Gays, Lesbians, and Consumer Behavior

Theory, Practice, and Research Issues in Marketing

Daniel L. Wardlow

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2014
• ISBN:
  9781317991731
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Commerce
• Subtopic: Commerce Général

Marketing practitioners have begun to target gays and lesbians as consumers, although little is known about their buying behavior, expectations in consumption, or of their treatment in the marketplace. Gays, Lesbians, and Consumer Behavior is the first attempt at presenting the roles, treatment, and expectations of gays and lesbians as consumers in the marketplace. It asserts that homosexuality often entails a fully elaborated lifestyle, many details of which revolve around, and reflect differences from, mainstream society. These findings are of practical value since consumers, businesses, channels of distribution, and media forms are all segmented, addressing a diversity of attitudes and behaviors and reaching consumers through targeted marketing.In Gays, Lesbians, and Consumer Behavior, Editor Daniel L. Wardlow brings together research which builds upon the theoretical and empirical bases of consumer behavior. Each chapter contributes to an understanding of consumption in the gay and lesbian subculture and raises a series of questions and ethical concerns to guide future research in this area. Chapters center on the four broad themes of consumption rituals, presentation through consumption, discrimination and tolerance, and application and accommodation. Specific topics covered include:

• ritualistic consumption in a sub-cultural context
• lesbian consumption of lesbian imagery
• discrimination issues in retail customer service and hotel reservations
• effects of homosexual imagery on advertising
• gift-giving behavior among homosexuals
• using marketing in HIV/AIDS prevention counseling
• market profiling and strategy suggestions
• accommodating gays and lesbians as consumers in the marketplaceThe research presented in Gays, Lesbians, and Consumer Behavior draws from a diverse collection of academic disciplines and fields of inquiry to present a glimpse at the consumption behavior of gay men, lesbians, and bisexuals, and at the marketing response to these different populations. As a pioneering effort, Gays, Lesbians, and Consumer Behavior's scope is not comprehensive, but deliberately broad to allow researchers to delineate avenues for subsequent research. Many of the chapters are empirical or descriptive in nature and contain insights for academic and practitioner alike.Academics in marketing, psychology, sociology, consumer behavior, gay and lesbian studies, and cultural anthropology will find this a valuable addition to their reading material. Marketing, advertising, and retailing professionals will be able to put the information and findings to practical use as they aim to reach more consumers and broaden their audience.

Index

Notes: Reference sources and authors are not indexed unless: title of publication is cited in full, or; author is directly quoted and named in full.

Page numbers followed by “n” indicate end-of-chapter Notes.

Page numbers preceded by mentioned indicate intermittent discussion of topic.

Absolut vodka 35, 89, 162, 206

Achtenberg, Roberta 92

ACT UP 19, 37, 84

Adolescents

gay males

appearance and behavior monitoring by 48

social support needs 47

suicides 19

Advocate, The 25, 27, 31, 58, 205

mainstream ads in 34, 35, 206, 209

sex advertisements in 34

Advertising to gay market by mainstream companies. See also Market targeting

AIDS prevention social marketing strategies. See under Project ARIES

alienation of heterosexual market, risk of 37, 162-163, 173, 206, 207-210, 222, 236, 237-239

attitude toward the ad (A_ad), defined 163

and charitable/political contributions by advertisers 31, 90, 208, 210

direct mail 21, 58, 208-209

and merchandise catalogs 10, 11, 26, 208

development and communication strategies 128-129

consulting services for 33, 27, 127

event sponsorships 27, 31, 35, 90, 208, 210, 220

in gay media 21, 24, 27-30, 58, 68-69, 208-209, 210, 220

heterosexual imagery in ads

attitudes of homosexuality-tolerant individuals toward 165, 169-170, 172, 173

in gay media ads 30

homosexual imagery in ads

accuracy/sensitivity of portrayals 30, 33, 34

agency and subjectivity influences 10, 17, 38n3

attitude evaluation study 165-174

as...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• About the Editor
• Preface
• Foreword
• Introduction
• We’re Here, We’re Queer, and We’re Going Shopping! A Critical Perspective on the Accommodation of Gays and Lesbians in the U.S. Marketplace
• Gift-Giving Among Gay Men: The Reification of Social Relations
• Mainstream Legitimization of Homosexual Men Through Valentine’s Day Gift-Giving and Consumption Rituals
• Desire and Deviate Nymphos: Performing Inversion(s) as a Lesbian Consumer
• Communities, Commodities, Cultural Space, and Style
• Appearance and Self-Presentation Research in Gay Consumer Cultures: Issues and Impact
• “Excuse Me, Sir? May I Help You and Your Boyfriend?”: Salespersons’ Differential Treatment of Homosexual and Straight Customers
• Discrimination Against Same-Sex Couples in Hotel Reservation Policies
• The Effect of Homosexual Imagery in Advertising on Attitude Toward the Ad
• The Social Marketing of Project ARIES: Overcoming Challenges in Recruiting Gay and Bisexual Males for HIV Prevention Counseling
• Marketing to the Homosexual (Gay) Market: A Profile and Strategy Implications
• Some Comments on “Marketing to the Homosexual (Gay) Market: A Profile and Strategy Implications”
• Out of the Closet and into the Marketplace: Meeting Basic Needs in the Gay Community
• About the Contributors
• Index