There was something conspicuous at Chicago’s Gay Pride Parade this summer. Floating behind the Speedo-clad bull-rider and the legions of cross-dressers was a billowing silver Chipotle balloon. At first I stared in awe at the giant floating burrito, unaware that anything so glorious could be controversial. But this glowing embodiment of commercialization inevitably sparked debate.
In our consumer culture, companies are always looking for ways to tap into unpenetrated markets. Last year Procter & Gamble was a leader in minority marketing with their comprehensive efforts to reach Hispanics. This summer, Dove’s “real woman” campaign was glorified in the news for acknowledging that overweight women buy moisturizer too.
Corporate presence at Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender pride events, while controversial, has also led to bigger productions, more media attention and more people like me – a straight girl otherwise uninvolved with LGBT causes – debating issues like this.
It seems that in our corporatized world, being embraced as a market might be the modern-day key to a successful social movement. While hotly politicized issues like gay rights spur constant debate in the public sphere, real progress is slow.
In the free market of consumers, marketers cater to buying power. They are starting to pay careful attention to the wants and needs of otherwise underrepresented social groups. By broadening the focus of large-scale marketing efforts – regardless of their motivation – companies bring minority interests into consumer consciousness, which may eventually shift the political climate.
Take Chicago. This summer the city will host Gay Games VII, a weeklong Olympic-style event. While Chicago has traditionally been known as a gay-friendly city, goodwill is not the only incentive here. The games are expected to bring up to $80 million dollars into the local economy and taps into a lucrative market with billions of dollars in estimated annual buying power. Whether on a private or municipal level, being gay-friendly is good business.
This isn’t just about adult consumers, either. The Time Magazine cover story this week about gay teenagers makes a connection between gay visibility in pop culture and improved tolerance in schools.
The growing number of TV shows, books and websites depicting gay teens means a generation is more accepting and comfortable with homosexuality.
While marketing won’t necessarily bring together all colors and sexual orientations, holding hands and feeding each other Chipotle burritos, it does start to chip away the walls between cultures. Hopefully, in the end we can all coexist with the same rights, respect, and carefully monitored shopping habits.
Like ’em or not, big business has a huge influence on our society and can be a driving force in social change.
So grab a burrito and capitalize.
