Companies are out of the closet where gays and lesbians are concerned but...

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Companies are finally out of the closet where gays and lesbians are concerned. Take Levis: in their recent 501 Jeans campaign, created by ad agency Bartle Bogel Hagerty, we find a young man slipping on a pair of Levis when BAM! a date comes crashing through the floor, so hunk-like he belongs on the cover of a romance novel (and probably is, if the hunk's agent is any good.) He takes off the jeans, the guy vanishes. On-and the date reappears "-off and"---well, you get the picture.

Levis is also sponsoring a block of programming on the gay and lesbian network, Logo. Think: Kraft Music Hall of the old days only this one, dubbed "Logo Unbuttoned"- targets couples of a different composition.  Other companies who have targeted the homosexual demographic: Chipotle, Hyatt, Subaru and Air Canada--some ads so provocative, you think you're watching adult TV. This demographic is most certainly a good deal for businesses on the prowl for customers. According to Radar Magazine, there are 15 million gays, lesbians, bi-sexual and transgender consumers in the US who account for $641 billion in spending.

But gay and lesbians are increasing ambassadors for decidedly straight brands, too. Take Cover Girl. They chose the out-est and possibly goofiest lesbian in recent times, Ellen DeGeneres, to front their brand. According to the Cover Girl Web site, Ellen has "Smarts, confidence and beauty that flows from the inside out."- She also has edge: her routines include dressing room antics I won't recreate here--check YouTube, for more. Besides, DeGeneres, at the ripe old age of 50, is older than most of the pre-pubescent-looking models that typically grace the pages of fashion magazines: a real attraction for boomer women, straight or lesbian, looking for better skin.

Sadly, DeGeneres is an exception. Most of the ads stereotype gays and lesbians almost as much as your basic homophobe, but in an entirely different way. The models are typically young, gorgeous and engaged or about to be engaged in sex. Even the products have a decidedly sexual bent: Subaru's stick shift and Air Canada's jet are more phallic than the real thing.  Nary a baby boomer, parent, or professional appears in the ads; in fact, they suggest that gayness is about nothing more than sex. If the representation were true, their demographic wouldn't spend enough time working to afford their products. Go figure.

Authors Website: www.thegreatervoice.com

Authors Bio:
Marketing expert, author, and talk radio host of The Greater Voice Susan F. Benjamin reaches thousands of listeners throughout the world each week. Articles by and about Susan have appeared in publications including The Wall Street Journal, USA Today and countless newspapers affiliated with the McClatchy-Tribune news service.

In addition, Tom Peters describes Susan's approach in Liberation Management and she has been featured in Success, Home Office Computer and numerous other magazines. She has discussed her ideas on CNN, National Public Radio, Small Business Television, and other broadcasts.

A former professor, Susan has consulted on marketing campaigns for the Liberty Mutual Insurance Group, Accenture, ATT, Fleet Boston, Fleishman-Hillard International Communications and countless other businesses. Susan participated in a White House initiative on plain language under the Clinton/Gore administration. She has trained over 100,000 employees on various communications matters and regularly gives keynote and other addresses. Her clients have included the Carnegie Mellon Executive Program, the National Geospacial-Intelligence Agency, and the Federal Communications Commission.

Susan's books include Buzz Marketing101 (Adams Media, January 2009), Instant Marketing for Almost Free (Source Books, 2007), Quick and Painless Business Writing (Career Press, 2006), Perfect Phrases for Difficult People at Work (McGraw Hill, 2007), Perfect Phrases for Difficult Situations at Work, (McGraw Hill, 2008), Project Management for Top Performers (Source Books, 2007), and The Manager's Answer Book (Source Books, 2008) – among others.

Susan's research includes assessments of organizational communication processes and studies on how language affects reader-responsiveness. Articles about these findings have appeared in publications such as Scribes Legal Journal, Clarity, Government Executive, and Employment Management Today.

Susan studied philosophy and writing at Boston University and Bennington College. She received her Masters in Writing from Lesley College where she worked with C. Michael Curtis, Senior Editor of The Atlantic.