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There is a line in Tony Kushner's brilliant AIDS opus Angels In America that reads: The man who wrote The Star Spangled Banner knew what he was doing. He set the word free to a note so high no one could reach it. How lucky our neighbours to the south. They get to pursue happiness - not necessarily attain it, mind you, but pursue it at the very least. Oh, and they get to live a dream. Of course, if you happen to be gay and born in the U.S.of A., it seems you'll be pursuing happiness all the way across the border and into Ontario, British Columbia or Quebec where it's actually a reality here in Canada. How terribly, terribly provincial. Whether or not you agree with gay marriage, from an economic and marketing perspective, it's an idea whose time has come. We are going to the chapel. We are going to get married. And we are going to look awfully damn good and have a lot of fun when we do it. It has been said that homosexuality is a sign of good taste. Let's face it, good taste usually comes with higher profit margins. So does fun. (Read: disposable income.) Marketers, all marketers should be paying careful attention to these recent changes. We'll be bringing friends and families in from out of town (more booked hotel rooms). We like to travel as it is (vacation companies, luggage companies) so the honeymoon is pretty much a given. Looking for a new market channel? Open up your wedding registry to same-sex couples. And here's another thought, you might actually want to try marketing the fact that you have opened it up within the gay community itself. Press releases. Visual aids, as in paid advertising. They've been tools in the marketer's arsenal for a while now. You got 'em, use 'em. Sometimes, the message is the message. Have you a story? Tell us, we're open to listening to it. But it doesn't stop there. More marriages equals more coupling. More coupling equals more nesting. More nesting equals more home sales. More home sales equals more mortgages. And more home furnishings. And more renovations. And more bank fees. Conspicuous consumption. It also means more new small businesses. And Canada is, afterall, fundamentally based on small business. Small business lines of credit. Business registrations. Marketing messages don't have to necessarily and categorically target the gay community, but messaging that's a little more inclusive, a little more inviting couldn't possibly hurt. Think about it. At the very least, there'll be a lot more gay wedding planners entering the market and registering businesses, and more couples requiring the needs of mortgage brokers and other entrepreneurially-minded professional services agents. But expect also very niched financial planning and services companies. Companies like American Express, American Airlines, Capital One, Crest, Nivea, IBM, VW, AVIS and Subaru are gay market leaders but that kind of aggressive, certain presence still remains missing from Canada's media vehicles. Our gay American cousins have heard the message and are showing up in droves. That's word of mouth advertising. But it's also opportunity. Tourism boards in Canada's "A" markets should be investing a little bit of money into road shows throughout the U.S. in places like Palm Springs, Key West, Provincetown, San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York -- you know, where the boys and the girls are holding hands with the boys and the girls just like them. And spending endless, romantic weeks at a time just staring into each other's eyes, eating at expensive restaurants and buying stuff they may use once. Send them a personal invitation courtesy of the cities of Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal at the very least. It is, afterall, a dream come true. About Wilde Marketing Wilde Marketing is a strategic consulting agency focused on gay marketing and advertising. The company offers comprehensive advertising, marketing communications, strategic and public relation services to companies who understand the value of engaging gay consumers in this country. Wilde Marketing is located at 102 Pickering Street, Suite 3, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M4E 3J7, 416.821.3074 phone, 416.483.3513 fax. For more information, email Wilde Marketing. |
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© 2004 Wilde Marketing - The American Dream |