Amid signs that some marketers are ready to target LGB people in China, lobby group Shanghai LGBT Professionals has organized China's apparent first conference on advertising to the gay community
Amid signs that some marketers are ready to target LGB people in China, lobby group Shanghai LGBT Professionals has organized China's apparent first conference on advertising to the gay community, reports Ad Age.
The conference comes during increased visibility of adverts aimed at LGBT people. One such ad for Spring Tour, a major Chinese travel agency, depicts a male couple and a female couple sharing beds with the tagline "Take your gay best friend to visit Hong Kong.”
Baidu, the Chinese search engine, recently released an ad showing a young lesbian couple who appeared with a caption reading, "Everybody has the right to choose their happiness."
Shanghai LGBT Professionals also worked with 20 partners to arrange a survey of the LGB community.
The survey found that only 3 percent of gay and bisexual men and 5 percent of lesbians and bisexual women identified themselves as "completely out”; relatively few LGB people are out to their bosses, colleagues and family members; and companies' support for LGBT causes, legal protection and progressive employment policies was their number one influencer on purchasing decisions.
Back in June we reported that there has also been an upswing gay representation in mainstream advertising in the U.S.