Sincere, Not Sinful: Political Ideology and the Unique Role of Brand Sincerity in Shaping Heterosexual and LGBTQ Consumers’ Views of LGBTQ Ads

Abstract

Brand sincerity (wholesome, family-oriented) is a core dimension of brand personality; however, to what extent is LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning) representation congruent with brand sincerity? We argue that whether or not LGBTQ representation is considered “wholesome” or “family-friendly,” and how consumers respond to such representation, is dependent on political ideology. Results show that an ad featuring a same-sex (vs. opposite-sex) couple is rated lower in brand sincerity by conservatives, which then uniquely predicts ad attitudes. Conservatives also saw a same-sex couple as more incongruent with a sincere brand, and this incongruence predicted ad attitudes. However, these effects were not found when the brand was exciting. Conversely, LGBTQ consumers’ preferred same-sex couple representation in the context of a sincere (vs. exciting) brand. Finally, an archival analysis of ads found that sincere (vs. exciting) brands represent LGBTQ consumers more favorably. Implications are discussed.

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