The LGBTQ+ community is an increasingly visible and relevant audience for brands. It could not be otherwise, since these are consumers who are loyal to a brand that matches their values and, in addition, contribute greatly to the economy of a country.
According to the Mexican Federation of LGBT Entrepreneurs, members of the community contribute around 80,000 million dollars to the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP). A figure that exceeds other types of public that are more conservative in their purchases.
But among the universe of brands, there are those who have known how to raise the multicolored flag to support the LGBTQ+ community and make themselves present through inclusive messages on social networks, iconic product launches and segmented promotional campaigns.
In a social listening analysis, which the research firm SentiOne carried out for Expansión, it identified that in the last 12 months Netflix, Doritos, Levi’s, Converse and Mercado Libre were the five brands that generated the most information on social networks about the LGBTQ+ community.
Netflix ranked first with 83.12% of the conversation generated. Of this percentage, 53.7% were neutral comments, 24.3% negative and 22% positive. According to the analysis, where Netflix talked the most about the LGBTQ+ community was on Twitter with 71.20%, on Facebook with 28.54% and on Instagram with 0.26%.
The peaks of the conversation occurred in August of last year and in February, April and June of this year. Some of the publications with the greatest reach were the following:
Doritos, on the other hand, comprised 14.12% of the conversation, of which 50.9% were neutral, 29.1% negative, and 20% positive. The snack brand was inclined to use Twitter to reach its audience, since 98.66% of its content was placed on this platform. It is followed by Instagram with 0.84% and Facebook with 0.50%.
Unlike Netflix, the peaks of conversation started by Doritos occurred in October and November 2021 and in this month. And among his most replicated posts is the campaign It’s never too late to be who you are! #DoritosRainbow #PrideAllTheYear #LGBT+.
In third place is Levi’s. The jeans brand comprised 1.82% of the conversation, which was neutral at 68.8%, negative at 6.5%, and positive at 24.7%. Twitter was also the favorite platform of this brand, since 48.5% of the conversation took place on this network, while 48.5% on Facebook and 36.6% on Instagram.
Both June of last year and this year, and August 2021, were the months in which Levi’s had its conversation peaks with initiatives such as “The voice you use. The way you dress. Your very existence. This season, we celebrate LGBTQ+ activism in all its forms.”
Converse comprised 0.80% of the conversation. 70.6% were neutral, 11.8% negative and 17.6% positive. Contrary to the previous brands, Converse chose to use Facebook at 76.47%, Instagram at 14.71% and Twitter at 8.82%. In addition to this, he entrusted his strategy to posting especially in the months of LGBTQ+ pride.
One of the publications with the greatest reach was “All Star, Becki (Ella/La) 26 years old”, a visual storyteller, photographer and advocate for the differently abled, who lives in Auckland, New Zealand and her chosen family is Tash (Elles /Les), 27, who creates experimental music and sound art.
“Becki and Tash are passionate about inclusion, especially in music and queer spaces. Becki shares: Tash has allowed me to feel comfortable with my sexual identity and my place in the world as a person with different abilities.”
The fifth brand is Mercado Libre, which covered 0.14% of the conversation with 83.3% neutral comments and 16.7% positive. The networks in which Mercado Libre talked the most about the LGBTQ+ community were 50% Twitter, 33.33% Facebook and 16.67% Instagram. His posts with the peaks of the conversation occurred in June of last year.
One of the most commented posts was “Proud to be who I am. Being free is the possibility of showing yourself as you are in any area of your life without fear of being judged. We are happy that each person who works at Mercado Libre can proudly express their true #pride self.”
A connected community
For Camila Trombert, founder of Guoman, a creative space to work with brands on their path of deconstruction, inclusion is a term that seems simple, but has many levels of depth.
From his trench, he observes changes at the industry level that respond to the social demand to represent all people, with all bodies, colors, orientations, etc. However, “the representation of minorities is not always correct. You have to do it with advice to be clear how yes and at the same time always have a vision of the crises that could come.”
In the case of brands, the specialist assures that they must be gay-friendly not for a monetary benefit, but because they encourage respect. “If everything is to win something, we lose. It is more a matter of survival than reaching new audiences. If you’re not inclusive, you’re out. But if your values are to respect difference, that should translate into what you do and communicate. Values are a fundamental part of branding”.
Today, the LGBTQ+ community has consumption patterns that can set the tone for brands to be closer. In its Pride in Media study, the research firm Nielsen Mexico found that members who openly belong to the community spend an average of 9.26 hours a week on social networks.
Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok are the most used among this segment, although Ana Laura Barro, client business partner of Nielsen IBOPE Mexico, considers that there is still much to be done to promote the inclusion of the community in social networks, since 21% believe that the content on these platforms is not inclusive and 27% think that it is not very inclusive in online ads.
On the other hand, 63% of the community declare that the opinion of influencers has some impact or a high impact on their opinion of brands. Regarding the attributes that they believe are relevant, the useful recommendations and the commitment to social responsibility stand out.
