Majorities in Canada, France, Germany, the U.K. and the U.S. support LGBTQIA+ people
CANNES, FRANCE — June 21, 2023 — Bospar, the “politely pushy” PR and marketing firm that puts tech companies on the map, announced the results of its Corporate Courage index, a worldwide ranking of consumer perception of brands’ support of the LGBTQIA+ community.
Bospar teamed up with Propeller Insights to survey over 5,000 adults in Canada, France, Germany, the U.K. and the U.S. Bospar revealed the full survey findings at Club Courage, the tech agency’s after-party on June 21 at Cannes Lions to celebrate brands’ support of the LGBTQIA+ community during Pride. Nike ranked first, followed by Adidas, Disney, Levi’s and Apple. Chick-fil-A came in last. This follows Bospar’s surprising announcement that Americans ranked Target as the national leader in LGBTQIA+ inclusion after the retailer bowed to conservative pressure on its Pride Collection merchandise.
“It’s healthy to be courageous,” said Curtis Sparrer, a principal of Bospar. “Our research shows that the more athletic and body-conscious the brand, the more likely a country would see it as a supporter of LGBTQIA+ equality and inclusion. Unhealthy and discount brands, such as alcohol, fast food and lower-end retailers, were perceived the opposite way.”
In all five countries, most said they supported the LGBTQIA+ community. Most American, British, Canadian and French people thought brands should have specific marketing campaigns celebrating the LGBTQIA+ community, ethnic minorities or women; except Germany! A majority of Germans (53.8%) are opposed to this practice. However, most respondents, even German ones, said they would buy more from brands with targeted campaigns for the LGBTQIA+ community. All countries were similar when it came to a brand backtracking its support of the LGBTQIA+ community: Slightly over a third in each market said they would penalize a brand for backtracking its support of the LGBTQIA+ community by buying from a competitor that had not backtracked from its support.
Here’s how the specific countries voted.
Canada: Apple ranked first, followed by Disney, Nike, The Body Shop and Converse. The bottom five included: Kohl’s, Anheuser-Busch, Coach, Miller Coors and Chick-fil-A in last place.
France: Nike ranked first, followed by Levi’s, Adidas, Converse, and Reebok. The bottom five included: Coach, Kohl’s, Miller Coors, Chick-fil-A and Anheuser-Busch.
Germany: Adidas ranked first, followed by Nike, Levi’s, Disney and Apple. The bottom five included: Miller Coors, Kohl’s, Anheuser-Busch, Chick-fil-A and Coach.
U.K.: The Body Shop ranked first, followed by Converse, Adidas, Nike and Levi’s. The bottom five included: Target, Miller Coors, Anheuser-Busch, Coach and Chick-fil-A
U.S.: Target ranked first in the U.S., followed by Disney, Nike, Anheuser-Busch and Apple. The bottom five included: The Body Shop, Lego, Miller Coors, Coach and in last place, Chick-fil-A.
“It’s fascinating to see that five of the top 10 LGBTQIA+ community-supportive brands are sports/athletic companies,” said Jorge Ayala, principal of Propeller Research. “Any other companies looking to do the same should look to these five companies as models for how to effectively communicate their support.”
“One thing I found surprising is how people in all five countries described themselves,” said Sparrer. “Regardless of border or income, most people considered themselves not loud but quiet; not reluctant but persistent; not angry but happy: not fickle but committed; not rich but poor. That means brands shouldn’t surrender to the angriest, loudest pressure groups threatening boycotts. They should stick with their values.”
Methodology
A global online survey of 5,040 adults, ages 18 and older, was conducted by Propeller Insights on behalf of Bospar from June 1 to June 7. Survey responses were nationally representative of a country’s population for age, gender, region and ethnicity. The maximum margin of sampling error was +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% confidence level.
About Propeller Insights
Propeller Insights is a full-service market research firm based in Los Angeles. Using quantitative and qualitative methodologies to measure and analyze marketplace and consumer opinions, Propeller Insights works extensively across industries such as travel, brand intelligence, entertainment/media, retail and consumer packaged goods.
