In 2018, in a landmark judgment, the Supreme Court of India (SC) decriminalised homosexuality, overturning an antiquated colonial-era rule. The judgement marked the beginning of an epoch for the LGBTQIA+ community in India. However, this year the community received a rude shock when the Central Government of the country filed a petition in SC opposing the legalisation of same sex marriages. Although it certainly hinders the progress anticipated by the oft-suppressed group, there is no doubt that in the last few years, society has indeed taken a step towards progressiveness. The manner in which brands have begun to cater to the LGBTQIA+ community today is proof of that. Gone are the days when brands rallied behind the LGBTQIA+ community only to look more inclusive during the yearly Pride month. Brands are now rolling out products exclusively for the queer community to support this section of society that has been historically neglected, and worse still, ridiculed.
Globally, the purchasing power of the community is estimated to be more than $3.7 trillion, nudging brands to make a serious effort in catering to them. Speaking of India, Bharat Matrimony launched the app, RainbowLuv, to cater to the community. Dating app Bumble lets users choose their sexual preference before usage. Matchmaking and the right to love is only the first layer. Health and finance, which usually comes as an afterthought can turn out to be a more pressing issue. In this regard, Future Generali Insurance has set an example by offering health covers for LGBTQIA+ live-in partners. Axis Bank on the other hand listed a slew of policies for both employees and customers. Tinder, OKCupid, BeUnic, among others, have made radical changes to their operations in order to make the business more inclusive.
According to activists closely working with the queer community, 10% of the Indian population is LGBTQIA+. However, there are no official demographics for the LGBT population in India. The Government of India submitted figures to the Supreme Court in 2012, according to which, there were about 2.5 million gay people in the country. These figures are based on the number of individuals who have self-declared to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
Speaking of the market opening up to the LGBTQIA+ community, Siddhant Mazumdar, Head of Mediabrands Content Studio (MBCS) India says, “The market for products catering to the LGBTQIA+ community is growing steadily, although it is still largely limited to specific regions where awareness and knowledge is higher. Many small businesses, run by members of the community, are sprouting up in urban areas. They are actively designing and producing products specifically for this group.”
He believes that this trend is likely to continue, and it’s something that larger brands can learn from. “By involving members of the community in the design and decision-making processes, rather than simply treating them as end consumers, brands can carve out a meaningful space for themselves. No one likes to see a brand jumping on the bandwagon to capitalize on a cultural moment without having rightfully earned their stripes,” adds Mazumdar.
As multiple brands engage with the queer community, Vanaja Pillai, Head, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, DDB Mudra Group and President, 22Feet Tribal Worldwide says, “The LGBTQIA+ community is an important and growing market segment, with an estimated 2.5 million people identifying as LGBTQIA+ in India. It is important for brands to understand the unique needs and preferences of this community and develop products that cater to them. Brands that have successfully done this have seen a positive response from the community, while also receiving recognition for being inclusive and diverse.”
While opposing same sex marriages, the Government of India urged the Supreme Court to let the issue be decided by the Parliament. It has told the top court that a “legislative understanding of marriage in the Indian statutory and personal law regime,” refers only to marriage between biological men and women and that any interference “would cause complete havoc.”
Zainab Patel, LGBTQIA+ rights activist and one of the petitioners in the Supreme Court in the same sex marriage case, says, “There are a few brands that have come up with products for the LGBTQIA+ community. Largely, their approach is of two kinds – one is exclusive for the community and other is inclusive branding. With the marriage equality case, it is not going to be easy, and there will be a lot of resistance from the government. Brands should not be fence sitters to wait and watch the outcome of the case like they did during the section 377 case, which the Supreme Court abolished later.”
Patel adds, “I don’t think this would hamper the activities done by brands, either exclusively for the community or those including them. I think now is the time for brands to step on the gas and continue to have inclusive branding.”
Products for LGBTQIA+ community
Several brands have launched advertisement campaigns for the LGBTQIA+ community to spread awareness in the society. There have also been instances of backlash where brands have faced criticism for featuring LGBTQIA+ content in their advertisements. Dabur had to withdraw its Karwa Chauth ad featuring a lesbian couple due to negative feedback. Looking at the growth in market size, brands have launched products targeting the queer community in India.
Matrimony.com was the first to introduce a service that helps individuals from the LGBTQIA+ community find perfect partners. Arjun Bhatia, Senior Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer, Matrimony.com Limited says, “We launched RainbowLuv in Sept 2022 to help India’s LGBTQIA+ community find a life partner. Everyone deserves to find the perfect partner, no matter the age, background, identity and education, and most importantly, their sexual orientation and preferences. We take immense pride in being the matchmakers to the country, but interestingly, our foray into matchmaking for the LGBTQIA+ community was triggered by organic demand.”
BeUnic is an exclusive community oriented e-commerce platform that enables LGBTQIA+ artists and designers to offer their products and services. Ashish Chopra, Co-founder of BeUnic says, “The idea behind launching BeUnic was to create a safe space for people from the LGBTQIA+ community. We wanted to help them become financially independent. It could be through selling their products at an e-commerce marketplace, or by getting jobs at big corporates/organisations.”
Chopra further states, “A lot of people still feel that our products are only for the LGBTQ community. We want to tell the world that our products are made by the LGBTQ community, but they are for everyone. We are coming up with ally-specific merchandise for the same.”
Similarly, Axis Bank launched a health insurance plan for same sex partners with the campaign #ComeAsYouAre. Harish Iyer (He/She) - Vice President and Head, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Axis Bank says, “As a queer person myself, I can confirm that ours is a vibrant community that needs more inclusion in the BFSI sector. Banking institutions need to come out with crystal clear policies and intentional practices, and be unabashed and clear about their stance on inclusive banking, so that LGBTQIA+ identified individuals could come in.”
The #ComeAsYouAre initiative by Axis Bank was started in 2021 and received an overwhelming response across the length and breadth of the country. “Axis Bank’s Come As You Are charter is an open invitation to customers identifying as LGBTQIA+ to open savings accounts and term deposits with their partners or list their partners as nominees. There is also an option where customers could choose the honorific Mx instead of Mr or Ms.”
Pernod Ricard launched an LGBTQIA+ campaign for ABSOLUT Glassware called ‘Be an ABSOLUT ally’. Speaking about the same, Florian Sallaberry, Head of Marketing- International Brands, PERNOD RICARD INDIA says, “The ‘Be an ABSOLUT ally’ campaign was developed following in-depth interactions with diverse people from within the LGBTQIA+ community in India to understand their experiences, stories and perspectives. It was all done with the help of a deeper cultural and digital scan. Based on the research, Absolut Glassware was able to identify that even though there is some representation in pop culture, there is still a fair bit of ignorance towards the realities of queer individuals in India. This is a digital campaign that has found its expression across physical spaces too in the form of pride nights and sensitization across the country.”
Future Generali India Insurance recently launched a new OOH campaign with India’s first queer billboard. According to Ruchika Malhan Varma, Chief Marketing Officer, Future Generali India Insurance, the brand believes that Indian society is currently in the midst of a transformational journey, and the time is ripe to address sensitive issues that are often brushed under the carpet.
She says, “With this campaign, we are extremely conscious of the fact that a subject like this could be sensitive in the Indian context, given the diversity of opinion amongst people. But the response to the campaign has been phenomenally encouraging. As insurers, we believe that we have a moral and societal responsibility to provide a level playing field to all our consumers. Our decision to do so has made us the first insurer in India to offer equal opportunity to the LGBTQIA+ members in a live-in relationship to secure their health insurance needs.”
Is India ready to watch LGBTQIA+ Ads on TV?
Several campaigns have been launched by multiple brands that either spread awareness on LGBTQIA+ rights or advocate equality, inclusivity, and diversity. While a lot of these campaigns are launched during the Pride Month, not many are visible on television. IMPACT reached out to multiple experts to understand if India is ready to watch television advertisements catering to LGBTQIA+ community. Multiple experts claim that the right messaging on right platforms is the mantra to target mass audience for products related to LGBTQIA+ community.
Anisha Iyer, CEO, OMD India says, “Just this last year, OMD India had worked on a campaign for Philips Hair Straightener, for which we onboarded Coco Ballucci, celebrity makeup artist, beauty influencer, and a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, to promote the product. Typically considered a product associated with women, this campaign not only created space for a more diverse representation in media, but also gave a refreshing take on the uses of the product.”
Iyer says that while the campaign was well-appreciated, such campaigns are still a rarity. She further adds, “Another example that comes to mind is Brooke Bond’s ‘6 Pack Band’ campaign that aimed to challenge the stigma surrounding transgender people. While this happened a while ago, not many brands have followed suit. Although I would personally be thrilled to see more of such inclusive campaigns, the issue remains that as a society, we have a lot of work to do to get to that point.”
Sujata Dwibedy, Chief Investment Officer, Amplifi, dentsu India says, “India has always been open to viewing advertisements. Also, we have characters from the LGBTQIA+ community featured in mythological stories throughout history. Despite this, mental blocks surrounding this community persists among educated, modern Indians. These ideologies can be difficult to explain, and often go beyond reality.”
Dwibedy further adds, “While many advertisers have made great strides in promoting inclusivity, such as Titan Raga, Anouk, Myntra, and others, my personal favourite is the Vicks’ ‘Touch of Care’ campaign, which showcases the normalisation of trans motherhood in India. It is a truly beautiful and emotional narrative.”
Mazumdar of Mediabrands Content Studio believes that India will never be fully prepared to accept any particular topic or share the same sentiment. He says, “India is simply too vast and too diverse for a single cultural identity to exist. Even in the years to come, there will still be individuals who will object to things that are already quite prevalent within the culture. However, I do hope that brands will have the courage to do what is right, and not simply play it safe by adding brand values in a guidelines document.”
The question of television is a pertinent one because the medium continues to be a driving force for advertisers. Television is a home-medium, where families are watching sports, entertainment, etc., together. In such a set-up, the normalisation of LGBTQIA+ can often raise questions among people that are not educated in this regard. This is unlike in the west where the inclusion of queer narratives in education is slowly becoming the norm in schools, making some parents extremely unhappy.
Pillai of DDB Mudra Group says, “India is currently witnessing a positive shift towards greater acceptance and visibility of the LGBTQIA+ community. In terms of television advertisements, there have been a few instances of brands creating campaigns featuring LGBTQIA+ characters, which have been well received by the audience. For instance, the Vicks ad featuring a transgender mother and her adopted daughter, and the Bhima ad showcasing the journey of a trans-woman to marriage were both positively received.”
Dhruv Warrior, National Creative Director, FoxyMoron, Zoo Media believes that delivering the right message is important when designing a campaign for the community. “Everyone deserves to be treated and spoken to in the same manner. There must be respect for every individual, their rights, beliefs, and practices. The best way to create strong communication is to treat everyone the same, to respect their rights and to show that you truly understand your audience and their culture. It’s not about making someone feel special and highlighting that they are different. It’s the opposite. It’s about saying you are the same as us, and we are all equal.”
Brands strike a connect
Advertisers largely use social media platforms for targeting the LGBTQIA+ community. The ABOLUT Ally campaign was aggressively amplified on Spotify. The Digital medium was aggressively used by marketers to not only spread awareness but to also drive sales. Axis Bank received a humongous response after they launched their health protection cover for same sex partners in India.
Jateen Kore, Digital Head of Wondrlab suggests that Instagram, YouTube and OTT platforms, majorly Hotstar and Amazon Prime Video are the go-to platforms for marketers to promote brands and communication pertaining to the LGBTQIA+ community in India. Kore says, “Allocation of funds for advertising and marketing differs from brand to brand. In cases of products and services that are sharply focussed on the community, the allocation can be as high as 100%. With tactical communication participation (events related to the community), the allocation is solely event-based. At Wondrlab, we are able to make custom audiences based on search queries, URLs visited, and apps installed on their devices to target customers.”
Describing how messaging towards the LGBTQIA+ community has changed over time, Rajni Daswani, Director- Digital Marketing, SoCheers said, “Over the years, the advertising industry has evolved and become more comprehensive and diverse in its approach towards creating advertising messages for the LGBTQIA+ community. For example, using phrases such as ‘queer and questioning’ or ‘non-binary’ in addition to traditional terms like ‘gay’ and ‘lesbian’. This is important because it recognizes that there are many different identities within the LGBTQIA+ community, and it avoids excluding or marginalizing people who do not identify with the traditional labels.”
She further adds, “Many companies are now advocating for LGBTQIA+ rights and causes in their campaigns. This can help to create a positive image of the brand and can appeal to consumers who support equality and inclusivity. Companies are designing products that are inclusive of the LGBTQIA+ community. For example, some companies are creating gender-neutral clothing lines, beauty products that cater to all skin tones and types, and other products that are inclusive of different gender expressions and identities.”
Neeraj Bassi, Chief Growth Officer, Cheil India shares his experience and says, “Last year, during a panel discussion, I learnt two important aspects. The first was around spending ability. I was told that LGBTQIA+ community has a skew towards higher discretionary spends. They are more individualistic by nature, and don’t shy away from spending on themselves. So, despite a smaller size of the community, spends would be higher than average.”
Speaking of the second lesson he adds, “As a brand gets noticed by the community and accepted as one that genuinely cares for the community, the loyalty towards that brand becomes very high. This is a very important point from a long-term-value perspective of the customer, at a time when loyalty levels are dropping across categories. A combination of higher than average spend and high loyalty indicates that there is a good market for brands to develop products exclusively for the LGBTQIA+ community.”
Anupama Ramaswamy, Chief Creative Officer, Havas Worldwide says that brands allocate miniscule budget for the ad spends catering to the LGBTQIA+ community in India, she adds, “I do remember a couple of advertisements such as Anouk and Borosil from India. I feel that us creative folks are liking the new India. The bulk of the market is still conservative, and is not really happy watching them. Have we moved them to not-being-so-homophobic, but liking such ads or connecting with them? We still have a long way to go.”
When asked what are the challenges faced by creative agencies, Abhik Santara, Director and CEO of Atom Network responds saying, “Firstly, people who create the communication should be part of the community or an ally. It shouldn’t be made by people who don’t feel for the community. Secondly, inveterate sections of society will stay delusional and create a ruckus online to convert it into a controversy. The first challenge can be managed if the hiring is more inclusive, and the second if the brand/agency can ignore the controversy and move on.”
A brand identifying with the cause, logically, should remain close to the cause at all times. Otherwise, it is a case of an opportunist looking for quick fame. Oftentimes, brands take a step back when facing a backlash, as is often the case in the era of the internet. But those brands that march on with their heads held high, are bound to find a place in the heart of consumers.
Amit Kekre, Chief Strategy Officer, TBWA states, “Lot of brands that associated themselves with the community on the back of section 377 (the law that criminalised homosexuality)getting abolished in 2018, have not been consistent with their efforts. This is problematic. Taking up a cause and abandoning it not only compromises its impact, but more importantly, in a day and age where audiences increasingly hold brands accountable for their actions, it leaves those brands with compromised credentials and trust.”
Multiple brands have faced backlash due to the style of communicating with the LGBTQIA+ community. Mithila Saraf, CEO, Famous Innovations says, “The way we create messaging for the LGBTQIA+ community has evolved significantly. We have moved away from tokenistic representation and towards a more authentic and nuanced approach. We recognize the unique challenges faced by the community, and strive to create messaging that reflects this understanding. We must approach this with sensitivity and respect, listening to the community and reflecting on their experiences in our messaging. It is important to remember that strong communication doesn’t have to be aggressive or confrontational, it can be subtle, yet powerful.”
As of now, there is a full-blown debate going on regarding same sex marriages in the country, and the Supreme Court has not yet come out with a statement. The epoch that began in 2018 for the LGBTQIA+ community in India, has now entered the age of uncertainty. Only time will tell whether brands will continue to support the community, or their love will fizzle out prematurely, with everything going back to square one.