Gerrath, M.H.E.E. orcid.org/0000-0001-7422-2181, Bhoumik, K., Biraglia, A. et al. (2 more authors) (2025) How the Timing of LGBT+ Brand Activism Affects Consumer Responses: Better Early Than Late? Journal of Advertising Research. ISSN 0021-8499
Abstract
Many brands delay expressing support for the LGBT+ community because of potential backlash. Across seven studies, including a 12-year real-world data analysis (based partly on the World Advertising Research Center database), a choice study, and experiments, we show that ad campaigns supporting LGBT+ causes when launched early (vs. late) lead to favorable consumer responses. The findings suggest that early LGBT+ activism timing has this effect because consumers perceive these brands’ actions as more effortful. In addition, this effect is stronger for brands with greater financial resources. We provide guidelines for advertising practitioners aspiring to support the LGBT+ community.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2025 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0). |
Keywords: | Brand activism; allyship; pioneering advantage; financial resources; brand effort; LGBT+ |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Business (Leeds) > Marketing Division (LUBS) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 26 Mar 2025 11:50 |
Last Modified: | 12 Jun 2025 13:59 |
Status: | Published online |
Publisher: | The Advertising Research Foundation |
Identification Number: | 10.1080/00218499.2025.2485414 |
Sustainable Development Goals: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:224822 |
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