"Going Gay" in advertising

As a massive craft-beer enthusiast and a passionate advocate of gay rights I was quite shocked to read that Mexican brewery Minerva has just released what they are labeling “Queer Beer”. Apparently the citrus flavours appeal specifically to lesbian, gay and transgender people. Now I have yet to fully order my emotions on this. As a South African I can have the tendency to be overly politically correct so I could be getting offended over nothing, but purple bottles of beer just seems like a bit of an old stereotype to me? It is great that a country with a large gay community is openly recognising and accepting the community but it also shows the old fashioned view that people hold. I mean, “Queer Beer” are you frikkin’ kidding me? What? “Can’t have a becks, too straight, get me some of that gay beer”?

This reminded me quite a bit of an old Virgin ad that was shown on SABC around 10 years ago. It showed two men, neither attractive, engaging in typical romantic activities: molding clay, running in fields- the usual, while serenading each other with “how deep is your love”. This was before Virgin was viewed LGBT friendly and this advert came off with extremely homophobic undertones. Nationwide in South Africa we have come far since this was the norm, as has the rest of the world.

The LGBT market is seen as one of the hardest to gain, you have to show that you’re supporting the culture and community without making your flag look like a marketing scam (which let’s be honest, it often is).  Last year the gay community cheered over the progress made in America, finally. From a marketing perspective it was fascinating, with technology advancing daily brands became even more personal. Cheerios, Spec Savers and Ray Bans were amongst the many brands that were vocal in their support of gay marriage and gained a lot of respect internationally. Doritos and Millers Draft are still struggling after their perceived disregard and disrespect of the gay community.

The best support ads of last year were definitely done by United Colours of Benetton, awesome company that they are. The award winning campaign showed photoshopped images of world leaders kissing to support their Unhate campaign. The minimal copy and headline “Unhate” focused the image further. They weren’t cheesy or fashionable it was just honest and with a clear message. They didn’t use words like “love” or “care”, it wasn’t even specific to LGBT community. It just called for a general shift in attitude towards tolerance and violence.

The adverts in themselves are well executed; the surprising visuals of rival leaders draw you in straight away, grabbing the viewers attention. No-nonsense strong fonts showed the seriousness of the issue, there was no giant logo, just the UCB’s usual green tag. They weren’t obviously styled or gimmicky. A clever, eye-catching and courageous campaign that deserved all the attention and respect it received.