Gay Advertising Campaign Vandalized

A gay rights advertising campaign in the UK has been vandalized with anti-gay graffiti. The new advertising campaign by the gay rights group Stonewall seeks gay tolerance and acceptance of the gay community, but the vandalism itself illustrates better than anything why such advertising campaigns are needed.


Ian Johnson, Out Now
February 28, 2008

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TOPICS: LGBT communications. Gay advertising. Lesbian and gay community advertisement in the UK market. Gay and lesbian community. Lesbian and gay communications market, LGBT equality and gay diversity. Gay and lesbian community. Gay and lesbian advertising campaign across the UK. Gay advertising campaign in the UK has been vandalized with anti-gay grafitti.

In a sad piece of irony, a new gay and lesbian advertising campaign in the UK -- itself designed to use advertisements to encourage tolerance and acceptance of gay people -- has been vandalized.

The new advertising campaign features large text based billboard advertisements that communicate the message:

Some people are gay. Get over it!

Some may find that message in the advertising to be quite forceful, even 'in your face'.

But in the world of billboard advertising, achieving communications 'cut-through' is essential, and the advertising needs to do this in a matter of seconds to effective.

This gay tolerance advertisement headline, in its 'out there' approach, is also a good way of both creating a strong and firm communications message about the issue, while reinforcing that gay people can be able to be strong, and feel secure and confident in their own sexuality.

The advertising seems to imply that it is not accepting gay people that represents a deficiency on the part of the homophobic: being gay is not the problem in this advertising, but being homophobic clearly is.

An advertising message that has clearly not gone down entirely well with the very target audience it was designed to influence, which is perhaps only to be expected.

The vandalism of the poster advertising campaign is being reported on fairly widely in the UK gay and mainstream media, and this media reaction is at least an additional step in the process of showing to people with homophobic attitudes that they are now out of step with general society attitudes towards lesbian and gay people.

Some of the online gay community and mainstream media comments on the advertisement have been quite interesting. One remark purporting to be from "a gay lad in Manchester" said:

"some people are homophobic, get over it"

While another commenter on a local Lancashire media outlet where posters have been vandalized said:

When I saw this (advertising) I immediately though that it was teenagers. Working, as I do with young people the word "gay" is used to mean stupid, thick, crap. Which in itself needs to be challenged but isn't the same as violent, agressive abuse.

The advertising campaign is an activity of the gay rights group Stonewall.

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To contact Out Now, send us an email. Gay market insight is Out Now: Gay Marketing. Solved. OutNowConsulting.com
All content on all Out Now websites (C) 2008 - Out Now. If you find any material you believe is subject to other copyrights here, other than allowed fair use for copyright purposes, please contact Out Now with details. Out Now Gay Market News -- Gay Marketing 101 gay market updates site. LGBT communications. Gay PR. Global gay PR marketing, gay public relations strategy, GLBT PR, LGBT issues training, gay advertising, LGBT market, lesbian and gay market research leaders, GLBT marketing. Gay Market News is Gay Marketing 101 - Out Now Gay Marketing, Advertising, Gay PR, Market Research. Travel Market. Training. 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 glbt lgbt communications community pink euro

Gay Muslims

Gays and lesbians around the world face varying levels of acceptance. One of the most difficult environments for coming out as gay or lesbian can be the one confronted by gay Muslims. Things though may be slowly changing. Learn how.


Ian Johnson, Out Now
February 26, 2008

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TOPICS: LGBT communications. Gay muslims. Religion and tolerance. Gay and lesbian travels in the Muslim world. Wall Street Journal. Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Film Festival. Queer Screen. Gay muslims step tentatively out of the shadows.

I have several Muslim friends. Two of them also happen to be gay.

That is a situation that has not always been easy for them, but there are signs that -- perhaps -- LGBT Muslims might hope for an easier road ahead.

There are various signs of this.

Gay Market News wrote last year about a Wall Street Journal article mentioning Out Now about the slow development of some Arab parts of the world as potential new gay and lesbian travel destinations.

There is even a very interesting book which discusses this topic in detail -- Gay Travels In The Muslim World -- from Michael T Luongo.

There have also been slow moves from the arts world into acknowledging that homosexuality does exist in all cultures across society, including in the Muslim world.

This month's Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Film Festival -- Queer Screen includes an interesting film about just this.

It may be that progress is slow, but it will happen that gay Muslims may slowly hope to achieve the levels of acceptance increasingly taken for granted by many in the liberal western democracies of the world.

Here is an extract from Sydney LGBT media reporting on the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Film Festival screenings:

The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Film Festival opens at the City Recital Hall in Angel Place.

This year’s festival features a great set of films, among them (a) controversial documentary about the coexistence of Islam and homosexuality.

A Jihad For Love has already inspired communities around the world.

The film enters the many worlds of Islam by illuminating multiple stories as diverse as Islam itself. Its subjects come from a myriad of countries including India, Pakistan, Iran and South Africa.

(The film) highlights how the majority of gay and lesbian Muslims must travel a twisting, lonely and often dangerous road.

The real-life characters who aren’t willing to abandon a faith they cherish struggle to reconcile their ardent belief with the reality of their being.

As the camera captures the stories of the individuals involved, the documentary gives a unique and honest insight into the world’s fastest growing religion.

For information and help with understanding key gay and lesbian marketing issues, to most effectively understand and meet the consumer needs of the lesbian and gay market, rely on the gay market experts, Out Now. Leading in the gay market since 1992.

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Access market research and gay marketing at the leading edge -- gay marketing expert strategic advice from Out Now -- the experienced global strategic gay marketing, research and communications agency, specialized in targeting the lesbian and gay consumer market.

To contact Out Now, send us an email. Helping brands marketing & advertising to gays and lesbians. Out Now Consulting and Gay Market News will keep you updated on all the latest gay marketing, GLBT community market research, LGBT travel and gay tourism, gay and lesbian communications, gay PR and gay advertising developments. Gay market insight is Out Now: Gay Marketing. Solved. OutNowConsulting.com GayMarketing101.com. All content on all Out Now websites (C) 2008 - Out Now. If you find any material you believe is subject to other copyrights here, other than allowed fair use for copyright purposes, please contact Out Now with details. Out Now Gay Market News -- Gay Marketing 101 gay market updates site. LGBT communications. Gay PR. Global gay PR marketing, gay public relations strategy, GLBT PR, LGBT issues training, gay advertising, LGBT market, lesbian and gay market research leaders, GLBT marketing. Gay Market News is Gay Marketing 101 - Out Now Gay Marketing, Advertising, Gay PR, Market Research. Travel Market. Training. 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 glbt lgbt communications community pink euro

Sydney Mardi Gras - Gays in The Military

This weekend the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras will celebrate its 30th anniversary. The gay community has made great strides; and this year, to prove that fact, Australia's military defence forces will be amongst those taking big strides down Oxford Street in this Saturday's Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade.


Ian Johnson, Out Now
February 25, 2008

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TOPICS: Gay and lesbian community. Lesbian and gay communications market, LGBT equality and gay diversity. Gay and lesbian community. Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. 30th anniversary Sydney Gay and lesbian Mardi Gras parade. Gays in the military. Soldiers marching in Mardi Gras parade in Sydney. Don't ask, don't tell policy in the US military is at odds with Australians gay and lesbian military marching in this week's 30th annual gay Mardi Gras parade.

The issue of gays in the military continues to be an unresolved one in the United States.

Gay Market News recently reported on next month's fundraising event by the Service Members Legal Defense Network to seek to overturn the US military's 'don't ask don't tell' policy.

The contrast with the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras taking place in Sydney this weekend could not be starker.

In Sydney this weekend, members of Australia's military will be marching as gay and lesbian soldiers in the Mardi Gras parade.

It would be good if the US military could manage to move its 'don't ask don't tell' policies on gays in the military into the 21st century too.

Here is a local Sydney gay media extract from a news report on the Mardi Gras and soldiers on parade in Sydney:

Soldiers to march in Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade

An official contingent from the Australian Defence Force will march in the Mardi Gras parade for the first time this year, but almost half the 100 servicemen and women who volunteered will be turned away.

New Mardi Gras has imposed a limit of 60 marchers on the historic float.
“We were overwhelmed by numbers keen to march and get their faces out there, to show the rest of the defence force that we are here,” Chief Petty Officer Stuart O’Brien said. “For Defence this is a major step. I don’t think Mardi Gras understand that.”

O’Brien, who also runs the Defence Gay and Lesbian Information Service, said the float would prioritise the many personnel returning from overseas deployment and interstate to attend.

Several of the participants (met) for the first time (last) Sunday to swap stories of gay life in the (Australian) military.

Since the Australian Defence Force removed the ban on homosexuality in 1992, service life has steadily improved for gay men and lesbians, with the Force often implementing same-sex equality reforms ahead of other areas of the public service.

“This is another major step to show the community that the Defence Force is a fair and inclusive workplace,” O’Brien said.

O’Brien said honesty was one of the core values of the Australian Defence Force.

“If you’re open and honest, people can trust you more. We need people to be up front and honest. But if you’re hiding one thing you’re probably going to hide more,” he said.

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To contact Out Now, send us an email. Gay market insight is Out Now: Gay Marketing. Solved. OutNowConsulting.com
All content on all Out Now websites (C) 2008 - Out Now. If you find any material you believe is subject to other copyrights here, other than allowed fair use for copyright purposes, please contact Out Now with details. Out Now Gay Market News -- Gay Marketing 101 gay market updates site. LGBT communications. Gay PR. Global gay PR marketing, gay public relations strategy, GLBT PR, LGBT issues training, gay advertising, LGBT market, lesbian and gay market research leaders, GLBT marketing. Gay Market News is Gay Marketing 101 - Out Now Gay Marketing, Advertising, Gay PR, Market Research. Travel Market. Training. 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 glbt lgbt communications community pink euro

LGBT Travel Market - Jamaica and Gay Travel

As more and more tourism destinations actively target the gay travel market, one destination is definitely bucking that market trend. Jamaica is a place the gays and lesbians choose to travel to at their peril. Read why the gay travel market is well advised to stay away from Jamaica.


Ian Johnson, Out Now
February 25, 2008

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TOPICS: LGBT communications. Caribbean destinations targeting the gay market. Gay and lesbian travel market. Gay travel marketing news. LGBT communications and gay tourism marketing strategies. Destination marketing. LGBT tourism marketing. Gay travel marketing. Destinations targeting LGBT tourism and gay travel. Jamaica is a place that the gay travel market ought not vist at present.

More than ever, the gay and lesbian travel market is hot -- as destination after destination seeks to better position itself for the gay consumer travel market.

But reporting out of the US shows that gay and lesbian travelers are well advised at present to steer clear of one place with a reputation for being laid back and relaxed about most things.

Unfortunately Jamaica is a place that has a very poor social environment for lesbian and gay people.

This is in stark contrast to other Caribbean destinations such as Curacao, who now actively target the LGBT travel and gay tourism market.

Locals in Jamaica who are gay report experiencing harassment and violence directed against them because of their sexuality.

The risks to gay and lesbian travelers is clear.

The New York Times has an article setting out why lesbian and gay travel to Jamaica will not likely be top of many gay travelers list anytime soon.

Here is an extract:

Attacks Show Easygoing Jamaica Is Dire Place for Gays

Being gay in Jamaica is not easy. For years, human rights groups have denounced the harassment, beating and even killing of gays here, to little avail. No official statistic has been compiled on the number of attacks.

But a recent string of especially violent, high-profile assaults has brought fresh condemnation to an island otherwise known as an easygoing tourist haven.

“One time may be an isolated incident,” said Rebecca Schleifer, a researcher for Human Rights Watch who has studied the issue and regularly gets calls from the island from gays under attack. “When they happen on a repeated basis across the country, it is an urgent problem that deserves attention at the highest levels.”

Disapproval of gays is an entrenched part of island life, rooted, Jamaicans say, in the country’s Christian tradition. The Bible condemns homosexuality, they say. But critics say islanders are selective in the verses they cite, and the rage at gay sex contrasts sharply with Jamaicans’ embrace of casual sex among heterosexuals, which is considered part of the Caribbean way.

While some other Caribbean tourist destinations have made a point of marketing to gay travelers, Jamaica has notably not joined the trend.

For information and help with understanding key gay and lesbian marketing issues, to most effectively understand and meet the consumer needs of the lesbian and gay market, rely on the gay market experts, Out Now. Leading in the gay market since 1992.

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Access market research and gay marketing at the leading edge -- gay marketing expert strategic advice from Out Now -- the experienced global strategic gay marketing, research and communications agency, specialized in targeting the lesbian and gay consumer market.

To contact Out Now, send us an email. Helping brands marketing & advertising to gays and lesbians. Out Now Consulting and Gay Market News will keep you updated on all the latest gay marketing, GLBT community market research, LGBT travel and gay tourism, gay and lesbian communications, gay PR and gay advertising developments. Gay market insight is Out Now: Gay Marketing. Solved. OutNowConsulting.com GayMarketing101.com. All content on all Out Now websites (C) 2008 - Out Now. If you find any material you believe is subject to other copyrights here, other than allowed fair use for copyright purposes, please contact Out Now with details. Out Now Gay Market News -- Gay Marketing 101 gay market updates site. LGBT communications. Gay PR. Global gay PR marketing, gay public relations strategy, GLBT PR, LGBT issues training, gay advertising, LGBT market, lesbian and gay market research leaders, GLBT marketing. Gay Market News is Gay Marketing 101 - Out Now Gay Marketing, Advertising, Gay PR, Market Research. Travel Market. Training. 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 glbt lgbt communications community pink euro

Making LGBT History

This is LGBT History Month in the UK. Today is also a big LGBT History moment at Gay Market News. This is our 500th news article in Gay Market News, and today we passed 40,000 readers. LGBT history in the making.


Ian Johnson, Out Now
February 19, 2008

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TOPICS: Gay and lesbian marketing. Lesbian and gay communications market, LGBT History Month. Gay and lesbian celebrities. Lesbian market. Gay market. Out celebrities. Global gay and lesbian marketing and Out Now GLBT market development. Gay Market News. Gay community marketing. UK LGBT History Month.


February is LGBT History Month in the UK. The purpose of this month is to celebrate the diversity of people who go to make up the LGBT community.

Unless you are from a minority group in society you might fail to realize how important it is to be able to look up to role models.

For many young people grappling with LGBT identity and self-confidence issues, the opportunity to be able to see that many of the people in their history books traveled the same journey of gay self discovery is a powerful thing indeed.

Helping people understand that their own gay, lesbian, bi or trans identity is just a natural part of who they are -- nothing more, but nothing less -- is a valuable social dividend of LGBT History Month.

It is also great to see that LGBT History Month in the UK -- a commemorative launched in 2005 to celebrate the ending of UK anti-gay Section 28 laws -- is officially supported by the UK government.

Some may question the need for such a month of LGBT history, but I know from personal experience the thrill -- and sense of unknowable solidarity -- that can result when, as a young gay or lesbian person, you suddenly discover that someone you respect and admire is gay or lesbian.

Leading LGBT luminaries are many.

Dusty Springfield, Graham Kennedy, Elton John, Leonardo da Vinci, Jodie Foster, Ian McKellen, Penny Wong, Alan Turing, Ellen DeGeneres, Noel Coward, Simone de Beauvoir, Drew Barrymore, Graham Norton, Jan Morris, Harvey Milk, Tchaikovsky.

Take your LGBT pick of who inspires you.

There are now literally thousands you can add to that list, and it cannot be said often enough how important is the power of positive role models to lesbian and gay youth as they come to terms with their own sexuality.

There are many thousands too who have been keeping up-to-date on LGBT community news these past three years by reading all the most important gay market developments right here at Gay Market News.

It is a fitting day to mark UK LGBT History Month with today marking both the 40,000th visitor to Gay Market News as well as this being our 500th Gay Market News article.

One thing we can say with utter certainty -- you can be sure that the LGBT communities around the world are going to continue to make history. And we will report on it for you.

Happy UK LGBT History Month.

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To contact Out Now, send us an email. Gay market insight is Out Now: Gay Marketing. Solved. OutNowConsulting.com
All content on all Out Now websites (C) 2008 - Out Now. If you find any material you believe is subject to other copyrights here, other than allowed fair use for copyright purposes, please contact Out Now with details. Out Now Gay Market News -- Gay Marketing 101 gay market updates site. LGBT communications. Gay PR. Global gay PR marketing, gay public relations strategy, GLBT PR, LGBT issues training, gay advertising, LGBT market, lesbian and gay market research leaders, GLBT marketing. Gay Market News is Gay Marketing 101 - Out Now Gay Marketing, Advertising, Gay PR, Market Research. Travel Market. Training. 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 glbt lgbt communications community pink euro

LGBT History Month Out Now

February is LGBT History Month in the UK. It celebrates the lives of gays and lesbians in the UK and the abolition of the anti-gay Section 28 laws. Landmark ruling on LGBT workplace discrimination in Wales to protect LGBT people.


Ian Johnson, Out Now
February 19, 2008

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TOPICS: LGBT History Month. Gay marketing. Lesbian and gay market. Gay community market. Global lesbian and gay community. Understanding the importance of lesbian and gay history Gay community.

February is LGBT History Month in the UK.

There is an interesting article in the LGBT History Month blog talking about workplace discrimination statistics from Out Now research.

Social discrimination in Wales, and other places, remains a problem that needs to be watched for.

The case of John Reaney involves working as a youth worker for a Church, and the actions of the Bishop questioning Mr Reaney's suitability for the role.

Mr Reaney was awarded significant damages at his hearing last week.

Details are mentioned in the LGBT History Month blog article, about the case of John Reaney in Wales. Here is an extract:

Tackling Social Discrimination in Wales

Last week saw a landmark ruling for all LGBT people, especially those living and working in Wales -- the Bishop of Hereford was made to pay £47,345 in compensation to John Reaney, the gay man who brought a claim of discrimination claim against him.

Research from Out Now Consulting shows that as many as 1 in 10 gay men and 1 in 8 lesbians have been harassed at work in the past year because of their sexual orientation.

There is a huge gap between the amount of people that get discriminated and those that actually access justice and enforce their rights.

For information and help with understanding key gay and lesbian marketing issues, to most effectively understand and meet the consumer needs of the lesbian and gay market, rely on the gay market experts, Out Now. Leading in the gay market since 1992.

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Access market research and gay marketing at the leading edge -- gay marketing expert strategic advice from Out Now -- the experienced global strategic gay marketing, research and communications agency, specialized in targeting the lesbian and gay consumer market.

To contact Out Now, send us an email. Helping brands marketing & advertising to gays and lesbians. Out Now Consulting and Gay Market News will keep you updated on all the latest gay marketing, GLBT community market research, LGBT travel and gay tourism, gay and lesbian communications, gay PR and gay advertising developments. Gay market insight is Out Now: Gay Marketing. Solved. OutNowConsulting.com GayMarketing101.com. All content on all Out Now websites (C) 2008 - Out Now. If you find any material you believe is subject to other copyrights here, other than allowed fair use for copyright purposes, please contact Out Now with details. Out Now Gay Market News -- Gay Marketing 101 gay market updates site. LGBT communications. Gay PR. Global gay PR marketing, gay public relations strategy, GLBT PR, LGBT issues training, gay advertising, LGBT market, lesbian and gay market research leaders, GLBT marketing. Gay Market News is Gay Marketing 101 - Out Now Gay Marketing, Advertising, Gay PR, Market Research. Travel Market. Training. 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 glbt lgbt communications community pink euro

Sydney Mardi Gras Dykes on Bikes

Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras is underway and culminates in the Mardi Gras parade next month. In the meantime, traditional lead offs -- Dykes on Bikes -- are not sure how to react to supporters from a mainstream Harley-Davidson motorbike group. Progress or not? Read and decide.


Ian Johnson, Out Now
February 18, 2008

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TOPICS: Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. Harley-Davidson. Dykes on Bikes. Harley motorcycles. Gay Mardi Gras parade. Lesbian and gay market news. Australian gay and lesbian market news. Gay and lesbian marketing. Harley Davidson. Gay Mardi Gras in Australia.


Sydney's Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade is marking its 30th anniversary in 2008.

The three week long festival culminates in the nighttime parade.

Usually that parade is started by the roar of those Sapphic ladies of the night -- the Dykes on Bikes.

This year there is a debate over what to make of the volunteered support of a heterosexual Harley-Davidson motorcycle group who would like to show their solidarity with Sydney's gay and lesbian community by riding with the Dykes on Bikes as they rev their engines to announce the start of the Mardi Gras parade.

Some lesbians worry that more straight riders will mean fewer lesbians in their traditional lead-off of the Mardi Gras.

Is it a good or a bad thing for the lesbian community, and should support from the mainstream be embraced or spurned if it results in less lesbian representation in the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade?

That debate will we think see the gay and lesbian community in Sydney become stronger as a result.

Here is an extract of local Sydney Morning Herald news reporting on this issue:

The straight debate

A GROUP of heterosexual Harley-Davidson enthusiasts has ridden into controversy as it tries to join this year's Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade.

The Illawarra chapter of HOG, the Harley Owners Group, has been given approval to enter 20 motorbikes, with up to 50 people, in the Sydney parade on March 1.

The group's director, Glen Southwell, said the bikers wanted to support the gay and lesbian community and show them "we wear leather too".

"A lot of people dislike bikers, thinking we're rough, redneck gay bashers and what we're saying is that's wrong,'' he said.

"If gay people want to join our group, that's OK."

However, the group's presence has upset some members of Dykes on Bikes who plan to celebrate their 20th anniversary in Mardi Gras by revving up to 250 bikes from Moore Park to Hyde Park before turning around to lead the parade up Oxford Street.

Members of the lesbian motorcycle group are concerned that the inclusion of HOG riders will limit their numbers because parade organisers fear too many motorcyclists at the start of the parade will cause delays and they will be fined.

Dykes on Bikes president Annette Mesure said there was concern over safety and "the logistics of the whole thing".

"I'd worry about the Harleys at low speed [and] because Harley engines are loud," she said.

However, Ms Mesure said Dykes on Bikes did not want to exclude anyone from the parade because they were not gay.

Dykes on Bikes had traditionally led the parade and a lot of people would be unhappy if that changed, she said.

Member Nic Fletcher, who will be in the Mardi Gras parade, said she was more than happy for the HOG riders to be part of the parade.

"It's nice to see the rest of the bikie community supporting us," she said.

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To contact Out Now, send us an email. Gay market insight is Out Now: Gay Marketing. Solved. OutNowConsulting.com
All content on all Out Now websites (C) 2008 - Out Now. If you find any material you believe is subject to other copyrights here, other than allowed fair use for copyright purposes, please contact Out Now with details. Out Now Gay Market News -- Gay Marketing 101 gay market updates site. LGBT communications. Gay PR. Global gay PR marketing, gay public relations strategy, GLBT PR, LGBT issues training, gay advertising, LGBT market, lesbian and gay market research leaders, GLBT marketing. Gay Market News is Gay Marketing 101 - Out Now Gay Marketing, Advertising, Gay PR, Market Research. Travel Market. Training. 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 glbt lgbt communications community pink euro

Gay Market and Web 2.0

The internet and the gay market work very well together. By expanding what Out Now calls the "reachables" component of the gay market, the internet facilitates online gay marketing expanding the total potential reach into the global lesbian and gay market. Web 2.0 is another step in that online gay market expansion process.


Ian Johnson, Out Now
February 15, 2008

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TOPICS: Gay marketing. Lesbian and gay market. Gay community market. Global lesbian and gay advertising. Targeting the gay market. Lesbian and gay community market developments. Internet gay market. Online gay marketing. Lesbian and gay online community. Web 2.0 online gay market.

The internet has changed much about gay marketing.

Whereas we once measured the portion of the gay market we could access -- what Out Now calls the "reachables" -- in the tens of thousands, or maybe the hundreds of thousands, the internet changes the gay market landscape.

By rendering a globally accessible channel into the gay market viable, online gay marketing now means that we can devise gay marketing campaigns with a potential gay market reach in the millions.

That has profound implications for how brands need to think when defining their target market, and devising gay marketing strategies.

Gay Market News has talked before about the impacts of the internet on gay marketing.

Of particular interest has been the development of Web 2.0 technologies -- some for the advancement of gay marketing and others perhaps not so good in the long term.

Developments such as Citizendium and Wikipedia have also become of increasing importance to a world where access and accessibility grows to become universal.

Now comes word of a new online gay market development, the launch yesterday of a web 2.0 gay market travel review site -- Gaypedia.com.

The site aims to provide a one-stop shop for gay market travelers, and includes web 2.0 functions such as user generated review and comment content.

According to the site's marketing statements: "The gay world changes so quickly that we were finding information in travel guides to be constantly out-of-date or inaccurate."

It will be interesting to watch the gay market development of this one.

As with all web 2.0 online marketing ventures, its success or failure will depend upon achieving a critical mass of users willing to visit the site -- and contribute.

If users find the site answers their questions it will meet a gay market need, and likely succeed. If content -- or users -- are found to be wanting: it will face a far tougher future.

For information and help with understanding key gay and lesbian marketing issues, to most effectively understand and meet the consumer needs of the lesbian and gay market, rely on the gay market experts, Out Now. Leading in the gay market since 1992.

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Access market research and gay marketing at the leading edge -- gay marketing expert strategic advice from Out Now -- the experienced global strategic gay marketing, research and communications agency, specialized in targeting the lesbian and gay consumer market.

To contact Out Now, send us an email. Helping brands marketing & advertising to gays and lesbians. Out Now Consulting and Gay Market News will keep you updated on all the latest gay marketing, GLBT community market research, LGBT travel and gay tourism, gay and lesbian communications, gay PR and gay advertising developments. Gay market insight is Out Now: Gay Marketing. Solved. OutNowConsulting.com GayMarketing101.com. All content on all Out Now websites (C) 2008 - Out Now. If you find any material you believe is subject to other copyrights here, other than allowed fair use for copyright purposes, please contact Out Now with details. Out Now Gay Market News -- Gay Marketing 101 gay market updates site. LGBT communications. Gay PR. Global gay PR marketing, gay public relations strategy, GLBT PR, LGBT issues training, gay advertising, LGBT market, lesbian and gay market research leaders, GLBT marketing. Gay Market News is Gay Marketing 101 - Out Now Gay Marketing, Advertising, Gay PR, Market Research. Travel Market. Training. 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 glbt lgbt communications community pink euro

Gay Market Finds Love Online

Happy Valentine's Day. Something many gays and lesbians appear to be yearning to hear, but the quest for gay love remains elusive for many. Learn how many in the gay market are now searching for, and finding, lesbian and gay love online.


Ian Johnson, Out Now
February 14, 2008

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TOPICS: Valentines Day. LGBT marketing. Gay market. Lesbian and gay marketing. Online gay market for romance. Gay.com PlanetOut [NASDAQ:LGBT] Online gay and lesbian marketing. US lesbian and gay market. American gays and lesbians looking for love online.

Valentine's Day has, since the times of Geoffrey Chaucer, been all about romantic love.

That seems obvious to us now, but was not always the case.

The whole notion of romantic love is sometimes said to be a modern construct, although many historians and psychologists dispute this.

One thing that is certain is that Valentine's Day today has a clear focus on the celebration of romantic love, and all its associated emotions.

Gays and lesbians have only recently become part of the mainstream marketing picture, and a lot of marketers do not understand that romantic love has a very important part to play in the lives of many -- indeed most -- gay and lesbian people.

Out Now research consistently shows a majority of the gay market is currently in a long term relationship, which flies in the face of stereotypes of gay men in particular being nothing but promiscuous.

The ascendancy of Web 2.0 in the market provides an interesting illustrator of the developing ways in which the market place is responding to potential new gay marketing opportunities, newly available as a result of the growing accessibility of the gay market.

Ten years ago, there were already a preponderance of gay websites that targeted the interest of (usually) gay men to meet for anything ranging from a casual date to a potential lifelong relationship. Usually though sex came first and romantic love was a distant marketing afterthought on most of those early sites.

There has traditionally been a confusion amongst the target market themselves about just what such early gay dating sites were for: for sex or for love?

Gay.com [NASDAQ:LGBT] and Gaydar.co.uk are two of the better known sites that offer gay men the chance to hookup.

These sites also pay lip service to meeting the love of one's life, but looking through the personals you find there seems to suggest they are more targeting a casual dating market than the gay market looking for love.

That is changing though.

The San Francisco Chronicle today has an interesting article about the rise and rise of online gay market dating that is focused on meeting the man (or woman) of your dreams, rather than just a man for the moment.

Regular readers of Gay Market News would be aware that online marketing of dating web sites targeting gay men is not without a history.

This extract from the SF article gives a nice gay market overview.

Gay matchmaking sites find a growing market

Growing up, Bethtina Woodridge heard all kinds of advice about dating, finding a husband and getting married.

"You don't have those tips about meeting women," said Woodridge, 31. "How do I approach her, how do I know she is gay?"

For Woodridge, finding that special someone turned out to be easier online. Several months after signing up for dating service Chemistry.com, Woodridge was matched with her partner, who was "incredibly honest and sincere, and she stole my heart."

After online giant eHarmony made headlines last year by saying its psychological research is based exclusively on heterosexual relationships, a growing number of rival online matchmakers are using their algorithms to find same-sex love as well.

"There are just not enough services for creating healthy relationships, and (it is) a major gap in the gay community," said matchmaker Patrick Perrine, founder of San Francisco-based Mypartner.com, which caters to "sophisticated, cultured and relationship-oriented gay men" and has more than 50,000 clients across the nation. "There has been a long-held stereotype that gay people are only looking to hook up."

Unlike adult hookup sites that allow users to browse profiles, online matchmakers offer lengthy personality tests, designed to match clients with a compatible partner. Though companies keep their algorithms secret and little scientific data is available about the effectiveness of the services, thousands of those looking for a soul mate are willing to pay up to $40 per month to try them out.

Matchmakers like Chemistry.com, which estimates that about 10 percent of its 3.7 million clients are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, say all love is equal, straight or gay. Last year, the company launched a TV campaign criticizing eHarmony for rejecting applicants it deems undesirable, including those looking for same-sex partners.

While matchmakers scramble to tap the booming industry, academic researchers say they hope the growing competition pushes companies to post their research for peer review.

Meanwhile, in an attempt to counter the stereotype that gay men are not looking for serious commitment, Partnerforlife.com's ads feature ordinary-looking couples doing everyday activities with tongue-in-cheek slogans such as "One-nighters are great ... 365 are better."

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