Marketing Professionals Who Identify as LGBTQ
Marketing is the process of building a strategy to create a relationship between a product and the individual consumer with the hopes of convincing that consumer to acquire the product for their personal use. The marketing industry has become an important player in today's consumer society and helps to drive economic activity including production, jobs, innovation, invention, and other forms of creativity.
One of the aspects of marketing is recognizing niche markets and developing specific strategies for that niche. The LGBTQ community is one such niche market, and specific marketing strategies have been developed to cater to the LGBTQ community. Having prominent LGBTQ individuals in the marketing industry helps to create successful marketing strategies that are thoughtful and speak to the community in authentic, non-stereotypical ways to build trust and product loyalty.
Studies show that, in the developed world, the LGBTQ community as a whole reports having a positive economic outlook. This translate into more spending money to buy products and services. LGBTQ households also tend to spend more than non-LGBTQ households on media, wine, computer and electronic products, pet care, liquor, shaving products, men's toiletries, candles/incense, fresheners/deodorizers, beer, and coffee.
The standard title for individuals in this business is Chief Marketing Officer. The important role of marketing in the economy is witnessed by the range of industries in which these LGBTQ marketing individuals work. They include sports, healthcare, financial services, fashion, media, retail, technology, tourism, and more. LGBTQ individuals hold senior positions in some of the worlds largest tech companies including Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, Booking.com, Airbnb, and BigCommerce. The presence of the community in the sports world is notable: LGBTQ individuals head up marketing in baseball for the Baltimore Orioles, Florida Marlins, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Kansas City Royals; in basketball with the NBA and the Brooklyn Nets; USA Rugby; and of course the Gay Games.
A number of books have been written about marketing to the LGBTQ community. These include 'Business Inside Out: capturing millions of brand-loyal gay consumers' (2006) by Robert Witeck, 'Selling Out: the gay and lesbian movement goes to market' (2000) by Alexandra Chasin, and 'Coming Out of the Closet: Exploring LGBT Issues in Strategic Communication with Theory and Research' (2013) by Peter Lang.
We have identified the following prominent LGBTQ individuals in the marketing industry. Simply click on their names to read their fascinating biographies.
Australia
- John Allan - Sensis
- Michael Ebeid - Australian Broadcasting Corporation
- Michelle Ferris - Marketing Manager, Shimano Bicycle Works
- Amanda Lampe - Diageo Australia
- Geoff Selig - IVE Group
- Michael Woodbury - Bain & Co.
Canada
- Heather Conway - Executive Vice President of Marketing, Creative Services & Public Affairs Broadcast Group at Alliance Atlantis Communications Inc.
- Gerald Crowell - Head of Global Marketing, Healthcare and Life Sciences, KPMG
- Chad Goldman - Vice President Marketing, CauseForce
- Timothy Thompson - TD Bank Financial Group
- Ryan Tollofson - Vice President Product and Portfolio Marketing, Echoworx
- Dave Wilkin - Redwood Strategic
Germany
- Ralph Breuer - McKinsey & Co.
Great Britain
- Imran Ahmad-Khan - M&C Saatchi
- Mark Aldridge - Jacques Vert Group
- Michael Brunt - The Economist
- Alison Camps - Quadrangle Consumer Consultancy
- Stephen Clarke - Marketing Officer, Argos
- Richard Cristofoli - Debenhams
- Peter Cross - Customer Experience Director, John Lewis Partnership
- Barnaby Dawe - Chief Customer Officer, Pret A Manger, and Chief Marketing Officer, HarperCollins Publishing
- James Frost - Coast Digital
- Jan Gooding - Marketing Director, British Gas
- Josh Graff - LinkedIn
- Liam Hackett - Hackett & Tiger
- Jonathan Harbourne - Indigo Lighthouse
- Mike Hoban - Morrisons PLC, Thomas Cook, Barclaycard
- Scott Knox - Institute of Communication Agencies
- Christopher Racster - AsSeenIn.com
- Iain Renwick - Marketing Director, Habitat UK
- Alex Schultz - Vice President, Facebook
- Misa von Tunzelman - BNP Paribas Real Estate
- Kim Watson - Media and Marketing, Millivres Prowler Group
Israel
- Yaniv Waizman - Teenk Marketing Solutions
Nigeria
- Kehinde Bademosi - Orange Academy
Russia
- Svetlana Omelchenko - Sodexo, Coty Inc.
Singapore
- Kathy Teo - Xpointo Media
The Netherlands
- Arjan Dijk - Senior Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer, Booking.com
- Neil Tallantire - Senior Vice President Marketing, Diageo
United States
- Greg Bader - Baltimore Orioles baseball team
- J. R. Badian - Chief Marketing Officer, Pillow Guy
- Drew Beaver - Beaver & Co.
- Jeff Bennett - Gay Ad Network
- Stephanie Blackwood - Double Platinum
- Torrence Boone - Enfatico
- Kevin Boyer - Chicago Gay Games
- Harlan Bratcher - Chief Marketing Officer, Calvin Klein
- Erik Braverman - Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team
- Raymond Braun - RWB Media
- Justin Chenette - Chenette Media LLC
- Chip Conley - author of 'Marketing That Matters' (2006)
- Holly Crenshaw - Emory University
- Daniel Duty - Vice President Marketing, Target Corporation
- Sarah Kate Ellis - Senior Vice President Global Marketing, Martini Media
- Arthur Gallego - Gallego & Co.
- Jason Grenfell-Gardner - Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing, West-Ward Pharmaceuticals
- Chris Heywood - Global Communications
- Michele Karlsberg - Michele Karlsberg Marketing and Management
- Pam Kosanke - Chief Marketing Officer, USA Rugby
- Mark Lund - Marketing Consultant with Ashton Times
- Cynthia Martin - Blue Shield California
- Jonathan Mildenhall - Chief Marketing Officer, Airbnb
- Jenni Olson - Vice President of ECommerce and Marketing, Wolfe Video
- Elisa Padilla - Florida Marlins baseball team, Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment
- Dan Pallotta - Pallotta Teamworks
- Wende Persons - marketing consultant for new media and Adjunct Professor of Marketing
- Jeff Ragovin - Social Native
- Thomas Sanchez - Social Driver
- Matt Schulte - Kansas City Royals baseball team
- Jay Sethi - Diageo Beer Company
- Anthony Shop - Social Driver
- Don Skeoch - Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board
- Meghan Stabler - BigCommerce
- Robyn Streisand - The Mixx
- Aaron Walton - Co-founder, Walter Isaacson
- Rick Welts - EVP and Chief Marketing Officer, NBA
- Bob Witeck - Witeck Communications
See Also
- LGBTQ Chief Executive Officers of Business Enterprises
- LGBTQ Chief Information/Technology Officers
- Union Leaders Who Identify as LGBTQ
- LGBTQ Economists
- Noteworthy LGBTQ Individuals in the Accounting Profession
- Human Resource Professionals Who Are LGBTQ
- LGBTQ Travel and Tourist Operators and Promoters
