TOPICS: Brussels. Belgium lesbian and gay market. Europe gay and lesbian media advertising. Europe lesbian media. European gay mens media. Belgian Marketing Foundation, Europe. Out Now Consulting. New lesbian and gay market research findings. Ian Johnson. Lesbian market research data in European gay and lesbian markets. Gay market research data in Europe's gay and lesbian markets. Gay advertising. Lesbian and gay business. Brands target gay and lesbian market. Gay and lesbian advertising. Lesbian and gay marketing strategies. Companies targeting gays and lesbians using tailored lesbian marketing strategy. New gay market research, new lesbian research. Gay marketing. Lesbian marketing. Global lesbian and gay market. Gender issues in gay marketing. Presentations 8 November 2005 and 22 November 2005. Brussels, Belgium.
Global gay marketing, gay advertising, lesbian and gay market research leaders. Gay Marketing 101 - The Out Now Updates.
OutNowConsulting.com | GayMarketing101.com
Companies marketing & advertising to gays and lesbians.
Better targeting of the lesbian and gay consumer market.
I recently spoke for the Belgium Marketing Foundation at two seminars on gender held in Brussels.
The 8 November event was a presentation on gay and lesbian marketing issues in the context of gender, for Flemish language speakers. It covered a range of issues. Details of my topics covered appear below. On 22 November, I presented the same gay marketing topics to the French speaking congress.
All in all, a very professionally organised pair of market seminars and I extend my congratulations to the organisers for a very well managed and innovative marketing event.
Details of my gay market topics on lesbian and gay marketing, advertising and gay market research in Europe, UK, US and Australia is here and information on the marketing seminars in general is here.
Topic details from my gay market presentation on demographics, strategy, advertising and other gay marketing issues appear below. Good to see that gay marketing is clearly understood to be part of the broader market landscape in Belgium and across Europe, US, Australia, UK and elsewhere.
During the course of the two seminars this month I presented on gay marketing issues to more than 2,500 conference delegates.
TOPICS SUMMARY:
"Diversity in marketing, think outside the square - The growing importance of the worldwide gay and lesbian market"
Ian Johnson, Principal Consultant, Out Now and Significant Others Consulting
Out Now Consulting is one of the world's most experienced gay marketing companies. Ian Johnson is the founder of Out Now, and he is a leading authority on marketing to gay and lesbian customers.
Over a specialised career of more than a decade, he has been relied upon by many of the world's leading brands including IBM, Toyota, KLM, Lufthansa, Cable & Wireless and Citibank. Out Now provides a comprehensive range of gay marketing services including advertising, research, strategy development, training and public relations.
The company has offices in several countries including the Netherlands, UK, Belgium and Australia. In 2005 Out Now Consulting commenced gay marketing activities for clients in North America, which sees the agency fulfil its vision of being the leading local gay marketing specialists globally.
An increasing number of brands are now developing targeted gay and lesbian marketing strategies as they realize that this important consumer group has unique channels to market, executional cues and consumer needs. By better understanding gay and lesbian customers, companies are now learning how to better position their brands for this new marketing development.
Ian Johnson is one of the world's foremost authorities on developing effective strategies to reach lesbian and gay customers and he will give an up to date presentation about why more and more companies find it necessary to target this consumer niche.
For further information please contact:
Ian Johnson, Director, Out Now Consulting
landline: +32-2-514 6443
mobile: +32-4737 60886
web: OutNowConsulting.com
updates: Out Now Gay Market Updates
Out Now is your lesbian and gay advertising, training and marketing partner. Leaders in lesbian and gay research, strategy, advertising, communications and training.
Gay marketing is Out Now. The global LGBT marketing agency.
Tuesday, November 29, 2005
Monday, November 21, 2005
New UK Market Research
TOPICS: Lesbian and gay media market. UK gay and lesbian media advertising. Diva lesbian magazine. Gay Times UK gay mens magazine. London, United Kingdom. Out Now Consulting. New UK lesbian and gay market research findings. Ian Johnson. Lesbian market research data in UK gay and lesbian markets. Gay market research data in UK gay and lesbian markets. Gay advertising. Lesbian and gay business. Brands target gay and lesbian market. Gay and lesbian advertising. Lesbian and gay marketing strategies. Companies targeting gays and lesbians using tailored lesbian marketing strategy. New gay market research, new lesbian research. UK gay marketing. UK lesbian marketing. Global lesbian and gay market.
Global gay marketing, gay advertising, lesbian and gay market research leaders. Gay Marketing 101 - The Out Now Updates.
OutNowConsulting.com | GayMarketing101.com
Companies marketing & advertising to gays and lesbians.
Better targeting of the lesbian and gay consumer market.
You can download a pdf of this latest gay market research and lesbian and gay marketing media release here.
Same Sex Gay Marriage Boom - Release of New Survey Findings as Civil Partnerships Become Legal in UK Law
Tourism companies in US and around the world urged to get ready for market surge. New comprehensive survey findings released today – gay weddings arrive in the UK. Gay honeymoons market worth up to 600 million pounds (USD $1.03 billion).
London, United Kingdom (PRWEB) November 21, 2005 -- Gay Times and Diva magazines in partnership with Out Now Consulting have undertaken the most comprehensive independent analysis of lesbian and gay lifestyles, experiences and social attitudes in the UK.
Results were analysed this month and results valuing the gay honeymoons market are released today.
As the new Civil Partnership Bill for gays and lesbians becomes law on 5 December, the report reveals that there will be an explosion of happy couples registering their partnership, marrying and even celebrating their union with honeymoons.
"There are nearly three million lesbians and gays in the UK and up to 70% of them are in a committed relationship with many intending to register their Civil Partnerships with municipal authorities," said Ian Johnson, director of Out Now and author of the report. "The results of the Out Now 2005 Diva and Gay Times Readers Surveys indicate a total of up to 274,000 couples in the UK are expected to marry after the laws take effect, which means that gay honeymoons are going to boom and become as much as a 600 million pound (USD$1.03 billion) new market opportunity. The travel industry should be educating themselves now to understand how to better position their products to attract this lucrative new market. Most airlines, hotels and destinations in the US, Europe and around the world are yet to understand the impact this new market segment can have on their businesses. The travel industry globally needs to prepare for this if they want to tap into this new 600 million pound UK gay honeymooners market opportunity. Tourism businesses can look at tailoring their gay marketing strategies by investing in the areas of market research, product and service delivery, staff training and improved advertising if they are going to ensure they share in these profits."
The new Out Now research also analyses preferred destinations for lesbian and gay travellers revealing which locations could most likely cash in on this large UK gay honeymoons niche tourism market.
Diva magazine is the leading European media product for lesbian women and Gay Times is the UK and Europe’s largest publication for gay men.
Of the readers surveyed...in relationships the proportion who intend to register their relationship is as follows:-
70% of Diva readers are currently in a relationship and 29% are single. 48% of the Gay Times sample were single, 50% were in a relationship.
Of the female couples 43% preferred the option of registering their Civil Partnership to full marriage (38%), whereas with Gay Times 51% preferred Civil Partnership to full marriage (29%).
54% of the Diva sample intend to register their partnership from December 2005 onwards, compared to 39% of the Gay Times sample.
71% of the lesbian couples intend to take a honeymoon afterwards, compared to 57% for gay male couples.
"The results from this survey indicate that the 'Pink' economy is still strong and this research offers the most detailed insight about the attitudes and lifestyles of the UK lesbian and gay markets," according to Kim Watson, Head of Media for Gay Times and Diva magazines.
The average income of lesbian respondents is £21,593 per annum, rising to £24,783 per annum for those working full-time.
The average income of gay male respondents is £28,841 per annum rising to £34,168 for respondents working full-time.
These figures are considerably higher than the UK national averages for men and women in general. Most recently published UK national average wage is £18,531 for women in full-time work and £24,236 for men in fulltime work (source: ASHE Gender Pay survey 2004).
Notes to editors:
Publication of this information must be credited as the "Out Now Consulting 2005 Gay Times and Diva Reader Surveys", for copyright reasons.
The report by Out Now Consulting, was undertaken following independent research with more than 1,000 readers of Diva and Gay Times magazines between March and September 2005. Sample size is 1118 respondents.
Gay Times and Diva (published by Millivres Prowler Ltd.) are Europe's best selling gay and lesbian glossy news stand magazines.
Established in 1992, Out Now Consulting is a leading source for gay marketing knowledge and is a global gay market agency relied upon by brands targeting lesbian and gay customers. Services include Training, Advertising, Public relations, Market research and Strategy development. Out Now clients include IBM, Toyota, German National Tourist Office, Qantas Airways, British Tourist Authority, Lufthansa, South African Tourism and Citibank.
For further information please contact:
Ian Johnson, Director, Out Now Consulting
landline: +32-2-514 6443
mobile: +32-4737 60886
web: OutNowConsulting.com
updates: Out Now Gay Market Updates
Kim Watson, Head of Media, Millivres Prowler Ltd. landline: +44-20-7424 7460 web: http://www.millivres.co.uk ###
For more information, contact Out Now.
Out Now is your lesbian and gay advertising, training and marketing partner. Leaders in lesbian and gay research, strategy, advertising, communications and training.
Global gay marketing, gay advertising, lesbian and gay market research leaders. Gay Marketing 101 - The Out Now Updates.
OutNowConsulting.com | GayMarketing101.com
Companies marketing & advertising to gays and lesbians.
Better targeting of the lesbian and gay consumer market.
You can download a pdf of this latest gay market research and lesbian and gay marketing media release here.
Same Sex Gay Marriage Boom - Release of New Survey Findings as Civil Partnerships Become Legal in UK Law
Tourism companies in US and around the world urged to get ready for market surge. New comprehensive survey findings released today – gay weddings arrive in the UK. Gay honeymoons market worth up to 600 million pounds (USD $1.03 billion).
London, United Kingdom (PRWEB) November 21, 2005 -- Gay Times and Diva magazines in partnership with Out Now Consulting have undertaken the most comprehensive independent analysis of lesbian and gay lifestyles, experiences and social attitudes in the UK.
Results were analysed this month and results valuing the gay honeymoons market are released today.
As the new Civil Partnership Bill for gays and lesbians becomes law on 5 December, the report reveals that there will be an explosion of happy couples registering their partnership, marrying and even celebrating their union with honeymoons.
"There are nearly three million lesbians and gays in the UK and up to 70% of them are in a committed relationship with many intending to register their Civil Partnerships with municipal authorities," said Ian Johnson, director of Out Now and author of the report. "The results of the Out Now 2005 Diva and Gay Times Readers Surveys indicate a total of up to 274,000 couples in the UK are expected to marry after the laws take effect, which means that gay honeymoons are going to boom and become as much as a 600 million pound (USD$1.03 billion) new market opportunity. The travel industry should be educating themselves now to understand how to better position their products to attract this lucrative new market. Most airlines, hotels and destinations in the US, Europe and around the world are yet to understand the impact this new market segment can have on their businesses. The travel industry globally needs to prepare for this if they want to tap into this new 600 million pound UK gay honeymooners market opportunity. Tourism businesses can look at tailoring their gay marketing strategies by investing in the areas of market research, product and service delivery, staff training and improved advertising if they are going to ensure they share in these profits."
The new Out Now research also analyses preferred destinations for lesbian and gay travellers revealing which locations could most likely cash in on this large UK gay honeymoons niche tourism market.
Diva magazine is the leading European media product for lesbian women and Gay Times is the UK and Europe’s largest publication for gay men.
Of the readers surveyed...in relationships the proportion who intend to register their relationship is as follows:-
70% of Diva readers are currently in a relationship and 29% are single. 48% of the Gay Times sample were single, 50% were in a relationship.
Of the female couples 43% preferred the option of registering their Civil Partnership to full marriage (38%), whereas with Gay Times 51% preferred Civil Partnership to full marriage (29%).
54% of the Diva sample intend to register their partnership from December 2005 onwards, compared to 39% of the Gay Times sample.
71% of the lesbian couples intend to take a honeymoon afterwards, compared to 57% for gay male couples.
"The results from this survey indicate that the 'Pink' economy is still strong and this research offers the most detailed insight about the attitudes and lifestyles of the UK lesbian and gay markets," according to Kim Watson, Head of Media for Gay Times and Diva magazines.
The average income of lesbian respondents is £21,593 per annum, rising to £24,783 per annum for those working full-time.
The average income of gay male respondents is £28,841 per annum rising to £34,168 for respondents working full-time.
These figures are considerably higher than the UK national averages for men and women in general. Most recently published UK national average wage is £18,531 for women in full-time work and £24,236 for men in fulltime work (source: ASHE Gender Pay survey 2004).
Notes to editors:
Publication of this information must be credited as the "Out Now Consulting 2005 Gay Times and Diva Reader Surveys", for copyright reasons.
The report by Out Now Consulting, was undertaken following independent research with more than 1,000 readers of Diva and Gay Times magazines between March and September 2005. Sample size is 1118 respondents.
Gay Times and Diva (published by Millivres Prowler Ltd.) are Europe's best selling gay and lesbian glossy news stand magazines.
Established in 1992, Out Now Consulting is a leading source for gay marketing knowledge and is a global gay market agency relied upon by brands targeting lesbian and gay customers. Services include Training, Advertising, Public relations, Market research and Strategy development. Out Now clients include IBM, Toyota, German National Tourist Office, Qantas Airways, British Tourist Authority, Lufthansa, South African Tourism and Citibank.
For further information please contact:
Ian Johnson, Director, Out Now Consulting
landline: +32-2-514 6443
mobile: +32-4737 60886
web: OutNowConsulting.com
updates: Out Now Gay Market Updates
Kim Watson, Head of Media, Millivres Prowler Ltd. landline: +44-20-7424 7460 web: http://www.millivres.co.uk ###
For more information, contact Out Now.
Out Now is your lesbian and gay advertising, training and marketing partner. Leaders in lesbian and gay research, strategy, advertising, communications and training.
Sunday, November 20, 2005
Power Lesbians Out Now
TOPICS: Lesbian and gay media market. UK gay and lesbian media advertising. Diva lesbian magazine. London, United Kingdom. Out Now Consulting. The Independent on Sunday article about 2005 Out Now Diva and Gay Times Readers Surveys. Ian Johnson. Lesbian market research data in UK gay and lesbian markets. New emphasis on marketing to lesbians. Gay advertising. Lesbian and gay business. Brands target gay and lesbian travel market. Lesbian advertising. Lesbian marketing strategies. Companies targeting lesbians using tailored lesbian marketing strategy. New gay market research, new lesbian research. Power lesbians. UK gay marketing. UK lesbian marketing. Global lesbian market.
Global gay marketing, gay advertising, lesbian and gay market research leaders. Gay Marketing 101 - The Out Now Updates.
OutNowConsulting.com | GayMarketing101.com
Companies marketing & advertising to gays and lesbians.
Better targeting of the lesbian and gay consumer market.
Amelie Mauresmo, Sheryl Swoopes, Ellen Degeneres, Melissa Etheridge, kd lang. The world is a more welcoming place to lesbians today than ten years ago. And now our latest UK research shows the rise of the "Power Lesbian."
In today's Independent on Sunday, the front cover refers to a double-page article inside the newspaper called:
"The L Word. Loaded. Lesbian. Loving it."
This article refers to the latest lesbian marketing research findings released by Out Now Consulting. As the author of the report, I am quoted in relation to this new lesbian research as well as the other hot topic of the moment - lesbian and gay honeymoons intentions.
(The text of that article appears at the end of this post.)
There is growing media interest in the US market, in the UK and around the world about new lesbian and gay market research Out Now Consulting has released for the leading UK gay and lesbian gay media market magazines - Gay Times and Diva.
Results from the '2005 Out Now Diva and Gay Times Readers Surveys' are starting to reveal a much clearer picture of the UK lesbian and gay markets than has ever been known before.
It is important to remember here that this research reveals much about the readers of these publications and the users of their online gay media websites, not all lesbians and gay men read these publications, however given that both titles are the leaders in their markets (indeed Gay Times is the largest gay mens magazine in Europe as well as the UK, as is Diva magazine in relation to lesbian marketing), the results provide the clearest possible picture of lesbian and gay market lifestyles available today.
It is also worth noting that averages mask diversity and the reality is that gays and lesbians are a very diverse marketing proposition. Having said that, it is also true that stereotypes are often used to portray lesbians or gay men as being 'this' or 'that' type of a person.
No lesbian or gay man is a single stereotype. We are all complex people.
One stereotype that has been propagated in the past is of lesbians being crop haired, boilersuit-wearing, non-funloving, anti-male women whereas the reality of the lesbian community is far more complex.
The lesbian marketing implications are very important indeed.
The text of that Independent on Sunday article appears below.
For more information, contact Out Now.
Out Now is your lesbian and gay advertising, training and marketing partner. Leaders in lesbian and gay research, strategy, advertising, communications and training.
The Independent on Sunday (pages 24 - 25)
The L word: Lesbian. Loaded. Loving it
A new survey reveals a generation of rich, successful gay women who are smashing stereotypes with their glamour and spending power. By Liz Hoggard
Published: 20 November 2005
The pink pound is no longer just a male thing. Gay men, long thought of as the free-spending masters of the consumer universe, are being supplanted by "Power Lesbians" - and advertisers are cottoning on fast.
According to a new survey, seen exclusively by The Independent on Sunday, more lesbians own their own homes, cars and computers than gay men. They visit the gym, go to restaurants more and spend more on mobile phones, DVD players and satellite TV. "The myth that lesbians don't invest a significant proportion of their monthly pay packet on travel, leisure, fashion and beauty products is about to be blown out of the water," said Jane Czyzselska, editor of the lesbian glossy magazine Diva, which co-commissioned the research with Gay Times.
The stereotypical image of an earnest soul with cropped hair, dungarees and a rainbow jumper has been eclipsed by the new Power Lesbian, as she has been dubbed, who owns her own property, travels widely and increasingly runs her own business. In the past advertisers assumed that lesbians had no money and ignored them. Now we have brands as high-profile as Patrick Cox, Harvey Nichols and Gucci flirting with lesbian imagery.
There are nearly three million lesbians and gays in the UK and around 70 per cent are in a committed relationship, according to Ian Johnson of Out Now, author of the Diva and Gay Times Readers Surveys. Within five years of the Civil Partnership Bill becoming law on 5 December, he estimates that as many as 275,000 lesbian and gay couples will walk down the aisle, creating a booming industry in wedding services. Seventy per cent of the Diva sample intend to take a honeymoon, compared with 57 per cent of Gay Times readers, opening up a £600m potential market. No wonder "wedding venues" such as stately homes and National Trust properties are actively targeting wealthy lesbians, advertising in the pink press and taking space at gay festivals.
Gay professionals and businesspeople have enjoyed an unprecedented level of publicity and acceptance in recent years, but lesbian high earners are threatening to take over. Nearly one in 10 Diva readers earns £40,000-£75,000, according to the survey, which also found that 13 per cent earn £30,000-£39,000, compared with 11 per cent of Gay Times readers. The average wage for both lesbian and gay respondents was higher than the national average - £24,783 for lesbians and £28,841 for gay men; but when it comes to disposable income, lesbians spend more.
In addition, more high-earning lesbians are daring to come out. Role models include the playwright Bryony Lavery; Eileen Gallagher, who co-founded the independent TV production company behind Footballers' Wives, Shed; Margot James, who co-founded the Shire Health Group, Europe's largest healthcare PR company; and novelists Jeanette Winterson and Sarah Waters. Chic lesbian members' clubs such Lounge at Teatro and networking groups for City professionals such as Citypink are also on the increase....
"When I started out 10 years ago, very few gay women had a good income or were very driven," says Emma Basden, who runs Pink Management, a PR company. "It was all about the scene, getting a girl. Now gay women are becoming more independent, starting their own companies and having a voice themselves. And if you're in a relationship where you're both earning, where you're both ambitious and hungry to make a mark, then of course you can experience a nicer lifestyle. Only five years ago it was gay men who were driving the convertibles, opening the bars and restaurants, one was a banker, one was a doctor ... but now women are part of the pink pound."
Where once lesbians, like radical feminists, saw money and luxury as taboo, gay women have become enthusiastic consumers. The richest indulge in second homes and million-pound property portfolios, regularly treat themselves to luxury spa trips and mini-breaks, and rely on a network of staff - cleaners, secretaries, landscape gardeners. Winterson talks openly about owning a Georgian house in Spitalfields, a house in the Cotswolds and another in France, while Waters has bought her girlfriend a flat around the corner from her house. There is less guilt about doing well, says Jay Hunt, a broadcaster and fashion stylist, and partner of Margot James. "Years ago, if I said, 'I'm gay and I live in South Kensington', there would have been an outcry."
According to Zoë Strachan, who lives with fellow novelist Louise Welsh: "There's definitely less guilt about pleasure, because we now see treating ourselves as a right - which it is, of course. Although I would worry if spending and owning became our only raison d'être as gay women."
Thanks to donor insemination, these couples increasingly also have children, creating a whole new class of yummy mummies. But in defiance of the stereotype male earner and his stay-at-home-with-the-kids wife, still prevalent among the middle classes, both lesbian partners are often influential in their own right: couples such as the BBC sports presenter Clare Balding and her partner, the broadcaster Alice Arnold, or the novelists Joanna Briscoe and Charlotte Mendelson.
"I think it's a completely different dynamic if you're in a gay relationship," says Ms Hunt. "I think of my partner Margot's money as hers to spend rather than a joint pot, unlike many married women I know."
"You really want each other to succeed," says Helen Chalmers, 42, a management consultant, whose girlfriend runs a design agency. "There is no competition."
Ms Hunt says: "In my twenties lesbians used their clothes and haircut to make a political statement. Everyone was very dismissive of the lipstick lesbian movement. Now you can have pretty girls, girls who follow fashion, girls who don't follow fashion. It's much less judgemental, so women feel OK about saying they've bought a Prada jacket or that they went down to Portobello Road and found a fantastic vintage top."
Lesbian culture has never been as visible and confident as it is now. Things have come a long way in the seven years since the US comedian Ellen DeGeneres had her TV show cancelled after she came out as a lesbian. Programmes such as Fingersmithand Hex have opened up gay culture, and The L Word, a glossy American soap, is peopled by wealthy lesbians in designer clothes bathing in palm-fringed pools.
"The cultural climate is more accepting," says lesbian singer-songwriter Belinda O'Hooley, 33. "Ten years ago, the only visible gay musicians were people such as kd lang and Melissa Etheridge. Now we have more alternative role models, such as the Scissor Sisters and Antony and the Johnsons. There are many of us out there."
And a more tolerant society means greater sexual choice. "Women such as Rebecca Loos and Abi Titmuss have openly admitted they have lesbian tendencies, and most of this year's Big Brother contestants have labelled themselves bisexual," says Ms Czyzselska. We are seeing a more accepting and fluid approach to sexuality, highlighted by the rise of "bi-try" relationships - earlier this year the tabloids had a field day about the reported menage à trois between Kate Moss, Sadie Frost and Davina Taylor.
"My girlfriend had a boyfriend when I met her," says Ms Basden, "In fact, most of my partners have been straight or bisexual, whatever you want to call it. More and more women are becoming open-minded about female-to-female partnerships. Perhaps its introducing a new type of woman on to the scene."
All the women interviewed for the survey were quick to stress their privileged status. Kate, 37, is the co-founder of an independent financial advice company. "My girlfriend is an archaeologist, so we have two good salaries and a lot of freedom," she says. "It's very different from being a lesbian single parent living on benefits. Of course, there are still major issues we need to tackle such as homophobic bullying, but how fantastic for a 15-year-old gay teenager to see independent, successful lesbians in the media. It gives out a great message of hope."
Rena & Sophie
The actress and mother of two Sophie Ward left her husband, Paul Hobson, in 1996 for Rena Brannan - a year after playing Alice, a married woman who embarks on a lesbian fling, in the TV adaptation of Joanna Trollope's 'A Village Affair'. In 1999 she 'married' Ms Brannan, an American writer, during a ceremony at London's Groucho Club.
Alex & Jill
Alex Parks, 21, won the BBC talent show 'Fame Academy' in 2003, before releasing her debut single 'Maybe That's What it Takes'. She met Scottish rock singer Jill Jackson, 25, the lead singer of Speedway, on a daytime TV show shortly afterwards - they now have a flat together in London.
Joanna & Charlotte
Joanna Briscoe's first novel, 'Mothers and Other Lovers' - about a girl having an affair with her mother's best female friend - won a Betty Trask Award in 1994. She and Charlotte Mendelson, whose novel 'Daughters of Jerusalem' won the 2003 John Llewellyn Rhys prize, live near Hampstead Heath with their two young children.
Margot & Jay
Margot James, a self-made millionaire, co-founded the Shire Health Group, Europe's largest healthcare PR company. This year she became the first openly lesbian Conservative Party candidate when she stood for election in central London. Jay Hunt is best known for appearing on BBC2's dating show 'Would Like to Meet' and BBC3's 'Spendaholics'.
Emma & Jen
One of TV's real estate queens (BBC2's 'Safe as Houses' and Channel 4's 'Houses for Auction'), Emma Basdenwas named as Rebecca Loos's ex-lover in 2004. She recently set up a PR company, Pink Management, and signed Ms Loos as a client. Both Ms Basden and her partner, Jen Whiting, are directors of the property company Apple London.
Clare & Alice
Clare Balding, a popular racing commentator, has become one of BBC Sport's most familiar faces over recent years. She was 'outed' by a Sunday tabloid in 2003. Alice Arnold, an actress, Radio 4 presenter and formerly the voice of the shipping forecast, is the ex-girlfriend of comedienne Sandi Toksvig.
Fiona & Saffron
Actress Saffron Burrows, 32, is a rarity in entertainment - an openly bisexual feminist with a successful film career who doesn't shy away from lesbian relationships in her work or life. In 2002, her relationship with director Mike Figgis ended and she began an affair with actress Fiona Shaw, 47. Last month, however, rumours began circulating that the UK's most high-profile lesbian couple had agreed to a trial separation.
For more information, contact Out Now.
Out Now is your lesbian and gay advertising, training and marketing partner. Leaders in lesbian and gay research, strategy, advertising, communications and training.
Global gay marketing, gay advertising, lesbian and gay market research leaders. Gay Marketing 101 - The Out Now Updates.
OutNowConsulting.com | GayMarketing101.com
Companies marketing & advertising to gays and lesbians.
Better targeting of the lesbian and gay consumer market.
Amelie Mauresmo, Sheryl Swoopes, Ellen Degeneres, Melissa Etheridge, kd lang. The world is a more welcoming place to lesbians today than ten years ago. And now our latest UK research shows the rise of the "Power Lesbian."
In today's Independent on Sunday, the front cover refers to a double-page article inside the newspaper called:
"The L Word. Loaded. Lesbian. Loving it."
This article refers to the latest lesbian marketing research findings released by Out Now Consulting. As the author of the report, I am quoted in relation to this new lesbian research as well as the other hot topic of the moment - lesbian and gay honeymoons intentions.
(The text of that article appears at the end of this post.)
There is growing media interest in the US market, in the UK and around the world about new lesbian and gay market research Out Now Consulting has released for the leading UK gay and lesbian gay media market magazines - Gay Times and Diva.
Results from the '2005 Out Now Diva and Gay Times Readers Surveys' are starting to reveal a much clearer picture of the UK lesbian and gay markets than has ever been known before.
It is important to remember here that this research reveals much about the readers of these publications and the users of their online gay media websites, not all lesbians and gay men read these publications, however given that both titles are the leaders in their markets (indeed Gay Times is the largest gay mens magazine in Europe as well as the UK, as is Diva magazine in relation to lesbian marketing), the results provide the clearest possible picture of lesbian and gay market lifestyles available today.
It is also worth noting that averages mask diversity and the reality is that gays and lesbians are a very diverse marketing proposition. Having said that, it is also true that stereotypes are often used to portray lesbians or gay men as being 'this' or 'that' type of a person.
No lesbian or gay man is a single stereotype. We are all complex people.
One stereotype that has been propagated in the past is of lesbians being crop haired, boilersuit-wearing, non-funloving, anti-male women whereas the reality of the lesbian community is far more complex.
The lesbian marketing implications are very important indeed.
The text of that Independent on Sunday article appears below.
For more information, contact Out Now.
Out Now is your lesbian and gay advertising, training and marketing partner. Leaders in lesbian and gay research, strategy, advertising, communications and training.
The Independent on Sunday (pages 24 - 25)
The L word: Lesbian. Loaded. Loving it
A new survey reveals a generation of rich, successful gay women who are smashing stereotypes with their glamour and spending power. By Liz Hoggard
Published: 20 November 2005
The pink pound is no longer just a male thing. Gay men, long thought of as the free-spending masters of the consumer universe, are being supplanted by "Power Lesbians" - and advertisers are cottoning on fast.
According to a new survey, seen exclusively by The Independent on Sunday, more lesbians own their own homes, cars and computers than gay men. They visit the gym, go to restaurants more and spend more on mobile phones, DVD players and satellite TV. "The myth that lesbians don't invest a significant proportion of their monthly pay packet on travel, leisure, fashion and beauty products is about to be blown out of the water," said Jane Czyzselska, editor of the lesbian glossy magazine Diva, which co-commissioned the research with Gay Times.
The stereotypical image of an earnest soul with cropped hair, dungarees and a rainbow jumper has been eclipsed by the new Power Lesbian, as she has been dubbed, who owns her own property, travels widely and increasingly runs her own business. In the past advertisers assumed that lesbians had no money and ignored them. Now we have brands as high-profile as Patrick Cox, Harvey Nichols and Gucci flirting with lesbian imagery.
There are nearly three million lesbians and gays in the UK and around 70 per cent are in a committed relationship, according to Ian Johnson of Out Now, author of the Diva and Gay Times Readers Surveys. Within five years of the Civil Partnership Bill becoming law on 5 December, he estimates that as many as 275,000 lesbian and gay couples will walk down the aisle, creating a booming industry in wedding services. Seventy per cent of the Diva sample intend to take a honeymoon, compared with 57 per cent of Gay Times readers, opening up a £600m potential market. No wonder "wedding venues" such as stately homes and National Trust properties are actively targeting wealthy lesbians, advertising in the pink press and taking space at gay festivals.
Gay professionals and businesspeople have enjoyed an unprecedented level of publicity and acceptance in recent years, but lesbian high earners are threatening to take over. Nearly one in 10 Diva readers earns £40,000-£75,000, according to the survey, which also found that 13 per cent earn £30,000-£39,000, compared with 11 per cent of Gay Times readers. The average wage for both lesbian and gay respondents was higher than the national average - £24,783 for lesbians and £28,841 for gay men; but when it comes to disposable income, lesbians spend more.
In addition, more high-earning lesbians are daring to come out. Role models include the playwright Bryony Lavery; Eileen Gallagher, who co-founded the independent TV production company behind Footballers' Wives, Shed; Margot James, who co-founded the Shire Health Group, Europe's largest healthcare PR company; and novelists Jeanette Winterson and Sarah Waters. Chic lesbian members' clubs such Lounge at Teatro and networking groups for City professionals such as Citypink are also on the increase....
"When I started out 10 years ago, very few gay women had a good income or were very driven," says Emma Basden, who runs Pink Management, a PR company. "It was all about the scene, getting a girl. Now gay women are becoming more independent, starting their own companies and having a voice themselves. And if you're in a relationship where you're both earning, where you're both ambitious and hungry to make a mark, then of course you can experience a nicer lifestyle. Only five years ago it was gay men who were driving the convertibles, opening the bars and restaurants, one was a banker, one was a doctor ... but now women are part of the pink pound."
Where once lesbians, like radical feminists, saw money and luxury as taboo, gay women have become enthusiastic consumers. The richest indulge in second homes and million-pound property portfolios, regularly treat themselves to luxury spa trips and mini-breaks, and rely on a network of staff - cleaners, secretaries, landscape gardeners. Winterson talks openly about owning a Georgian house in Spitalfields, a house in the Cotswolds and another in France, while Waters has bought her girlfriend a flat around the corner from her house. There is less guilt about doing well, says Jay Hunt, a broadcaster and fashion stylist, and partner of Margot James. "Years ago, if I said, 'I'm gay and I live in South Kensington', there would have been an outcry."
According to Zoë Strachan, who lives with fellow novelist Louise Welsh: "There's definitely less guilt about pleasure, because we now see treating ourselves as a right - which it is, of course. Although I would worry if spending and owning became our only raison d'être as gay women."
Thanks to donor insemination, these couples increasingly also have children, creating a whole new class of yummy mummies. But in defiance of the stereotype male earner and his stay-at-home-with-the-kids wife, still prevalent among the middle classes, both lesbian partners are often influential in their own right: couples such as the BBC sports presenter Clare Balding and her partner, the broadcaster Alice Arnold, or the novelists Joanna Briscoe and Charlotte Mendelson.
"I think it's a completely different dynamic if you're in a gay relationship," says Ms Hunt. "I think of my partner Margot's money as hers to spend rather than a joint pot, unlike many married women I know."
"You really want each other to succeed," says Helen Chalmers, 42, a management consultant, whose girlfriend runs a design agency. "There is no competition."
Ms Hunt says: "In my twenties lesbians used their clothes and haircut to make a political statement. Everyone was very dismissive of the lipstick lesbian movement. Now you can have pretty girls, girls who follow fashion, girls who don't follow fashion. It's much less judgemental, so women feel OK about saying they've bought a Prada jacket or that they went down to Portobello Road and found a fantastic vintage top."
Lesbian culture has never been as visible and confident as it is now. Things have come a long way in the seven years since the US comedian Ellen DeGeneres had her TV show cancelled after she came out as a lesbian. Programmes such as Fingersmithand Hex have opened up gay culture, and The L Word, a glossy American soap, is peopled by wealthy lesbians in designer clothes bathing in palm-fringed pools.
"The cultural climate is more accepting," says lesbian singer-songwriter Belinda O'Hooley, 33. "Ten years ago, the only visible gay musicians were people such as kd lang and Melissa Etheridge. Now we have more alternative role models, such as the Scissor Sisters and Antony and the Johnsons. There are many of us out there."
And a more tolerant society means greater sexual choice. "Women such as Rebecca Loos and Abi Titmuss have openly admitted they have lesbian tendencies, and most of this year's Big Brother contestants have labelled themselves bisexual," says Ms Czyzselska. We are seeing a more accepting and fluid approach to sexuality, highlighted by the rise of "bi-try" relationships - earlier this year the tabloids had a field day about the reported menage à trois between Kate Moss, Sadie Frost and Davina Taylor.
"My girlfriend had a boyfriend when I met her," says Ms Basden, "In fact, most of my partners have been straight or bisexual, whatever you want to call it. More and more women are becoming open-minded about female-to-female partnerships. Perhaps its introducing a new type of woman on to the scene."
All the women interviewed for the survey were quick to stress their privileged status. Kate, 37, is the co-founder of an independent financial advice company. "My girlfriend is an archaeologist, so we have two good salaries and a lot of freedom," she says. "It's very different from being a lesbian single parent living on benefits. Of course, there are still major issues we need to tackle such as homophobic bullying, but how fantastic for a 15-year-old gay teenager to see independent, successful lesbians in the media. It gives out a great message of hope."
Rena & Sophie
The actress and mother of two Sophie Ward left her husband, Paul Hobson, in 1996 for Rena Brannan - a year after playing Alice, a married woman who embarks on a lesbian fling, in the TV adaptation of Joanna Trollope's 'A Village Affair'. In 1999 she 'married' Ms Brannan, an American writer, during a ceremony at London's Groucho Club.
Alex & Jill
Alex Parks, 21, won the BBC talent show 'Fame Academy' in 2003, before releasing her debut single 'Maybe That's What it Takes'. She met Scottish rock singer Jill Jackson, 25, the lead singer of Speedway, on a daytime TV show shortly afterwards - they now have a flat together in London.
Joanna & Charlotte
Joanna Briscoe's first novel, 'Mothers and Other Lovers' - about a girl having an affair with her mother's best female friend - won a Betty Trask Award in 1994. She and Charlotte Mendelson, whose novel 'Daughters of Jerusalem' won the 2003 John Llewellyn Rhys prize, live near Hampstead Heath with their two young children.
Margot & Jay
Margot James, a self-made millionaire, co-founded the Shire Health Group, Europe's largest healthcare PR company. This year she became the first openly lesbian Conservative Party candidate when she stood for election in central London. Jay Hunt is best known for appearing on BBC2's dating show 'Would Like to Meet' and BBC3's 'Spendaholics'.
Emma & Jen
One of TV's real estate queens (BBC2's 'Safe as Houses' and Channel 4's 'Houses for Auction'), Emma Basdenwas named as Rebecca Loos's ex-lover in 2004. She recently set up a PR company, Pink Management, and signed Ms Loos as a client. Both Ms Basden and her partner, Jen Whiting, are directors of the property company Apple London.
Clare & Alice
Clare Balding, a popular racing commentator, has become one of BBC Sport's most familiar faces over recent years. She was 'outed' by a Sunday tabloid in 2003. Alice Arnold, an actress, Radio 4 presenter and formerly the voice of the shipping forecast, is the ex-girlfriend of comedienne Sandi Toksvig.
Fiona & Saffron
Actress Saffron Burrows, 32, is a rarity in entertainment - an openly bisexual feminist with a successful film career who doesn't shy away from lesbian relationships in her work or life. In 2002, her relationship with director Mike Figgis ended and she began an affair with actress Fiona Shaw, 47. Last month, however, rumours began circulating that the UK's most high-profile lesbian couple had agreed to a trial separation.
For more information, contact Out Now.
Out Now is your lesbian and gay advertising, training and marketing partner. Leaders in lesbian and gay research, strategy, advertising, communications and training.
Saturday, November 19, 2005
US gay media companies merge
TOPICS: Gay media market. US gay media merger. San Francisco. US lesbian and gay market. US gay and lesbian media. Lesbian and gay online and print media advertising market matures. Lesbian and gay marketing. US gay and lesbian market. Gay advertising. Lesbian and gay business. Brands target gay and lesbian travel market. Lesbian advertising.
Global gay marketing, gay advertising, lesbian and gay market research leaders. Gay Marketing 101 - The Out Now Updates.
OutNowConsulting.com | GayMarketing101.com
Companies marketing & advertising to gays and lesbians.
Better targeting of the lesbian and gay consumer market.
I was in New York at the end of last week for meetings and there was much buzz about the new gay and lesbian media merger between online San Francisco based gay media company PlanetOut Inc (PlanetOut.com and Gay.com) and Los Angeles based LPI Media (publisher of gay magazines Out and The Advocate).
The merger brings together online and print gay market assets. The likely outcome will be a stronger company, probably with job losses of staff increasing the combined corporate entity's bottom line. There is also talk of changing the editorial content of PlanetOut to more radically differentiate it from Gay.com as gay men already seem to be well looked after by that particular gay media product.
With a combined staff of 275, the new gay media entity may see new lesbian and gay marketing opportunities open up as a result of the merger - although staff are reportedly worrying that job losses will likely result from the combining of two gay media providers targeting the same gay and lesbian advertising market niche segments.
The markets reacted well with the publicly listed PlanetOut Inc stock price rising upon release of the news last week.
For more information, contact Out Now.
Out Now is your lesbian and gay advertising, training and marketing partner. Leaders in lesbian and gay research, strategy, advertising, communications and training.
Global gay marketing, gay advertising, lesbian and gay market research leaders. Gay Marketing 101 - The Out Now Updates.
OutNowConsulting.com | GayMarketing101.com
Companies marketing & advertising to gays and lesbians.
Better targeting of the lesbian and gay consumer market.
I was in New York at the end of last week for meetings and there was much buzz about the new gay and lesbian media merger between online San Francisco based gay media company PlanetOut Inc (PlanetOut.com and Gay.com) and Los Angeles based LPI Media (publisher of gay magazines Out and The Advocate).
The merger brings together online and print gay market assets. The likely outcome will be a stronger company, probably with job losses of staff increasing the combined corporate entity's bottom line. There is also talk of changing the editorial content of PlanetOut to more radically differentiate it from Gay.com as gay men already seem to be well looked after by that particular gay media product.
With a combined staff of 275, the new gay media entity may see new lesbian and gay marketing opportunities open up as a result of the merger - although staff are reportedly worrying that job losses will likely result from the combining of two gay media providers targeting the same gay and lesbian advertising market niche segments.
The markets reacted well with the publicly listed PlanetOut Inc stock price rising upon release of the news last week.
For more information, contact Out Now.
Out Now is your lesbian and gay advertising, training and marketing partner. Leaders in lesbian and gay research, strategy, advertising, communications and training.
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
More UK gay honeymoons
TOPICS: Gay market. Tourism. London. UK lesbian and gay tourism. UK gay and lesbian tourism. Lesbian and gay market matures. Lesbian and gay marketing. US gay and lesbian market. Europe gay and lesbian tourism. Lesbian and gay travel marketing. Gay tourism advertising. Gay tourism destinations. Lesbian and gay business. Brands target gay and lesbian travel market. Lesbian advertising. Destination lesbian travel marketing. London World Travel Market. Gay travel marketing at London WTM.
Global gay marketing, gay advertising, lesbian and gay market research leaders. Gay Marketing 101 - The Out Now Updates.
OutNowConsulting.com | GayMarketing101.com
Companies marketing & advertising to gays and lesbians.
Better targeting of the lesbian and gay consumer market.
The media coverage of gay honeymoons and the UK gay marriage market that is about to kick off in the UK lesbian and gay market travel industry, has caught the attention of the world, as the power of the gay and lesbian market is about to be on display clearly and strongly as a result of the changes in UK gay marriage laws.
Today, and yesterday, I was at the London World Travel Market - and was very pleased to discover an unprecedented interest in, and awareness of, the growing importance of the lesbian and gay travel market.
Yesterday, Out Now Consulting was featured on page 3 of the leading UK travel trade tourism industry media publication, Travel Weekly. In addition our lesbian and gay tourism travel market data on new gay honeymoons research from gay market research we have undertaken via the leading UK lesbian and gay media products - Gay Times and Diva magazines was covered in The Independent newspaper in the UK.
There has been additional online media coverage of this.
A PinkNews.co.uk gay media marketing article entitled UK travel industry unprepared for gay honeymooners.
A Canadian article entitled Gay Honeymoon Boom As Partnerships Become Law.
and the South Africa news article entitled 'We're not ready for surge in gay honeymoons'.
The UK lesbian and gay market, according to the Out Now 2005 Gay Times and Diva Readers Surveys is expected to see up to 274,000 gay and lesbian couples getting hitched over the next few years, and these gay and lesbian people may be expected to create a new gay tourism honeymoons market valued at more than GBP600 million pounds.
For more information, contact Out Now.
Out Now is your lesbian and gay advertising, training and marketing partner. Leaders in lesbian and gay research, strategy, advertising, communications and training.
Global gay marketing, gay advertising, lesbian and gay market research leaders. Gay Marketing 101 - The Out Now Updates.
OutNowConsulting.com | GayMarketing101.com
Companies marketing & advertising to gays and lesbians.
Better targeting of the lesbian and gay consumer market.
The media coverage of gay honeymoons and the UK gay marriage market that is about to kick off in the UK lesbian and gay market travel industry, has caught the attention of the world, as the power of the gay and lesbian market is about to be on display clearly and strongly as a result of the changes in UK gay marriage laws.
Today, and yesterday, I was at the London World Travel Market - and was very pleased to discover an unprecedented interest in, and awareness of, the growing importance of the lesbian and gay travel market.
Yesterday, Out Now Consulting was featured on page 3 of the leading UK travel trade tourism industry media publication, Travel Weekly. In addition our lesbian and gay tourism travel market data on new gay honeymoons research from gay market research we have undertaken via the leading UK lesbian and gay media products - Gay Times and Diva magazines was covered in The Independent newspaper in the UK.
There has been additional online media coverage of this.
A PinkNews.co.uk gay media marketing article entitled UK travel industry unprepared for gay honeymooners.
A Canadian article entitled Gay Honeymoon Boom As Partnerships Become Law.
and the South Africa news article entitled 'We're not ready for surge in gay honeymoons'.
The UK lesbian and gay market, according to the Out Now 2005 Gay Times and Diva Readers Surveys is expected to see up to 274,000 gay and lesbian couples getting hitched over the next few years, and these gay and lesbian people may be expected to create a new gay tourism honeymoons market valued at more than GBP600 million pounds.
For more information, contact Out Now.
Out Now is your lesbian and gay advertising, training and marketing partner. Leaders in lesbian and gay research, strategy, advertising, communications and training.
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
Gay honeymoons. Out Now in London
TOPICS: Gay market. Tourism. London. US lesbian and gay tourism. UK gay and lesbian tourism. Lesbian and gay market matures. Lesbian and gay marketing. US gay and lesbian market. Europe gay and lesbian tourism. Lesbian and gay travel marketing. Gay tourism advertising. Gay tourism destinations. Lesbian and gay business. Brands target gay and lesbian travel market. Lesbian advertising. Destination lesbian travel marketing. London World Travel Market.
Global gay marketing, gay advertising, lesbian and gay market research leaders. Gay Marketing 101 - The Out Now Updates.
OutNowConsulting.com | GayMarketing101.com
Companies marketing & advertising to gays and lesbians.
Better targeting of the lesbian and gay consumer market.
Out Now Consulting is featured today in a news article in UK Independent newspaper for lesbian and gay tourism travel market data we are releasing from gay market research we have undertaken via the leading UK lesbian and gay media products - Gay Times and Diva magazines.
Here is a news item in The Independent newspaper about new gay and lesbian tourism market honeymoons research we launched yesterday at London World Travel Market, the leading global event for the travel and tourism industry.
Gay honeymoons are about to arrive in the UK.
From next month, gay and lesbian people can register their civil partnership under UK law and this will see a massive new UK gay honeymoons market.
The UK lesbian and gay market, according to the Out Now 2005 Gay Times and Diva Readers Surveys anticipates up to 274,000 couples getting hitched over the next few years and these gay and lesbian people may be expected to create a new gay tourism market valued at more than GBP600 million pounds.
Out Now is your lesbian and gay advertising, training and marketing partner. Leaders in lesbian and gay research, strategy, advertising, communications and training.
Global gay marketing, gay advertising, lesbian and gay market research leaders. Gay Marketing 101 - The Out Now Updates.
OutNowConsulting.com | GayMarketing101.com
Companies marketing & advertising to gays and lesbians.
Better targeting of the lesbian and gay consumer market.
Out Now Consulting is featured today in a news article in UK Independent newspaper for lesbian and gay tourism travel market data we are releasing from gay market research we have undertaken via the leading UK lesbian and gay media products - Gay Times and Diva magazines.
Here is a news item in The Independent newspaper about new gay and lesbian tourism market honeymoons research we launched yesterday at London World Travel Market, the leading global event for the travel and tourism industry.
Gay honeymoons are about to arrive in the UK.
From next month, gay and lesbian people can register their civil partnership under UK law and this will see a massive new UK gay honeymoons market.
The UK lesbian and gay market, according to the Out Now 2005 Gay Times and Diva Readers Surveys anticipates up to 274,000 couples getting hitched over the next few years and these gay and lesbian people may be expected to create a new gay tourism market valued at more than GBP600 million pounds.
Out Now is your lesbian and gay advertising, training and marketing partner. Leaders in lesbian and gay research, strategy, advertising, communications and training.
Sunday, November 06, 2005
Viva Gay Las Vegas, or...
TOPICS: Gay market. Gay Greys. Gay youth. Las Vegas. US lesbian and gay tourism. Lesbian and gay market matures. Older gay market. Lesbian and gay marketing. US gay and lesbian market. Lesbian and gay travel marketing. Gay tourism advertising. Gay tourism destinations. Lesbian and gay business. Brands target older gay and lesbian travel market. Lesbian advertising. Destination lesbian travel marketing. Gay travel to Las Vegas. San Francisco gay travel market.
Global gay marketing, gay advertising, lesbian and gay market research leaders. Gay Marketing 101 - The Out Now Updates.
OutNowConsulting.com | GayMarketing101.com
Companies marketing & advertising to gays and lesbians.
Better targeting of the lesbian and gay consumer market.
A US study released last week suggests that Las Vegas is now a greater tourist draw than San Francisco for some respondents to gay travel and tourism market research.
That is quite likely true on a pure number of destination tourists basis, but it hardly reveals anything especially surprising.
It is worth remembering that when gay and lesbian people travel they do so for a diverse range of reasons - many of which have nothing to do with their sexuality.
There is indeed a new gay and lesbian oriented nightclub on the Las Vegas strip but that is hardly indicative of a new gay mecca being established. This is so just because of the simple fact that Las Vegas, in and of itself, in 2005, is a much bigger tourist drawcard overall than San Francisco.
This really does not mean the Las Vegas destination is now a preferred gay travel destination specifically because of lesbian and gay tourism appeal, in any greater measure than that it is a preferred destination for all travelers from all over the world.
In my opinion, to suggest that somehow Las Vegas has newly become a gay tourism travel mecca drawcard is too simplistic. There is, for example, no comparative data to show just how many people comprising the lesbian and gay travel market visited Las Vegas - compared to San Francisco - say, fifteen years ago, which is what would be needed to really assert, as the authors of the study seem to, that Las Vegas has usurped San Francisco as a gay oriented tourism centre.
The fact that Las Vegas is a major tourist destination, for gays and lesbians, for Mom and Pop America, for the teenage travel market, for the college tourism market and for the seniors market - both mainstream and gay and lesbian seniors - as well as travelers from all over the world, from both the gay and straight tourism markets, is merely stating an obvious fact that Las Vegas, in 2005, is one of the world's premier tourism destination cities.
And that fact has little to do with whether those visiting are gay, straight or otherwise. It rather has everything to do with Las Vegas just being Vegas.
To illustrate this, you only need look at the total number of tourists visiting San Francisco in 2004 (15 million) and compare that to the total number of tourists - gay, lesbian, straight, all the others - visiting Las Vegas in 2004 (more than 37 million) to realise that this new research does not actually prove Las Vegas to suddenly be a new gay travel destination - it just broadly reflects general travel destination trends for US travel destinations.
What is perhaps a far more interesting fact is that some traditional gay and lesbian travel destinations - such as San Francisco and Amsterdam - have failed to re-invent and render themselves as relevant in a modern gay and lesbian travel context as they were in years past. Why this is, and what these destinations do next, is the much more interesting gay marketing story of the moment.
Las Vegas and queens and divas and freshers and families and spring breakers, and all sorts, will keep on meeting up in the Nevada desert for many years to come.
Not, for gays and lesbians, because Vegas has become a gay or lesbian centre of tourism - but rather just because Las Vegas is Vegas.
That is really basic Gay Travel Marketing 101 - pure and simple.
Out Now is your lesbian and gay advertising, training and marketing partner. Leaders in lesbian and gay research, strategy, advertising, communications and training.
Global gay marketing, gay advertising, lesbian and gay market research leaders. Gay Marketing 101 - The Out Now Updates.
OutNowConsulting.com | GayMarketing101.com
Companies marketing & advertising to gays and lesbians.
Better targeting of the lesbian and gay consumer market.
A US study released last week suggests that Las Vegas is now a greater tourist draw than San Francisco for some respondents to gay travel and tourism market research.
That is quite likely true on a pure number of destination tourists basis, but it hardly reveals anything especially surprising.
It is worth remembering that when gay and lesbian people travel they do so for a diverse range of reasons - many of which have nothing to do with their sexuality.
There is indeed a new gay and lesbian oriented nightclub on the Las Vegas strip but that is hardly indicative of a new gay mecca being established. This is so just because of the simple fact that Las Vegas, in and of itself, in 2005, is a much bigger tourist drawcard overall than San Francisco.
This really does not mean the Las Vegas destination is now a preferred gay travel destination specifically because of lesbian and gay tourism appeal, in any greater measure than that it is a preferred destination for all travelers from all over the world.
In my opinion, to suggest that somehow Las Vegas has newly become a gay tourism travel mecca drawcard is too simplistic. There is, for example, no comparative data to show just how many people comprising the lesbian and gay travel market visited Las Vegas - compared to San Francisco - say, fifteen years ago, which is what would be needed to really assert, as the authors of the study seem to, that Las Vegas has usurped San Francisco as a gay oriented tourism centre.
The fact that Las Vegas is a major tourist destination, for gays and lesbians, for Mom and Pop America, for the teenage travel market, for the college tourism market and for the seniors market - both mainstream and gay and lesbian seniors - as well as travelers from all over the world, from both the gay and straight tourism markets, is merely stating an obvious fact that Las Vegas, in 2005, is one of the world's premier tourism destination cities.
And that fact has little to do with whether those visiting are gay, straight or otherwise. It rather has everything to do with Las Vegas just being Vegas.
To illustrate this, you only need look at the total number of tourists visiting San Francisco in 2004 (15 million) and compare that to the total number of tourists - gay, lesbian, straight, all the others - visiting Las Vegas in 2004 (more than 37 million) to realise that this new research does not actually prove Las Vegas to suddenly be a new gay travel destination - it just broadly reflects general travel destination trends for US travel destinations.
What is perhaps a far more interesting fact is that some traditional gay and lesbian travel destinations - such as San Francisco and Amsterdam - have failed to re-invent and render themselves as relevant in a modern gay and lesbian travel context as they were in years past. Why this is, and what these destinations do next, is the much more interesting gay marketing story of the moment.
Las Vegas and queens and divas and freshers and families and spring breakers, and all sorts, will keep on meeting up in the Nevada desert for many years to come.
Not, for gays and lesbians, because Vegas has become a gay or lesbian centre of tourism - but rather just because Las Vegas is Vegas.
That is really basic Gay Travel Marketing 101 - pure and simple.
Out Now is your lesbian and gay advertising, training and marketing partner. Leaders in lesbian and gay research, strategy, advertising, communications and training.
Wednesday, November 02, 2005
We'll have a gay old time
TOPICS: Gay market. Gay Greys. Lesbian and gay aging. Older gay market. Lesbian and gay marketing. US gay and lesbian market. Lesbian and gay travel marketing. Gay advertising. Gay groups. Lesbian and gay business. Brands target older gay and lesbian Baby Boomers. Lesbian advertising. Olivia lesbian travel marketing. Gay retirement home. Lesbian and gay market for aged care.
Global gay marketing, gay advertising, lesbian and gay market research leaders. Gay Marketing 101 - The Out Now Updates.
OutNowConsulting.com | GayMarketing101.com
Companies marketing & advertising to gays and lesbians.
Better targeting of the lesbian and gay consumer market.
Life's little inevitabilities are said to include death and taxes.
What happens in the last years before death though is a topic that is increasingly on the minds of lesbians and gay men across the world.
The thought of being forced back into the closet is now causing a lot of ageing gay and lesbian Baby Boomers to consider their options.
And this is leading to a heightened attention being paid in the lesbian and gay market to the provision of gay and lesbian specific aged care and the setting up of gay retirement villages for lesbian and gay seniors.
In the US, the marketing brand Olivia - traditionally focused on providing lesbian specific travel and lesbian cruises, as sponsored by Martina Navratilova, and newly out lesbian basketballer Sheryl Swoopes, amongst others - is now looking into setting up specific aged care facilities for the lesbian and gay seniors market.
MSNBC has reported that the San Francisco-based travel company has looked at three locations in Palm Springs for its first retirement community and is now looking for a real estate developer to build it. Lesbian and gay seniors would appear to be on the verge of becoming an increasingly important niche within the gay and lesbian market niche.
The Australian office of our lesbian and gay marketing agency, Out Now undertook a series of gay and lesbian market research focus groups in the late 1990s analysing the issues behind this increasingly important gay market trend.
Gays and lesbians reported that having fought hard for their gay rights and lesbian and gay acceptance in general society, they were worried that in the environment of aged care facilities, including retirement homes, they may not be able to be open and accepted because of their sexuality.
It was primarily this fear that led many research participants to crave a gay specific product for retirement home living and the market research participants - made up of lesbian and gay seniors - were generally very enthusiastic about their preference to live in a lesbian and gay community retirement aged care facility, rather than one offered by other groups.
Many research participants were concerned that in Australia a lot of aged care facilities are managed by Church organisations, and there was a clear fear held by lesbian and gay seniors that being open about their homosexuality may make them less than welcome in such establishments.
Recent developments, in the US and further afield, and an increasingly aging demographic in most western democracies, means that this a marketing trend that will likely continue to grow.
The 'Grey Gays' are a gay marketing segment whose time has come.
Out Now is your gay marketing partner.
Leaders in lesbian and gay research, strategy, advertising, communications and training.
Global gay marketing, gay advertising, lesbian and gay market research leaders. Gay Marketing 101 - The Out Now Updates.
OutNowConsulting.com | GayMarketing101.com
Companies marketing & advertising to gays and lesbians.
Better targeting of the lesbian and gay consumer market.
Life's little inevitabilities are said to include death and taxes.
What happens in the last years before death though is a topic that is increasingly on the minds of lesbians and gay men across the world.
The thought of being forced back into the closet is now causing a lot of ageing gay and lesbian Baby Boomers to consider their options.
And this is leading to a heightened attention being paid in the lesbian and gay market to the provision of gay and lesbian specific aged care and the setting up of gay retirement villages for lesbian and gay seniors.
In the US, the marketing brand Olivia - traditionally focused on providing lesbian specific travel and lesbian cruises, as sponsored by Martina Navratilova, and newly out lesbian basketballer Sheryl Swoopes, amongst others - is now looking into setting up specific aged care facilities for the lesbian and gay seniors market.
MSNBC has reported that the San Francisco-based travel company has looked at three locations in Palm Springs for its first retirement community and is now looking for a real estate developer to build it. Lesbian and gay seniors would appear to be on the verge of becoming an increasingly important niche within the gay and lesbian market niche.
The Australian office of our lesbian and gay marketing agency, Out Now undertook a series of gay and lesbian market research focus groups in the late 1990s analysing the issues behind this increasingly important gay market trend.
Gays and lesbians reported that having fought hard for their gay rights and lesbian and gay acceptance in general society, they were worried that in the environment of aged care facilities, including retirement homes, they may not be able to be open and accepted because of their sexuality.
It was primarily this fear that led many research participants to crave a gay specific product for retirement home living and the market research participants - made up of lesbian and gay seniors - were generally very enthusiastic about their preference to live in a lesbian and gay community retirement aged care facility, rather than one offered by other groups.
Many research participants were concerned that in Australia a lot of aged care facilities are managed by Church organisations, and there was a clear fear held by lesbian and gay seniors that being open about their homosexuality may make them less than welcome in such establishments.
Recent developments, in the US and further afield, and an increasingly aging demographic in most western democracies, means that this a marketing trend that will likely continue to grow.
The 'Grey Gays' are a gay marketing segment whose time has come.
Out Now is your gay marketing partner.
Leaders in lesbian and gay research, strategy, advertising, communications and training.
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