Prototype of Sexual Minorities: Application to Influencer Marketing

Abstract

In recent years, the social and economic influence of sexual minorities has been growing, leading to an increase in research on their experiences and their relationship with marketing. However, how sexual minorities are perceived by others remains unclear. This study investigates how people perceive gay men and lesbians using the concept of social prototypes and examines the impact of these perceptions in the context of consumer research. The findings reveal distinct physical, socio-economic, and psychological prototypes associated with sexual minorities. Additionally, it was shown that when a gay SNS poster aligns with these prototypes and collaborates with a brand that also fits the prototype, consumer responses to both the posts and the brand are more favorable compared to situations where there is no alignment. In contrast, no such effect of prototype alignment was observed for lesbian posters, highlighting differences in perceptions of gay men and lesbians. This study expands the field of social prototype research and contributes to consumer studies on diversity, inclusion, and equity.