“There is no doubt that the gay and lesbian community exists, with well-established organizations and communities in the Nordic countries. But few advertisers have targeted the Pink Dollar segment in their advertising and media briefs. Maybe because they are afraid to do so. Maybe because they lack data on target size and potential. But more often it is a lack of consumer insight,” says Thomas Sonberg, director of the Copenhagen-based advertising agency Reputation, which is working with the Pink Dollar segment for World Outgames, an upcoming gay and lesbian event (see box). “The basic principle of effectively targeting the Pink Dollar segment is no different from any other segment,” says Thomas Sonberg, and continues “be it women with two kids or elderly men who love to play golf.” The coming out of the closet phenomenon is a common denominator for all subgroups of the Pink Dollar segment that can be a common platform for understanding and building advertising strategies. Everyone in the segment has experienced it: it is characterized by a self-realization experience with feelings of being alone or left out. “In talking to this segment there is a delicate balance between laughing with the Pink Dollar consumer versus
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parents return from vacation to find their son in bed with a gay lover. While there may have been many good reasons for this ad, the gay and lesbian view is that the ad speaks to heterosexuals and plays to the parent nightmare – finding out your child is gay or lesbian. “At the same time, Biogesic is laughing at and pointing fingers at the gay and lesbian consumer,” says Thomas Sonberg. In contrast, Skyy Vodka is an example of inclusive advertising where the push on the emergency button clearly indicates that gay contact is being made on the way to the sky bar with subtle sexual connotation. It is inclusive as it underlines Skyy Vodka’s gay and lesbian acceptance.
Open minded advertising But other ways exist to include the Pink Dollar segment in your advertising and communication strategy. Scandinavian Airlines has recently launched an alternative reservation site specifically targeted at gays and lesbians as part of SAS’ marketing towards: the World Outgames 2009 in Copenhagen. “SAS is a great example of a Nordic brand that welcomes the Pink Dollar segment in their worldwide advertising,” says Thomas Sonberg. “In a financial crisis, who isn’t interested in an audience with a trendsetter profile, double income and no kids. And if that trendsetter is gay or lesbian embracing our brand, the Pink Dollar segment is beyond doubt an attractive segment of loyal consumers with higher proportion of available spend than the average consumer. My advice to advertisers would be to give this segment a try and include the gays and lesbians in their next advertising and media brief. It can’t hurt – but it must be well thought through and part of a long term strategy to create true brand bonding,” says Thomas Sonberg.
laughing at them,” continues Sonberg. Your brand can be portrayed as homophobic or homo-friendly. This is also true for any other advertising. However, for gays and lesbians it has a much more profound meaning. What is very important to Pink Dollar advertising is the need to be inclusive and not exclusive,” says Thomas Sonberg.
Inclusive and exclusive advertising An example of an exclusive advertising campaign is the ad for the headache relief-brand Biogesic, where the
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BIO: Carsten Lind is the Nordic Insight and Research Director for MediaCom Nordic. Contact: carsten.lind@mediacom.dk tel: +45 33 76 00 04 Know more: www.flysas.com/gay
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