Marketers reflect millennial values to sell them products
Millennials are an increasingly important consumer group to advertisers
On June 26, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that same-sex marriage was legal in all 50 states. But mainstream marketers have long recognized that supporters of same-sex relationships are a valuable target audience.
Procter & Gamble tested this commercial in Canada in January before moving it into the U.S. market. We see two young men discussing laundry detergent.
In India, where same-sex marriage is still banned, clothing brand Anouk is running this ad that shows two young women preparing to visit one of their mothers.
The ad immediately went viral with mostly positive comments.
Until June 26, U.S. marketers were also embracing same-sex relationships ahead of a law. This ad showing two women in bed started running just days before the Supreme Court ruling.
The ad was condemned by the self-described Christian group One Million Moms.
While U.S. marketers depicting same-sex relationships isn't entirely new, it's become much more common in the last couple of years. In this ad from 2013, we see a man and woman discussing eReaders at the beach.
All this attention to same-sex relationships is in part a recognition of the buying power of LGBT consumers. However, they're not the ultimate target of the ads.
A May 2015 Pew study found that 73 per cent of U.S. millennials support same-sex marriage, and a 2013 Boston Consulting Group study indicated that 50 per cent of U.S. millennials prefer to buy brands that reflect their values.
It explains why we're seeing so many ads like this one. It ran during the 2014 Sochi Olympics and shows a wide diversity of families, including one with two dads.
Spotlighting same-sex relationships helps marketers achieve two goals. They earn the loyalty and discretionary spending of the LGBT community. Even more importantly, they can use such ads to attract millennials, who strongly support diversity and the corporations who embrace it — and also happen to be the next major generation of consumers.
Bruce Chambers is a syndicated advertising columnist for CBC Radio.