Will Big Brands and Gay Culture Ever Get Along?

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By: Dwayne W. Waite Jr.

Our culture has been through several changes, or paradigm shifts, when it comes to the way we live and interact. First, blacks gained freedom from slavery. Next, women and blacks fought for the right to vote. Then women were beginning to arrive in higher numbers in the workplace and the college scenes. Women were able to be independent and unmarried without being chastised (on a whole). Shortly after, interracial dating became (less) taboo. Finally, as time went on, we saw the advertising scene adopt these slices of life in creative, campaigns, and ads, acknowledging that people face these situations. Now we're facing another paradigm shift: the GLBT community. And like the previous shifts, there is some pushback.

According to ContactMusic.com, General Mills and another brand pulled its advertising from ABC's Pretty Little Liars shortly after the episode had one of its characters reveal that she is a lesbian. An anti-gay group from Florida, the Florida Family Association (FFA) mounted protests and targeted General Mills and the ReMax realty chain. The protest group got the results it was looking for, and those brands pulled out. However, Jeff Hagen of General Mills sent an email to the FFA and told them that General Mill's action to pull the ads was not because of the content of the show. Hagen said in an email "...the sexual orientation of the characters was not a factor in that decision." Right, obviously. It seems that the whole lesbian thing certainly didn't help the situation either.

If a brand reacts (or, allegedly reacts) to a lesbian character and a protest from an anti-gay group, one has to ask, when will big brands be okay with the gay culture and ignore these kind of groups? Looking beyond this incident (since there could be other reasons General Mills pulled the ads) it is easy to see that shows that have GLBT characters have a tougher time getting advertising (side note: Glee may be an exception, but I don't watch it, so I could be wrong).

And to look at the larger picture in advertising: Instead of simply placing ads in shows with GLBT characters, when will advertising at large have national ad campaigns featuring GLBT members? As the purchasing power of this group continues to grow, how long will brands and the advertising industry ignore this crowd?

If advertising (from placing ads to the creation of them) is to support and display the current trends in our culture, it will do it an huge injustice by ignoring them. Whether you agree with it or not, they are here. And like blacks, women, and interracial couples, the GLBT community demands the same kind of acknowledgment in advertising.

Thoughts?

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About the Author

Dwayne W. Waite Jr. is partner and principal at JDW: The Charlotte Agency, a marketing and advertising shop in Charlotte, NC. He enjoys consumer behavior, economics, and football.

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