Consumer Responses to LGBTQ+ Imagery in Media

Absztrakt (kivonat)

This thesis will deal with the usage of same-sex couples in media commercials in order to find out the reaction of the public. It will shed light on how the media in the chosen target countries is adapting to today's ever-changing society. The central question in this dissertation is how western and eastern countries are reacting to seeing more same-sex couples in media advertisements. As the LGBTQ+ community is being more recognized by countries all around the world and being used by more companies in their commercials, even some government-owned companies have started making members of the LGBTQ+ community a part of their advertisements. Despite the fact that LGBTQ+ members are getting more coverage in the media, sometimes this does not have the desired outcome for the companies. One reason for that is the growing awareness of the public that some brands are only using members of the LGBTQ+ community to seem more diverse and accepting in order to increase their own profit. In reality, many companies do very little to actually support and protect the LGBTQ+ community. Those companies are then facing backlash on social media platforms for their exploitation of an already marginalized community. Apart from this issue, some countries are less accepting than others which can cause a different type of backlash for the companies. The research data of this thesis will be drawn from a questionnaire that I am currently conducting: It is also expected that the results will differ looking at different age groups. It is expected that older generations tend to be less accepting of this topic than younger ones.