In it’s most fundamental form, luxury can be defined as “waste.”
tains products that meet identical consumer needs for straight consumers as for gay consumers, but will be more successful if designed specifically for gay and lesbian consumers. Gay dance clubs are different from straight dance clubs in enough ways that gay people tend not to go to straight clubs, although straight people do go to gay clubs. Lifestyle magazines are of interest to all segments but gay lifestyle magazines make a lot more sense to members of the LGBT community. The top-right quadrant is the most interesting for brands entering the segment because here it is easiest to restructure an existing product into a gayfocused product. Obviously this demands caution because cosmetic changes can be easily misinterpreted as a patronizing effort to “fool” the segment. Tonality of messaging becomes very important. In this space marketers can add the most real value by becoming uniquely appropriate to the segment market. Products from the top left quadrant can be customized to fit into the top right based on insightful understanding. For instance, insurance products can be tailored to the specific legal and social needs of gay and lesbian couples without necessarily impacting core components or core markets. Financial products – other than
retail banking which will never be differentiated by sexual orientation – are obvious candidates for this shift. In the lower right (and pinkest) quadrant are the products and services that are exclusively for LGBT consumers, i.e., travel and leisure experiences, which play a different role and are structured differently. Unless a specific product or service has been thoroughly tested , this is not a viable quadrant for brands just entering the LGBT marketplace. In summary, products fit naturally into one of the quadrants based on how they are being used, by whom, right now. The secret of gay marketing is to understand the dynamics of the category, the nature of the consumers and the essence of the culture in order to recontextualize (communicate in a specific, relevant way) or tailor (adjust the components of the product or service to meet LGBT needs more directly) your products so that they are experienced in a uniquely, relevant and beneficial way.
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