Marketing to Canada’s LGBTQIA+ community has come a long way since the polysemic advertising of the 1970s , but an understanding of that history can help avoid the pitfalls  brands are still falling into today. 

Why it matters

LGBTQIA+ consumers represent 4.4% of Canda’s $3.7 billion spend in the consumer packaged goods category, so brands need to evolve their marketing to this community beyond official Pride events, months and holidays, and show that it is valued year-round.

Takeaways

• Partly because of their spending power, advertisers began “flirting” with the gay community in the 1990s, via advertising with multiple and distinct...