Exploring heterosexual responses to lesbian and gay-themed advertisements in South Africa

Nkosivile Welcome Madinga; Philip Broster; Andrianna Kappatos; Julia Kirr; Junaid Kader; Chandra Mophethe; Aparna  Joseph; Sebastian Roodt

doi:10.18820/24150525/Comm.v25.8

Authors

Nkosivile Welcome Madinga University of Cape Town, South Africa https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4026-7423
Philip Broster University of Cape Town, South Africa
Andrianna Kappatos University of Cape Town, South Africa
Julia Kirr University of Cape Town, South Africa
Junaid Kader University of Cape Town, South Africa
Chandra Mophethe University of Cape Town, South Africa
Aparna Joseph University of Cape Town, South Africa
Sebastian Roodt University of Cape Town, South Africa

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18820/24150525/Comm.v25.8

Keywords:

Lesbian and gay-themed adverts, LGBTQ, Heterosexual customers, Brand attitudes, Marketing communication, Advertising

Abstract

There has been an increase in lesbian and gay-themed advertisements in mainstream media in South Africa. This suggests that brands are starting to acknowledge LGBTQ consumers as an important consumer market needing representation in advertisements. However, to date little empirical research has examined the response of heterosexual consumers to lesbian and gay-themed advertisements. Therefore, this study examined the impact of tolerance of homosexuality on attitudes towards lesbian and gay-themed advertisements and brands. The findings revealed that participants with a high tolerance towards homosexuality have more positive attitudes towards advertisements and brands. The attitudes towards the advertisements have a significant positive influence on the attitude towards the brand. In addition, the study revealed that heterosexual men exposed to lesbian and gay- themed advertisements tend to have negative attitudes towards advertisements compared to heterosexual women. Managerial implications are discussed.