience for individuals and
small groups (Go India, 2012).
Current position of Gay tourism in India:
1) International gay travellers recognise India as a popular travel destination, but 45% of them
have very low expectations from India.
2) The perception of India being a gay unfriendly country still looms large in the minds of the
travellers. This may or may not be intentional, for example:
a. Asking 2 men travellers what kind of bed they will prefer, twin or double, when they
are occupying only one room, this embarrasses the gay travellers, but the reception
agent might not be asking this to embarrass them.
b. Question and inquisitiveness by local drivers, taxi about their family, especially when
asked about their wives/husbands.
c. Lack of gay tourism companies in the country makes it difficult for the travellers to
make tour companies understand the kind of service they are looking for.
3) Even though all the top-end hotels are gay-friendly, the mid and budget range hotels do not
provide the essence of gay friendliness. This is a huge deterrent in this business.
Why Indian tourism market can change for better:
1) These travellers spent long period of time in India. 70% of travellers to India have spent
atleast a month in the country and 80% of them have visited India more than once. Thus the
customer lifetime value of travellers to India is potentially very high (Gay Tourism India,
2012).
2) With proper positioning, friendly and sensitive hotel partners and courteous stuff, it is safe to
assume that more international travellers will prefer India as their choice of destination along
with increasing domestic travellers.

Vital facts that need to be addressed:
1) Online presence and making people aware about India as a LGBT friendly tourist destination.
2) Most LGBT travellers express a disinterest in regular packaged tour, in the pretext of
CONVENEINCE, which includes but not limited to embarrassing situations and
circumstantial discomforts (Gay Tourism India, 2012). This provides an opportunity for new
tour operators to come up and create custom made packages for the community members.
3) Quality is the prime reason LGBT travellers shell out a premium for. Thus, features like
bigger accommodation, nicer designs and better services will be the key to attract and retain
this segment (Gay Tourism India, 2012).
4) Cruise liners in India, specifically for gay people might sound a little distant, but a survey
response says otherwise. According to the survey, about 70% of domestic gay travellers have
actually expressed interest about having such a service available only for them (Gay Tourism
India, 2012).
On the wake of new business opportunity, Indjapink have successfully conducted the
PINKPERFECT training programme in a lot of hotel chains on “How to treat an LGBT traveller
right.” It covers key areas of gay travel concerns such as appropriate terminology, debunking
stereotypes and provides practical tips on how staff can make their lesbian and gay customers feel
comfortable being themselves,” according to Indjapink founder and director Sanjay Malhotra (Gay
Tourism India, 2012)
Chicago based Zoom vacation is another travel agency which operates custom made tours for LGBT
travellers. According to them, to build on reliable brand equity and to ensure customer retention,
operators need to provide high-quality of service and convinces the travellers to trust their services
time and again. These travellers typically seek a deeper physical, cultural and emotional bond with
the people, places, sights and entertainment choices of the featured destinations, yet demand the
highest level of comfort, serice and value (Gay Tourism India, 2012). The key here is to be able to
provide an opportunity to experience fascinating cultures and meet interesting people in a thoroughly
modern, fun, luxurious and valued way (Gay Tourism India, 2012).
Even though India as a country delivers a lot of promise in terms of tourism, but there are certain
parts of the country which are more relevant in terms of the kind of lifestyle tourism we are talking
about here. The places which have the highest potential of attracting the bulk of LGBT customer are:
1) Goa: an all time favourite hangout. Famous for its parties, nightlife and beverages.
2) Agra: Romantic destination. A new favourite among newlywed LGBT travellers.
3) Khajuraho: Images of the same gender attraction on the temple walls

4) Varanasi: Spiritual appeal and no harassment
5) Mcleodgunj, Kasaul : Laid back attitude, minimal policing, hub of recreational drugs
It is of utmost important for the tour operators to show the better aspects of life to the travellers,
which will provide a better insight and deeper understanding of the country to the travellers.
Airlines:
Worldwide, estimating the purchase potential of the LGBT customers, airlines have started to talk to
the LGBT customers. American Airlines
(http://www.jaunted.com/files/admin/AA_LGBT_Ad_Nov_2007.jpg) was the first airline to actually
reach out to this particular segment. Since then, all major airlines have tried to gain the loyalty of this
segment. Communigayte (www.communigayte.com) is a full service solution provider based in
Germany who specialises in LGBT marketing strategies and boasts an enviable clientele of leading
airlines across the world (Communigayte).
To set an example, Royal Dutch Airlines had launched a campaign where one can choose their seat
mate. Where passengers on a specific flight can connect with other passengers in different social
networking sites like facebook and twitter and decide on their seat-mates, especially on long haul
flights. The service, which is called “meet and seat”, will enable travellers checking in online to
access the social networking sites and pick their ideal neighbour (Daily Mail, 2011).
Malaysia Airlines also tried to explore the possibilities by using social media. Their facebook
application allowed passengers to check whether they have any friends travelling on the same flight
or visiting the same destination around the same time as they are (Daily Mail, 2011).
If we have to re-iterate the success stories airlines had while interacting with the LGBT community,
we can take the example American Airlines with their ‘Rainbow’ club, which has constantly
experienced an increase in revenues through its newsletters (FastCompany, 2009).
Another such success story is that of the ‘Love is in the air’ campaign by Scandinavian Air Services
(SAS) where they carried out World’s first gay marriage on-board their airplane with an entirely gay
friendly crew (SAS, 2009). Where interested couples needed to create a profile of them and spread
the word to their friends by asking for votes. The couple with the most votes received the full service
wedding that took place in one of their dream liners. This campaign was received with immense
enthusiasm and had generated huge PR for the company, in the form of:
 Over 2 million tweets, in an hour
 Over 100,000 unique visitors to their facebook site
 540,000 unique visitors on the website

 Over 350,000 votes
 Over 300 couples registered from all over the world
The polish website of the airline received 2300 visits, which used to receive an average visit of 800
Luxury:
Individuals derive association towards certain brands from the use of such brands in their social
groups. As the brands get attached with the symbolic codes of the group itself, such associations tend
to get transferred to consumers at an individual level. The acceptance of such interpersonal
influences, however, depends on the extent of dependence, both intra and inter, in the construction of
the “self” in any individual. The characteristic of independence usually varies culturally and from
individual to individual. According to Chaplin and John, “Individuals use brands to create and
communicate their self concept, thereby creating connections between the self and the brand”
(Chaplin & John, 2005).
Appropriation of the association consumers share with brands is a common phenomenon; such are
the appropriation of personality traits which are more often than not, gets incorporated into the
concept of self. While this is happening, consumers tend to grow a connection between brands and
individual concept of self, which is known as self-brand connection (Chaplin & John, 2005). And
this self-brand connection comes to life when consumers take part in the process of identifying and
grouping the brands which are consistent with the image of the self. People tend to select brands
which possess maximum similarity to their individual self concept, whether actual or desired, thereby
further strengthening the self-brand connection. This shows how brand choices are often a result of
congruence between the brand image in the user’s mind and the consumer’s image of the self.
When it comes to luxury brands, consumer expectations and the decision making process becomes
even more complex. In case of luxury, the products are not expected to provide only a functional and
an aesthetic benefit, but also require providing a symbolic dimension. Such items are seldom bought
for what they are and more due to the fact that what they mean. And such products are expected to
perform four very different kind of functions, namely, functional, social, cultural and symbolic. In
order to garner a deeper understanding of consumer motivations behind the purchase of luxury
products, we will try to understand the meaning of ‘luxury’ in five different dimensions (Vigneron &
Johnson, 2004).
1) Conspicuousness: Reflecting a quest for social positions and representations through
extensive consumption and exhibitionism. Many consumers like to feel special, self-fulfilled,
famous and sometimes even rich, and they require products which communicate their sense
of affluence among their social group apart from being appreciated (Solomon, 1983).

2) Uniqueness: Products or services can be unique only when supplies are scarce and limited
and huge influencer in case of a brand choice as exclusivity is highly demanded by the luxury
customers (Vigneron & Johnson, 2004). When consumers associate with a luxury product, it
is always from a personal drive to stand out among others, by using the brand uniqueness as
an impetus. And following the characteristics of Veblen goods, the uniqueness and thus the
demand for products increase as it becomes more expensive (Vigneron & Johnson, 2004).
And this helps to bring out the sense of exclusivity a person carries with him or her, which,
otherwise is socially rare and is seen as a factor that differentiates individuals.
3) Quality: Even though this is considered to be a hygiene factor in case of a luxury purchase,
this continues to be a factor. Luxury products are required to be of superior quality, or atleast
have an aura about it which makes it seem like a product of superior quality (Vigneron &
Johnson, 2004). The sense of quality is is often perceived based on features like functional
superiority, sophisticated engineering, finest craftsmanship, differentiated design and use of
advanced technology.
4) Hedonism: hedonism is associated with luxury products because luxury products are meant
to provide users with a sense of pleasure and personal fulfilment. And such feelings are
stimulated more by the emotional benefit, which is subjective in nature, rather than the
functional benefits, which are objective in nature.
5) Extended Self: In the world of luxury consumption, the construction of an individual’s
identity based on the consumption pattern is a truth. It is seen that, in order to be able to be a
part of the elite upper class, it is of utmost importance to subscribe to a purchase behaviour
that resembles the upper class and denounce anything that bears any resemblance with the
lower class (Vigneron & Johnson, 2004).
Gay customers, as mentioned above, usually enjoy a higher amount of disposable income owing to
the factors discussed in previous sections. This income differential drives gay buyers to seek for
quality and exclusive service and products, something that provides superior lifestyle value. In spite
of presence of social class, members of the LGBT community care much more about their image,
fashion statement and appearance, when compared to their heterosexual counterparts. Despite
differences in their clothing style, some prefer to dress up classy while the others prefer to put on an
extravagant look. Here, we would like to re-emphasize the fact that members of the LGBT
community tends to spend more than their heterosexual counterparts in categories such as travel,
restaurants, clothing, perfume etc. (Lukenbill, 1999). And when compared to the general population,
it turns out that this segment of consumers is usually are more sociable, younger in age, more
knowledgeable, fashion and style conscious and loyal to brands which fulfil their needs.

Online Dating:
Online dating in India has got immense potential to grow, especially among the LGBT segment of
India, due to the following reasons,
 Secrecy and confidentiality
 For closet gays, it will provide an opportunity to seek a partner without revealing his/her
sexual identity to his family, therefore avoiding the stigma
 No requirement of divulging specific details like address and contacts, first level of
introduction happens over video/voice chats
 Scope not limited to your own network, one can always find new people to meet in different
cities and states
Off late, following the global cues, we have seen a flurry of LGBT dating websites in recent times, a
few of them being,
 Indusgay.com
 Gaydia.in
 Desiboys.in
 Lovetime.com
 Datinggaynow.com
Apart from this websites, different online classifieds also carry posts regarding gay dating under their
personals section.
Estimates suggest that there are currently about 6 million active users of online dating services in
India, which according to stepOut.com, will touch 115 million by 2015. In the same time-span, the
current online dating market, which is valued at about $130 million, is likely to touch $206 million
(Times Of India, 2012).
The rapid growth of dating services in India can be attributed to the fact that the youth have started to
perceive dating as a healthy and friendly option to build close companionship and knowing someone
well before an actual relationship can be planned.
Beverages:
We have seen in the previous section that socializing and hanging out with friends, dating an hooking
up are integral part of the LGBT lifestyle, especially in an urban context which we are interested
about. It has also been revealed through the study that gay men specifically prefer Vodka, this was

the prime inspiration behind the successful Absolut Rainbow campaign, where the rainbow imagery
has been used to create a connect with the community.
Absolut Rainbow campaign:
This was the first campaign launched by Absolut to talk to this particular segment of customer. The
rainbow striped bottle, promoted the message of gay pride and InterPride, an organization which is
fighting for gay rights, creating awareness about a distinct sexual identity and empowering the gay
community, received a donation from this campaign.
Absolut OUTrageous campaign:
This campaign was primarily launched to tap onto the growing popularity of vodka among gays. The
goal of this campaign was to directly market to the gay community. Details like rainbow and
presence of the word “OUT” hinted towards the liberal, tolerant, gay friendly stand of the brand. The
primarily objective of this campaign was to convince the gay consumers about Absolut vodka’s
intention of advocating and sponsoring the LGBT community. And this was conveyed by the use of
artistic details such as rainbows and other eye-catching full colour advertisements. The message was
to come out with pride and to be out with pride and also that of placing no labels on things, which
paved way for the successful ‘No Labels’ campaign. This was the first even communication done by
Absolut, back in 1981, and the impact, in 1981, sales increased by almost 100% (Verikov, 2012) and
Absolut became the one of the first brands to embrace the community. This campaign went onto
become the 7th
most successful marketing campaigns of the 20th
century, as per advertising age
(Verikov, 2012).

Absolut No Labels campaign:
“In an Absolut world, there are No Labels”, this clearly demonstrates the campaign objectives of
challenging labels and other prejudices related to sexual identity. The campaign icon was a naked
bottle of Absolut, without any name or logo. This is the first time Absolut confronted the world
totally bare, without even a name, to promote the idea of what matters is the inside. The visuals of
the bottle manifested the belief of diversity and the brand’s standpoint on sexual identities.
Globally, the vodka market is getting congested and India is opening up as more and more
youngsters are getting interested in Vodka (Economic Times, 2012), the Indian Vodka market is
definitely open for new experiments in terms of trying to talk to the LGBT consumers.
We have already attempts made by Smirnoff to win the loyalty of the Indian youth by including India
in their globally acclaimed “Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project”, and different gay events and
gay parties provides ample opportunities for brands to connect with the community in better way,
understand their social needs and customize an offering for the Indian LGBT community.
E-commerce
E-commerce, as an industry segment, has immense potential for growth, given only 10% of India’s
population is online and the traffic is mostly concentrated in Tier-1 and Tier-2 cities. According to

comScore, 75% of Indian people who are present online are youth, within 15 to 34 years. Due to this
demographic, India is one of the youngest demographic online. This is expected to remain the same
coning years as well, the age distribution has also proportionally contributed towards distribution of
consumption, proven by the growth in youth focused categories have achieved in last 12-18 months.
Among different e-commerce ventures, travel and retail are the fastest growing segments in
ecommerce, this is an opportunity to tap onto the Indian LGBT market for the following reasons,
1) Confidentiality: Online transactions are confidential in nature. If travel and retails portals
create and deliver custom made options for the LGBT segment, it will be easier for the
‘Closeted’ gays to subscribe to these offerings as they won’t have to worry about their
identity being disclosed to public.
2) Travel and retail portals can create custom made offerings for customer belonging to the
LGBT segment, and such offers will only be targeted to the members of the community, by te
means of LGBT publications and websites, which is consumed by the community members.
So, the company need not be afraid of a backlash (if any) from its customers belonging to
other segments of the society.
3) Wider reach: Nuances of LGBT culture (parades, bars, publications) are present only in
Metros and Tier-1 cities, as of today. But the power of ecommerce can break such
geographical boundaries, spreading the reach beyond the Tier-1 cities, in such a scenario, we
can include more number of people to expose the communication to, than the 28.4% urban
population we have mentioned in the introduction, while the other factors mentioned remain
unchanged.
4) Online communities: Brands will be better equipped to build presence among the
community members present online by the means of forums and apps, which will further
strengthen the presence of the brand in the mind of the LGBT consumers.
In an Indian scenario, where the acceptance of LGBT identity is still a controversy, but catching up
fast, using online mediums will prove to be an effective and efficient way of targeting the LGBT
consumers, targeting can be done via the means of LGBT websites, facebook forums, dating
websites etc. Overall, this will provide brands with a medium which is consumed on a regular basis,
to connect with the community, spread the brand ethos and to create the awareness of the friendly
attitude the brands hold towards the members of the community.
Telecom service providers:
Even though the MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator) model has not been able to make
inroads into the country in a big way, with virgin mobile being the only company with such a

business model. But this particular model has got tremendous opportunities to strike a chord with the
members of the community. The service providers can provide unmatched service to the community
members by bundling data content with voice, where the content will be customized for the
community members. Along with facilities like closed user group calling, the service provider can
introduce services like data calls and unlimited internet access to certain apps and websites.
The biggest advantage of such a model is that it will be extremely easy to track the customer base
and provide offers based on usage patterns, free calling etc. The MVNO can also operate on a
contract model, where certain handsets will be available as part of the package which will be
preloaded with content relevant for the community, which will be updated periodically. Apart from
that, the service provider might consider creating user forums where users can interact with each
other, free use of chatrooms etc. the service provider can also include services like dating services,
health and wellness tips, product information and shopping deals.
Research Methodology
Due to the lack of research and available India specific insights in this particular field of study, and
conducting which is beyond the scope of this report, parallels have been drawn on and from western
methodologies. Also, attempt has been made to understand the change in behaviour that might occur
due to cultural differences in both markets. But, with increasing number of global brands landing on
Indian shores and some desperately waiting for government regulations to relax, it is a possibility
that people will be more and more aware of different brands and thus brands will need to
differentiate themselves in terms of their marketing and communication strategy.
This article attempts to introduce the idea of sexuality based marketing up for a debate, where the
merits and demerits will be questioned, dissected and enriched. This will expose us to new marketing
avenues and newer media vehicles. During the inception of a new category, or when brands attempt
to create a different category in a new or existing market, it’s a common practice for them to set the
benchmarks by metrices used by brands playing the same category in some other similar geography.
So, we studied aspects of LGBT marketing practices that happen around the world, looked into
brands who have successfully ran campaigns targeting this community, tried to analyze how
globalization plays a role in shaping up the global gay identity and how cultures have played a part in
creating the ‘Glocalized gay Identity’.
We tried to understand the prevailing scenario in regard to the LGBT segment in India and tried to
analyze what are their purchase drivers and consumption patterns. We talked about the changing
scenario in industries such as travel and leisure and how ecommerce can leverage the benefit of
confidentiality. And the source of such information has been journal articles, periodicals, news

Scope of lgbt marketing in india

Scope of lgbt marketing in india

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