Consumers have never felt more comfortable identifying as LGBTQ+, and marketers can win them over while protecting their data and privacy.

• The community represents 9.3% of the US population, up from 3.5% in 2012, according to Gallup polls.

After noticing a gap in accessible queer media that represents this growing community, Damian Pelliccione and their cofounders launched Revry, a FAST streaming platform devoted to LGBTQ+ entertainment.

“We have a lot of brands that we work with that are always looking for net new consumers, and it’s an easy demographic to reach because it’s a white space,” said Pelliccione at IPGMediabrands’ Equity Upfront last week. ”You can own the category if you make a true, 365-day-a-year investment into this community.”

Targeting with intersectionality in mind

Millennials and Gen Z are also the biggest intersections of LGBTQ+ audiences. 23% of Gen Zers and 14% of millennials identify as LGBTQ+, per 2024 Gallup data. These generations also have the weakest brand loyalty.

• 81% of Gen Z and Millennials said they had switched brands in the past year in a December 2024 Salesforce survey.

“We have really high brand affinity and loyalty when we see brands market to us,” said Pelliccione. “That doesn’t mean you need to have creative that has LGBTQ+ [representation]. That just means you have to show up where we’re paying attention and watching content."

Instead of turning to mass conglomerates for programmatic, Revry is encouraging marketers to consider working with smaller partners to reach diverse audiences, like its in-house DSP, PrismRIOT.

“First-party data in our community is not easy to find because it’s sensitive and you have to self-identify,” they said. “That data should be secure and protected by people in our community so it does not fall into the wrong hands of major DSPs that could resell that information for the wrong reasons.”

Avoiding cringe-worthy creative

More than half of LGBTQ+ connected TV (CTV) users prefer it for the content options, according to a June LG Ad Solutions survey. These consumers already have a high affinity for content, and they don’t need blatant representation to win them over, said Pelliccione.

“You don’t need to be queer creative to speak to our audience,” they said. “We know when you’re pandering a bit and use that rainbow flag and have a lesbian or gay couple. There are multiple different things I can identify with in creative that speak to me and are not just about being queer.”

The key to securing loyalty is proving consistency, said Pelliccione.

• 61% of LGBTQ+ consumers expect brands to share their commitment to DEI, compared with only 35% of non-LGBTQ+ consumers, according to an April DISQO survey.

“I’m still gay after June, and I still purchase products after June,” said Pelliccione. “Brands, agencies, and marketers look at us as an editorial moment, much like they do with Hispanic Heritage Month or Black History Month. There are the same frustrations in those spaces.”

Brands advertising on Revry with general ads that don’t target a specific community see a higher ROAS. Success doesn’t require much more than showing up ready to spend on queer media, said Pelliccione.

70% or more of the people working on original Revry productions, both on-screen and behind the scenes, are queer people, they said.

“Your dollar is now impacting us in a for-profit way by giving jobs back to our community,” said Pelliccione. “We’re proud of the folks from our community, both in front and behind the camera.”