• by Danielle Oster , August 22, 2024

Brands stand to benefit substantially with queer and trans consumers by visibly supporting the LGBTQ+ community.

A new “Loyalty Unlocked”  report by Nielsen and LGBTQ+ streaming platform Revry found that 69% of LGBTQ+ streaming viewers reported being “very” or “somewhat” likely to support a grocery or household items brand based on support for the LGBTQ+ community. Seventy percent said it was important for brands in these categories to participate in and sponsor LGBTQ+ causes, events, and community.

According to the report, the vast majority of LGBTQ+ consumers make such purchases at least weekly -- with 41% saying they make grocery or household items purchases weekly, 39% 2-3 times per week, and 9% reporting making purchases in the categories on a daily basis.

Overall, 65% of respondents across categories responded they would be more likely to purchase products from brands that include someone from the LGBTQ+ community in their advertising, or advertise in LGTBQ+ TV programming.

“The untapped potential of LGBTQ+ media presents advertisers with a compelling opportunity to connect with an engaged, loyal, and action-oriented audience,” Revry wrote in the report, citing an ANA survey from March 2024 which found that only 34% of marketers are reaching this audience on LGBTQ+-owned or targeted media.

Brands ignoring LGBTQ+ audiences -- particularly in the grocery or household items categories -- could be leaving significant money on the table. According to a 2022 report by  The Pride Co-op, a market research and intelligence agency focusing on  LGBTQ+ consumers, spending by LGBTQ+ consumers in the U.S. eclipsed $1.4 trillion in 2021. With the growth of the LGBTQ+ population  -- the fastest-growing minority group, according to U.S. Census data -- since that estimate, that number has presumably only grown further. According to Gallup polling data from 2023, 7.6% of U.S. adults identified as LGBTQ+ – up from 5.6% in 2020.

Revry also included “Strategic Recommendations” for brands on how to reach LGBTQ+ consumers, including: actively advertising in LGTBQ+ media “to clearly demonstrate support for the community,” and sponsoring LGBTQ+ community events and activations to further demonstrate their support in a way which could “significantly influence purchasing behavior.”

Additionally, the report stressed the importance of “Always-On Campaigns,” with Rery writing, “When nearly 50% of consumers are willing to try a product based upon advertising, and they are purchasing 2-3 times a week, a brand must be consistent with their messaging. This category cannot be reached during Pride month only as they are making purchases every day throughout the year.”

The report comes amid a series of “anti-woke” attacks on brands from far right media figures and anti-LGBTQ+ advocates. Most recently, Harley-Davidson caved to pressure led by Robby Starbuck -- an anti-diversity and anti-LGBTQ+ rights advocate who co-directed a 2024 anti-trans documentary that spread disinformation --  in its decision to drop DEI initiatives and end  its relationship with LGBTQ+ advocacy group Human Rights Campaign.