How-To: Market Marriage in California - Got To Be Real

Today’s the day. Same sex marriage is now legal in the state of California. Finally sensing a golden (state) opportunity, marketers and service industry professionals are clogging inboxes around the country promoting their interest in helping gays and lesbians conduct and/or celebrate their weddings (I received several emails yesterday and several more last week).

And why not? Last week, the Williams Institute at UCLA’s School of Law issued a report estimating that as many as one-half of California’s 100,000+ same sex couples (and 68,000 from other states) would marry in California in the next three years bringing more than $60 million to the state’s budget and nearly $700 million to the state’s wedding-related industry.

For those of who remember the days (not so long ago) when civil unions were considered both cutting-edge and controversial, this is a remarkable turn of events. It seems that there is nothing like the promise of green to make pink and purple seem legitimate to a broader group of people.

Don’t get me wrong: I think all of this attention and possibility for outreach is great. The challenge remains, however, for all of the folks seeking to cash in on this opportunity to be genuine and “real” in their approach. For every Kimpton and San Francisco Convention and Visitors Bureau that has been conducting outreach to our community for years, there are dozens of other brands, companies and cities/counties who are now realizing for the first time that we are a wonderful target market they should target now that gay marriage is legal.

The potential exists for a lot of well-meaning, but potentially off-base (or worse), communications and outreach in the coming months. For folks new to our market or just unsure how best to communicate in these changing times, there are several rules of the road to observe. As with many things in our community, they all center on the idea that – as Cheryl Lynn once sang  – you’ve “got to be real.”

Here are our top four “how-tos” for anyone looking to leverage the California marriage decision to build their business and grow their revenues.

1. Ensure your house is in order before touting your goods and services (or location) to our community. Look at your employment policies and your past history with outreach to our community. Do you have employment non-discrimination policies in place and offer same-sex partner benefits to your employees? If yes, talk about that as part of the reason we should do business with you. If no, be prepared to address why you don’t and what you will do to be a gay-supportive workplace in the near term.
2. Understand that the language you use matters. It will not be enough to simply use the term “pride” or “rainbow” in your marketing. Demonstrate that you understand our community by using words and phrases that speak to our history and your commitment to equality for all. You can damage your credibility if you talk about “sexual preference” and “choice.” Underscore your credibility by focusing on the commonality of marriage for all, not the differences between same-sex and opposite sex couples (check out Eddy's recent post on Macy's wedding ring ad for more on this point).
3. Leverage your allies or find new partners. Have you worked with a local LGBT organization in the past? If yes, highlight what you’ve done and look for ways to partner with them again in the context of your specific new offering or outreach effort. If no, find allies that make sense (to your community, your desired audience or core customer) and reach out to them to suggest ways in which you might work together.
4. Be gay-specific about what you are offering and who you offer it to. Simply repackaging your standard sales pitch in “gay-friendly” terms does not demonstrate that you are uniquely prepared to help same sex couples celebrate one of the most significant moments of their lives. And distributing mass emails or press releases touting your products or services does not ensure that gays and lesbians will view your efforts as anything more than more “marketing.” Target both LGBT publications and outlets and so-called “mainstream” ones and ensure that the language you use is consistent and focused on why what you have makes sense for gay couples.

As with so many things, California is once again leading the nation in making a momentous change. For now, the news is good and the mood is hopeful and positive. The task ahead is to ensure that those business interests seeking to capitalize on the financial opportunities made possible by the ruling don’t give California’s promising pink and purple future a black eye with shallow and disingenuous communications efforts.   

What do you think? Have we missed any major considerations? Let us know in the comments and we’ll consider your thoughts for a future post. 

Comments

[Ad Insider]

Great list. A few less eloquent points...

-Don't just run your creative by the Gay guy down the hall. He doesn't speak for all of us and his opinions might vary greatly from the masses or he might just tell you what he thinks you want to hear (but that never happens at agencies ;-)

-Don't play it safe and wait for November before "coming out" for Gay marriage. Those, like Macy's, who are out of the gate early will garner the most respect and attention.

-If you want to impress the hell out of me really come out and run an ad in Details or GQ or NYT or.... You'll be making a stand and standing out and you'll reach more Gays there anyway.

-harness the power of social media. Blogs and hubs like Facebook/Flickr/Youtube are the new house party kitchens...they're where everyone is hanging out.

[Dana]

These seem like corollaries of some above, but FWIW:

Remember gay men and lesbians have different attitudes and cultural lingo. (I have never heard a lesbian refer to anything as "fabulous" except when in the company of a gay male friend, for example. :-)

And: Don't assume I'll blog about your product just because you sent me a press release that has the word "gay" in it. And my "Advertise here" link is easily clickable....

[Queercents]

Advertisers, please note: we're more similar to the general population than suggested by all the studies. Why do you think the last gay bar just closed in Laguna Beach?

Plus, not all of us are spending every last disposable dollar to travel. Some of us are busy paying down our mortgages and are more interested in products and services that will benefit our growing families and financial lives.

And finally, to echo Dana's comment, since gays and lesbians have more positive reactions to blog advertising (by more than two to one), you're more than welcome to inquire about our "Advertising Rates" by clicking on the Queercents Media Kit tab...

[Ben Finzel]

Will, Dana and Nina - thanks for commenting. As usual, you all make excellent points. I'll be interested to see how many folks figure out that blog advertising and online outreach (real outreach) to bloggers should be an integral part of their strategies. And I love the point about putting the word "gay" in a press release and assuming that makes something "news." It's a whole new world we're entering and I hope marketers of old will bring new thinking with them as they enter it.