Gay Market Goes Cruising

TOPICS: Gay and lesbian travel market. Pink Dollar. Cruise lines and gay travelers. Lesbian and gay tourism market. Increased growth in gay cruising evident in US market.

You are at the Out Now Gay Marketing 101 gay market updates site. To reach our main site on lesbian and gay market research, gay advertising and gay marketing strategies, visit OutNowConsulting.com.
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Yesterday's New York Times had an interesting article about the importance of the gay and lesbian tourism market to the cruise line market.

Here is an extract:

Gay Cruises Are on the Seas and in the Mainstream
Published: October 29, 2006

NEXT Memorial Day weekend, Cunard’s behemoth liner the Queen Mary 2 will depart for a routine six-day Atlantic crossing from New York to Southampton, England, with the usual white-glove service, decadent cuisine and formal evening wear after sundown. The difference this time: practically all the guests aboard the 2,592-passenger cruise will be gay. It’s a first for Cunard. The line signed a deal earlier this year with RSVP Vacations, a gay travel company that has chartered the ship. The agreement is one sign among many of gay cruises’ progression into the mainstream of cruise travel.

Most gay-cruise operators run charter businesses, paying cruise lines to use their ships and crews. In the early days of gay cruises, about 20 years ago, that often meant working with little-known lines or securing second-tier ships. Itineraries often included just a handful of gay-friendly destinations. But as the overall rate in the growth of passengers and spending has slowed in recent years, the cruise industry has become keenly aware of the gay travel market, estimated at $55 billion and growing.

Gay travelers took a median of five overnight trips in the last 12 months ending in August 2006, compared with four trips for Americans in general, and spent a median of $6,273 in travel expenses, compared with roughly $3,000 for all travelers.

To get a piece of that lucrative market, cruise companies that “really hadn’t thought much about the gay and lesbian market” are now “actively recruiting and soliciting our business,” said Jeff Soukup, chief executive of RSVP Vacations. It’s now common for all-gay cruises to sail to the same ports popular with most cruisers, often on the same popular ships. For the coming season, RSVP (which was acquired in March by PlanetOut Inc., a media and entertainment company that caters to gay audiences) has chartered major cruise companies’ flagship vessels, including the Amsterdam of the Holland America Line and the Caribbean Princess of Princess Cruises, as well as the Queen Mary 2.

Atlantis Events, which operates tours for gay travelers, has charted Royal Caribbean’s newest vessel, Freedom of the Seas — at a capacity of 3,634 passengers it is even bigger than the Queen Mary 2 — for a weeklong Caribbean sailing in January; it is already sold out. And Olivia, a lesbian travel company, is offering cruise itineraries this winter to a range of destinations, both common and exotic, including the Galápagos, Antarctica, Tahiti, Alaska and Amsterdam.

All of this means more options for travelers. Pat Funk, 53, a real estate broker from Cannon Beach, Ore., has been going on Olivia cruises since she met her partner, Dale Shafer, on one 10 years ago. Back then, she said, the ships were older and there weren’t as many offerings, but each year since, “they do more exotic or upscale trips.” This season, the couple plans to go the Galápagos, Antarctica and Amsterdam.

Gay travelers are interested in the same destinations as any others, said Amy Errett, the chief executive of Olivia, but they want to see those places “in community and in sort of a safe environment.”

A larger, more open presence of gay passengers is also showing itself on cruises not pitched to gay travelers. The New York-based Pied Piper Travel, which caters to gay groups, booked about 430 gay passengers to the Caribbean the week after Thanksgiving last year — the company’s most popular trip. This year, 600 gay travelers have already signed up for the same cruise, filling nearly a quarter of the ship, Royal Caribbean’s Radiance of the Seas.

And conventional cruise lines have begun to offer welcome parties for gay travelers, dubbed Friends of Dorothy — a slang term used among some gays to describe themselves.

In fact, gay cruises have become so popular that a reverse phenomenon is starting to emerge. “We’re finding a lot of gay travelers have straight friends who want to be a part of this,” said Tom de Rose, owner of Friends of Dorothy Travel in San Francisco. Because of this, he said, gay cruises are increasingly becoming “straight-friendly.”

Paul Ortega, 44, a landscape designer, from Palm Springs, Calif., has been going on gay cruises for 12 years. In the early days, he said, “there might have been a handful of straight people,” while now it’s much more common to meet straight passengers aboard the ship who are traveling with gay family or friends, as well as women and older passengers. “The demographic has changed.”
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Out Now is your lesbian and gay advertising, training and marketing partner. Leaders in lesbian and gay market research, gay marketing strategy, gay and lesbian tailored advertising, gay market communications and training.

For further gay marketing information, or to seek gay market advice, please contact:

Ian Johnson, Managing Director, Out Now Consulting
UK landline: +44-20-8123 5288
BE landline: +32-2-514 6443
mobile: +32-4737 60886
web: OutNowConsulting.com
updates: Gay Marketing 101 - Gay Market Updates by Out Now

Global gay marketing, gay advertising, lesbian and gay market research leaders. Gay Marketing 101 - The Out Now Updates.
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Companies marketing & advertising to gays and lesbians.
Better targeting of the lesbian and gay consumer market.

gay market gay advertising gay marketing gay tourism gay travel pink dollar pink pound gay agency advertising marketing travel tourism gay lesbian gay and lesbian market research

Stoli Goes Absolut For Gay Market

TOPICS: Gay and lesbian market. Pink Dollar. New York, USA. Gay marketing. Lesbian and gay marketing. Stoli vodka. Vodka marketing. Alcoholic beverages targeting gay and lesbian consumers. Absolut to face increased competition in gay market from Stolichnaya Vodka. Stoli commences 12 month sponsorship deal of MTV gay channel, Logo.

You are at the Out Now Gay Marketing 101 gay market updates site. To reach our main site on lesbian and gay market research, gay advertising and gay marketing strategies, visit OutNowConsulting.com.
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In 1995, our Australian operation Significant Others Consulting handled advertising for Stolichnaya Russian Vodka. Now over ten years later the brand is once again poised to make a significant push for its share of an increasingly competitive market space in the gay market for vodka.

It is very interesting to read that a Harris survey of 1,500 viewers commissioned by Logo found 73% were more inclined to buy a product advertised on Logo than on another channel and 80% were more likely to watch commercials on Logo.

It seems those gay and lesbian brand loyalty assertions do stack up under examination.

I agree with the tone of the comments of the Stoli brand manager when he says "Because of the nature of the community as trendsetting, they are heavily marketed to and very skeptical of advertising".

That does not mean advertising does not have its part to play, but brands have to start getting far more creative with their marketing approaches if they expect consumers to be interested in them, and that is true across all market segments, not just gay consumers.

Here is an extract from yesterday's USA Today that talks about Stoli's new push to get its gay market share up.

By Theresa Howard, USA TODAY
NEW YORK — Stolichnaya vodka, which wants to oust Absolut as the reigning vodka in the gay and lesbian market, will kick off a year-long series of programs beginning Sunday on Viacom's (VIA) Logo cable channel.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) consumers are attractive both as trendsetters and for high disposable income: an expected $641 billion in spending this year, up from $600 billion in 2005, according to the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce. Absolut, the top U.S. import, for many years has courted this market.

Stoli's campaign begins with a one-hour, ad-free documentary that it produced, Be Real: Stories from Queer America, on the LGBT-oriented Logo channel. The film will appear at least 10 times on Logo as part of their year-long deal.

Stolichnaya looked beyond traditional advertising to market "in a culturally relevant way," says Adam Rosen, senior brand manager. "Because of the nature of the community as trendsetting, they are heavily marketed to and very skeptical of advertising"

The deal with Logo also includes a six-episode reality show to air in April, tentatively titled Be Real. It will profile pairs of couples going through parallel experiences, such as a commitment ceremony. On Monday, Stoli will launch www.stolibereal.com, where visitors can watch the documentary online and also nominate couples for Be Real.

The network made the deal for the advertiser-produced shows because they are "authentic," says Logo President Brian Graden. "We started out with the question, 'Is this good content and something that our audience would like to see?' "

The shows contain no commercials within but will open and close with "sponsored by Stoli" messages and a 30-second ad for Stoli's latest flavor, Blueberi.

"We're hoping to create the association that Stoli is bringing you this message and that we support your community," says Rosen.

The image of support is important because Logo viewers "disproportionately reward advertisers they know are stepping up and positively selling to the gay and lesbian audience," says Graden.

A Harris survey of 1,500 viewers commissioned by Logo found 73% were more inclined to buy a product advertised on Logo than on another channel and 80% were more likely to watch commercials on Logo.

Stoli, bought by Pernod Ricard from Allied Domecq last year, has doubled its LGBT marketing to 10% of its annual marketing budget from 5% in 2004.

The increase comes as premium vodka sales continue to soar — up 8% in 2005 vs. 2004, according to Impact's 2006 Annual Spirits Study.

But competition within the category is fierce. Absolut and Stoli volume each rose about 3% from 2000 through 2005. However, Absolut's market share fell to 34.5% of volume from 55.6% in that period, while Stoli's slid slightly to 14.5% from 16.8%.
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Out Now is your lesbian and gay advertising, training and marketing partner. Leaders in lesbian and gay market research, gay marketing strategy, gay and lesbian tailored advertising, gay market communications and training.

For further gay marketing information, or to seek gay market advice, please contact:

Ian Johnson, Managing Director, Out Now Consulting
UK landline: +44-20-8123 5288
BE landline: +32-2-514 6443
mobile: +32-4737 60886
web: OutNowConsulting.com
updates: Gay Marketing 101 - Gay Market Updates by Out Now

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My Gay Stonewall UK Moment

TOPICS: Gay and lesbian market. Pink Pound. London, UK. Gay marketing. Lesbian and gay community. Head of Stonewall UK criticises Ian Johnson of Out Now. Gays and lesbians in the media. Pink Pound Conference. Market Research Society. Ben Summerskill of Stonewall UK criticises Out Now gay market research for Diva (UK) and Gay Times (UK) magazines, while his organisation chooses to use figures from this research.

You are at the Out Now Gay Marketing 101 gay market updates site. To reach our main site on lesbian and gay market research, gay advertising and gay marketing strategies, visit OutNowConsulting.com.
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In June I spoke at the Pink Pound Conference in London by Jean Collingwood's Ingenious Group as the Keynote Speaker.

I talked about a range of issues, including recognising that the diversity that exists within the lesbian and gay communities is key to understanding how to market to lesbian and gay customers. I often refer to the fact that "averages mask diversity" as a warning to those who can get too hung up on journalists' reporting of 'average' figures in relation to gays and lesbians.

A person called Ben Summerskill, a former journalist, who currently runs an organisation called Stonewall - a quite excellent lesbian and gay rights group in the UK - spoke much later in the day and, I suspect, had either not been there or had just failed to regard my presentation in the morning at the beginning of the conference - and in his opening comments chose to specifically criticise the research Out Now worked on in the UK for Diva and Gay Times in 2005, as reported in The Guardian (UK) newspaper earlier this year.

It was quite unexpected therefore for me to see his organisation this week choosing to use these figures, which he seemed to explicity criticise at the Pink Pound Conference in June, to promote Stonewall's own agenda.

To let all make up their own minds, I post today's correspondence with Ben Summerskill, head of Stonewall here. Make of it what you all will.

-----Original Message-----
From: Ian Johnson OUT NOW
Sent: 27 October 2006 13:40
To: Ben Summerskill
Cc: Ian Johnson OUT NOW; Kim Watson; info; Calum Irving; Liz Morgan; Jenny Porter
Subject: Out Now Gay Times and Diva research data

Ben

I was at the Pink Pound Conference and recall you saying that you did not agree with the extrapolation of the 2005 Out Now Diva and Gay Times Readers Survey to yield the UK lesbian and gay market value of £70 billion, as had been reported in The Guardian earlier this year.

It was obviously quite a surprise to me then to see that same figure of 70 billion now reported on Stonewall's own website and in UK media this week.

http://www.stonewall.org.uk/media/current_releases/1489.asp.

I am pleased that you now support our market assessment figure, and so request, as a matter of accuracy for all, that you ensure on Stonewall's site and in marketing or PR materials referring to any market data such as this, now and in the future, that it is always correctly sourced as follows:

Data Source: 2005 Out Now Diva and Gay Times Readers Survey

We are pleased to assist the work of Stonewall if we can and it may be nice to work together with Stonewall sometime in the near future. We wish this current campaign for small businesses every success - a great development for our community,

with best wishes,
Ian.

IAN JOHNSON
Managing Director
Out Now Consulting
Gay marketing. Solved.

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On 27 Oct 2006, at 15:25, Ben Summerskill wrote:

Dear Ian

Many apologies. I obviously didn’t express myself very well at the conference. What I was trying to say (and clearly failed hopelessly) is that business and, in the context of what I’d been asked to talk about, gay organizations seeking sponsorship should never extrapolate from the sort of research that you did very for Diva and Gay Times that all lesbian and gay consumers fitted the income profiles reported in the Guardian. There isn’t, as far as we’re aware (and our policy and research staff now confirm this) one ‘pink pound’ but, as I mentioned at the conference, a spread of lesbian and gay people in different income groups, including some much richer and some (particularly women) who are very poor. You might recall that the Guardian carried a correction of their piece the next day to this effect.

We do all, of course, occasionally make errors. I should add, while writing, that I was a little confused myself to see you quoted in Travel Weekly on 21 September as having said: “If I see another seminar that tells companies to realize the value of the Pink Pound, I’ll go mad” and yet to find that someone also called Ian Johnson is speaking at an expensive conference in London on 24 November entitled “The Pink Pound”.

Very best wishes
Ben

Ben Summerskill
Chief Executive, Stonewall, Tower Building, York Road, London SE1 7NX, Registered Charity #1101255
Telephone: 020 7593 1850, Minicom: 020 7633 0759, Fax: 020 7593 1877
Website: www.stonewall.org.uk

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From: Ian Johnson OUT NOW
Date: Fri 27 Oct 2006 16:17:22 GMT+02:00
To: "Ben Summerskill"
Subject: Re: Out Now Gay Times and Diva research data

Ben

Many thanks for the reply. I'd be grateful for the future data source credit, as per my previous email.

You are right there about the Pink Pound title issue, made me smile too, and in fact the quote you mention was part of a much more expanded response (as such quotes almost always are just a journalistic cut and grab) explaining that realising the value of the Pink Pound is not really the primary issue anymore, I think everyone knows about it now - what matters far more is what are the implications of it. The specific words 'Pink Pound' were not really of great concern to me as such, but the part quoted could not reflect the larger meaning of what I said.

You may not know we were not responsible for picking the topic for the Market Research Society conference, and indeed my Keynote address is all about getting beyond notions of the value of the Pink Pound and looking instead at the implications of a viable lesbian and gay consumer market. Indeed moving from the "Why" (ie value) to the "How" (ie what are the issues that concern lesbians and gay men themselves) and the resulting implications of that for businesses.

'Pink Pound', as an easy to remember alliterative title for the lesbian and gay consumer market in Britain, is something we are all going to live with for some time to come I suspect.

Our media releases are clear that the averages quoted refer to the specific publications involved, but as you better than anyone would know, what you say, and what a journalist turns that into can often diverge. In fact one of my oft repeated statements in my business is "averages mask diversity and in understanding lesbian and gay people, diversity is key".

It was nice to receive your email, and I hope we might discover opportunities to work constructively together in the future,

with best wishes,
Ian.

IAN JOHNSON
Managing Director
Out Now Consulting
Gay marketing. Solved.

http://www.OutNowConsulting.com

Amsterdam +31-(0)613 252 316 | London +44-(0)20-8123 5288 | New York +1-646-808 0740
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GAY TRAVEL MARKETING WORKSHOP: WORLD TRAVEL MARKET, 8 NOV 2006
KEYNOTE ADDRESS: PINK POUND CONFERENCE, MARKET RESEARCH SOCIETY, 24 NOV 2006
INSIDER'S SEMINAR: ASSOCIATION OF BRITISH TRAVEL AGENTS (ABTA) ANNUAL CONFERENCE, 29 NOV 2006

For the latest gay market news by Out Now:
http://www.GayMarketing101.blogspot.com

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Out Now is your lesbian and gay advertising, training and marketing partner. Leaders in lesbian and gay market research, gay marketing strategy, gay and lesbian tailored advertising, gay market communications and training.

For further gay marketing information, or to seek gay market advice, please contact:

Ian Johnson, Managing Director, Out Now Consulting
UK landline: +44-20-8123 5288
BE landline: +32-2-514 6443
mobile: +32-4737 60886
web: OutNowConsulting.com
updates: Gay Marketing 101 - Gay Market Updates by Out Now

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Companies marketing & advertising to gays and lesbians.
Better targeting of the lesbian and gay consumer market.

gay market gay advertising gay marketing gay tourism gay travel pink dollar pink pound gay agency advertising marketing travel tourism gay lesbian gay and lesbian market research

New Jersey Says Gay Marriage OK

TOPICS: Gay and lesbian market. Pink Dollars. New Jersey, US. Gay marketing. Lesbian and gay community. New Jersey Supreme Court gives go ahead to gay marriage or civil unions in that US state. Constitutional right. Gays and lesbians in the media. Gay Marriage. Civil Partnerships.

You are at the Out Now Gay Marketing 101 gay market updates site. To reach our main site on lesbian and gay market research, gay advertising and gay marketing strategies, visit OutNowConsulting.com.
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The New Jersey Supreme Court has come out very strongly in favour of the institution of a state sanctioned form of union, either Civil Partnerships or Gay Marriage.

Equal rights for the lesbian and gay communities were pivotal to the judges' decisions.

Here is an extract from the latest New York Time reporting on this major news development:

TRENTON, Oct. 25 — New Jersey’s highest court ruled on Wednesday that gay couples are entitled to the same legal rights and financial benefits as heterosexual couples, but ordered the Legislature to decide whether their unions must be called marriage or could be known by another name.

Two plaintiffs, Alicia Heath-Toby, 43, left, and Saundra Toby-Heath, 53, got the news in Newark.

In a decision filled with bold and sweeping pronouncements about equality, the New Jersey Supreme Court gave the Democratic-controlled Legislature 180 days to either expand existing laws or come up with new ones to provide gay couples benefits including tuition assistance, survivors’ benefits under workers’ compensation laws, and spousal privilege in criminal trials.

All seven justices agreed that the state’s Constitution demands full legal rights for same-sex partners. But its ruling, 4 to 3, revealed a split in how to proceed. The majority said that lawmakers, not the court, should decide whether to call those arrangements a marriage, a civil union or something else. The three dissenters went further, asserting that gay couples, like their heterosexual counterparts, must be allowed to wed.

The New Jersey court did not go as far as Massachusetts, which in 2003 became the first state to permit gay marriage. Instead, it could be considered the new Vermont, which created civil unions for gay couples in 2000, in the politically, legally and culturally charged world of same-sex marriage.

“Our decision today significantly advances the civil rights of gays and lesbians,” Justice Barry T. Albin wrote for the majority. “We have decided that our State Constitution guarantees that every statutory right and benefit conferred to heterosexual couples through civil marriage must be made available to committed same-sex couples.”

But the ruling passed along the thorniest question, of whether true equality demands the same name, to the Legislature,
saying “such change must come from the crucible of the democratic process.”

Within minutes of the court’s 3 p.m. announcement, three Democratic Assemblymen, working with Garden State Equality, a gay rights organization, said they would introduce a bill demanding marriage.

But reaction from their fellow legislators was guarded, with some saying privately that civil unions, not marriage, would be the likely result. In a joint statement, the Assembly speaker, Joseph J. Roberts Jr., and the Senate president, Richard J. Codey, both Democrats, called the 180-day deadline “unreasonable” and said, “The only remaining issues now confronting the Legislature are ones of terminology and clarification.”

For people involved in the legal battle over gay marriage, the decision is an important shift from recent court rulings in New York, Washington state and California that essentially rejected gay couples’ claims on marriage and the benefits it confers. And by issuing a nuanced and complicated 90-page ruling that left observers struggling to declare who won and who lost, the court may have neutralized gay marriage as an issue in the Nov. 7 elections, when eight states will consider ballot measures to ban same-sex marriage.

“The decision certainly minimizes what the radical right thought they might have had as a mobilizing tool in the last days of the election,” said Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign, a gay advocacy organization.

Nathaniel Persily, who teaches law and political science at the University of Pennsylvania and was a co-author of a recent paper titled “Gay Marriage, Public Opinion and the Courts,” praised the justices for “an incredibly smart and politically astute opinion.”

“The court has placed itself exactly where a majority of the American people are,” Professor Persily said. “A majority of Americans are in favor of equal rights for gays tantamount to marriage, but a majority is also against calling that relationship marriage.”

At the same time, he added: “This must be seen as a win for gay rights. They did not get the name they want, but they are getting more rights than could have been imaginable just a few years ago. Who would have thought 50, 20, even 10 years ago that a unanimous state supreme court would have said that gay relationships are entitled to equal rights as heterosexual relationships?”
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Out Now is your lesbian and gay advertising, training and marketing partner. Leaders in lesbian and gay market research, gay marketing strategy, gay and lesbian tailored advertising, gay market communications and training.

For further gay marketing information, or to seek gay market advice, please contact:

Ian Johnson, Managing Director, Out Now Consulting
UK landline: +44-20-8123 5288
BE landline: +32-2-514 6443
mobile: +32-4737 60886
web: OutNowConsulting.com
updates: Gay Marketing 101 - Gay Market Updates by Out Now

Global gay marketing, gay advertising, lesbian and gay market research leaders. Gay Marketing 101 - The Out Now Updates.
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Companies marketing & advertising to gays and lesbians.
Better targeting of the lesbian and gay consumer market.

gay market gay advertising gay marketing gay tourism gay travel pink dollar pink pound gay agency advertising marketing travel tourism gay lesbian gay and lesbian market research

Pink Pound Conference update

TOPICS: Gay and lesbian market research. Pink Pound. London, UK. Gay marketing. Lesbian and gay advertising. Market Research Society presents Pink Pound Conference in London 24 November 2006. Ian Johnson of Out Now Consulting presents Keynote Address.

You are at the Out Now Gay Marketing 101 gay market updates site. To reach our main site on lesbian and gay market research, gay advertising and gay marketing strategies, visit OutNowConsulting.com.
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More details are now online about next month's Pink Pound Conference in London, being hosted by the prestigious research body, the Market Research Society.

For a detailed programme, click on the above link.

Here is an overview from the Market Research Society:

This one-day conference is a must-attend event for anyone who recognises that the Pink Pound is important to their business.

Research is not only vital to harnessing the potential of the LGBT market, worth an estimated £70 billion, but also key to responsible marketing. With the latest UK legislation, ensuring that companies do not discriminate against people on the basis of their sexual orientation in the provision of goods and services as well as in advertising, it is all the more important that corporate Britain begins to understand and meet the needs of gay and lesbian consumers.

High profile speakers from agency and client-side explore the issues, challenges and latest developments in researching and marketing to the complex and discerning gay consumer group. The programme, chaired by Charlotte Nilsson (OMD Insight) offers a mix of presentations, discussion and interactivity starting with keynote address from Ian Johnson (Out Now Consulting) one of the world’s foremost authorities on marketing to gay and lesbian customers.

Aimed at client-side and agency researchers the programme covers:

Why British companies need to catch up with their overseas counterparts in understanding the gay consumer
How to segment this complex market
What the latest research findings reveal
How to communicate responsibly by avoiding offensive stereotypes
How to ensure inclusive relationships with respondents and consumers
How high-profile research projects have unearthed rich insight into the market
Why research is so vital in fostering brand loyalty and trust amongst the LGBT community

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Out Now is your lesbian and gay advertising, training and marketing partner. Leaders in lesbian and gay market research, gay marketing strategy, gay and lesbian tailored advertising, gay market communications and training.

For further gay marketing information, or to seek gay market advice, please contact:

Ian Johnson, Managing Director, Out Now Consulting
UK landline: +44-20-8123 5288
BE landline: +32-2-514 6443
mobile: +32-4737 60886
web: OutNowConsulting.com
updates: Gay Marketing 101 - Gay Market Updates by Out Now

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Better targeting of the lesbian and gay consumer market.

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EuroPride Gay Festival to Zurich

TOPICS: Gay and lesbian festivals. Europride. Zurich, Switzerland. Gay marketing. Lesbian and gay advertising.

You are at the Out Now Gay Marketing 101 gay market updates site. To reach our main site on lesbian and gay market research, gay advertising and gay marketing strategies, visit OutNowConsulting.com.
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BERLIN, October 13, 2006 – Zurich in Switzerland has been selected as host city for tha annual EuroPride lesbian and gay festival in 2009. The decision was made at the 13th international conference of the European Pride Organisers Association (EPOA) in Madrid last weekend.

Also bidding were Tel Aviv (Israel) and Mannheim (Germany).

According to organisers, EuroPride is not about size. It is about diversity and bringing together people from all over the world in a celebration of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender culture.

That the Swiss are accepting of gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgenders is not only shown by an openly gay high-ranking politician in Switzerland - the president of the National Council, Claude Janiak - who supported the bid, but by the fact that the Swiss approved adoption of their lesbian and gay marriage Civil Partnership laws in a national referendum.

In 2007 EuroPride takes place in Madrid, and in 2008 will be in Stockholm.

London hosted the 2006 EuroPride whose parade attracted about 600,000 people and included a two-week series of events, culminating in a EuroPride gala which saw local and international stars like Sir Ian McKellen, Sir Elton John, Stephen Fry enthuse attending audiences.

EuroPride Madrid 2007 will be host to more than 300 cultural events from June 22 to July 1, 2007. The highlight of their 10-day EuroPride Celebration will be the EuroPride Parade on June 30, 2007, followed by a party in the Chueca, Madrid’s GLBT village.

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Out Now is your lesbian and gay advertising, training and marketing partner. Leaders in lesbian and gay market research, gay marketing strategy, gay and lesbian tailored advertising, gay market communications and training.

For further gay marketing information, or to seek gay market advice, please contact:

Ian Johnson, Managing Director, Out Now Consulting
UK landline: +44-20-8123 5288
BE landline: +32-2-514 6443
mobile: +32-4737 60886
web: OutNowConsulting.com
updates: Gay Marketing 101 - Gay Market Updates by Out Now

Global gay marketing, gay advertising, lesbian and gay market research leaders. Gay Marketing 101 - The Out Now Updates.
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Companies marketing & advertising to gays and lesbians.
Better targeting of the lesbian and gay consumer market.

gay market gay advertising gay marketing gay tourism gay travel pink dollar pink pound gay agency advertising marketing travel tourism gay lesbian gay and lesbian market research

Market Research Society

TOPICS: Market research. Gay market research. Lesbian and gay market research. Market Research Society UK. New speking engagement. Out Now Consulting. Gay and lesbian market.

You are at the Out Now Gay Marketing 101 gay market updates site. To reach our main site on lesbian and gay market research, gay advertising and gay marketing strategies, visit OutNowConsulting.com.
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The UK Market Research Society have asked me to a gig in November which I said yes to, and the details are being finalised.

I am the Keynote Speaker apparently.

Anyway, details of the UK Pink Pound Gay and Lesbian Market Research Society conference are below, for those that may be interested in that.

24 November 2006
The Mayfair Conference Centre, London

Research is not only vital to harnessing the potential of the LGBT market, worth an estimated £70 billion, but also key to responsible marketing.

This one-day conference is a must-attend event for anyone who recognises that the Pink Pound is important to their business. High profile speakers from agency and client-side explore the issues, challenges and latest developments in researching and marketing to the complex and discerning gay consumer group.

Speakers from:

Out Now Consulting
OMD Insight
Channel 4
Ipsos MORI
Gaydar
Barclays
BT
Lawes Consulting
The programme covers:

Issue of segmenting this complex market
Latest fascinating research findings
How to avoid offensive steroptypes
How to speak to LGBT consumers in more inclusive, diverse and interesting ways
Case studies offering insight from companies who recognise the compelling business case for research in this market
The role of research in fostering brand loyalty and trust

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Out Now is your lesbian and gay advertising, training and marketing partner. Leaders in lesbian and gay market research, gay marketing strategy, gay and lesbian tailored advertising, gay market communications and training.

For further gay marketing information, or to seek gay market advice, please contact:

Ian Johnson, Managing Director, Out Now Consulting
UK landline: +44-20-8123 5288
BE landline: +32-2-514 6443
mobile: +32-4737 60886
web: OutNowConsulting.com
updates: Gay Marketing 101 - Gay Market Updates by Out Now

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.

gay market gay advertising gay marketing gay tourism gay travel pink dollar pink pound gay agency advertising marketing travel tourism gay lesbian gay and lesbian market research