Amidst the festivities of Toronto’s annual Pride Week, Marketing hosted its inaugural Connecting with the LGBT Community conference in partnership with Pride Toronto on June 26th. The message was clear: the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community is a lucrative market and brands can’t simply throw a rainbow into their logo to make a connection. Here are some of the top takeaways from the event.
“If Canada’s LGBT community were a country, it would come between Bulgaria and Sudan in terms of GDP.”
—LAURENCE BERNSTEIN, managing partner, Protean Strategies, noted the LGBT market in Canada has pre-tax earnings of $90 to $100 billion and is filled with individuals “punching above their weight in terms of economic power.”
“The sky is not going to fall… Don’t be afraid. Don’t treat it as a dirty secret. Make it as much a part of your organization as anything else.”
—MICHAEL BACH, director of diversity, equality and inclusion, KPMG Management Services, on how brands should approach developing employee resource groups for LGBT staff.
“There is no ‘gay market’; there are multiple segments within it.”
—DARRELL SCHUURMAN, president, Travel Gay Canada and managing partner, DNA Marketing Group, recommended brands ensure frontline staff are trained to properly serve the LGBT market, then partner with organizations like Pride at Work Canada to add to their credibility.
“Genuine, committed and invested.”
—AL RAMSAY, branch manager, TD Canada Trust, listed the characteristics brands need to successfully build diversity inclusion in the workplace and have authentic conversations with the LGBT community.
“[Dual endings for ads are] an affordable way to have that inclusive opportunity.”
—MICHAEL WILKE, business journalist and LGBT consultant, described how some brands, such as Levis and Orbitz, have created alternate TV spot endings to include a variation aimed at LGBT customers.
