Gay Germany Web 2.0 Powerhouse

Germany is a destination with a great track record of consistently making the right moves in the lesbian and gay travel market.

Now comes news of another German gay marketing success story.


Ian Johnson, Out Now
October 21, 2009

Topics: Gay and lesbian marketing. Germany. MyGayGermany. Out Now. German National Tourist Board. LGBT tourism and gay travel. Lesbian and gay content rocks the Web 2.0 world.

The advent of Web 2.0 social media changed everything in marketing, right? Not so fast.

As much as the world changes, some things remain the same.

Like the fact that in the web 2.0 world of social media - as with other forms of 'old' media - good quality content rules.

This fact is at the heart of a new success story happening right now online all over web 2.0 media platforms.

MyGayGermany Powerhouse

MyGayGermany is a campaign for the German National Tourist Board that harnesses the power of web 2.0 social media platforms and combines it with high quality original gay and lesbian content.

The results? Dynamic.

For example, in a little over a month, Out Now has taken the MyGayGermany facebook page from zero to more than 1,100 fans.

How? Good quality original content.

Such as the MyGayGermany blog and MyGayGermany YouTube channel and Twitter page.

Like all good marketing, consumers react best when you maximize quality and relevance. And that is exactly the strategy Out Now has adopted with such success here.

You can learn more from our client, German National Tourist Board in the following press release going out this afternoon.

Germany's Gay Travel Marketing Takes Web 2.0 By Storm - New MyGayGermany Campaign Launches

Lesbian and gay travellers to Germany have a wealth of new information resources to guide their travel decisions - thanks to the German National Tourist Board (GNTB), Berlin Tourism Marketing and Lufthansa.

The MyGayGermany 2.009 strategy has launched and experienced a rapid and enthusiastic embrace from target gay and lesbian travellers. The campaign's Facebook page has already accrued more than 1,000 fans in just a few weeks.

Comprising an integrated suite of social media tools, the strategy relies not only on utilising the latest technology but also on the delivery of high quality relevant media and information content.

According to the Deputy Director of GNTB in London, Jeanette Schuchmann, the strategy is working well.

"We felt it was so important not to just leap into social media - but to do so with a conscious and strategic effort to deliver great content as a fundamental element of the offering," Schuchmann said. "The MyGayGermany blog is a great example - we are working with two of the UK's leading lesbian and gay travel writers (Lotte Jeffs, Travel Editor, DIVA; Darren Cooper, Editor, Beige Travel) who bring their special magic to the quality of the writing in our MyGayGermany web 2.009 content."

The MyGayGermany campaign comprises key social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Blogger and flickr. All content and sites also serve to promote the existing GNTB microsIte www.GayGermany.co.uk

The strategy was developed for GNTB, Berlin Tourism Marketing and Lufthansa by leading global lesbian and gay marketing specialists, Out Now.

Schuchmann will deliver a case study presentation on the new strategy in London at the World Travel Market (WTM) education seminar - "The Gay Marketing Puzzle - Solved by Out Now at WTM", taking place at 11am on November 11, 2009.

If you want to get your gay marketing up to speed to include the latest social media and other leading-edge gay marketing strategies, get in touch with market leaders Out Now.

---------------

AdWeek referred to one of Out Now's gay advertising campaigns as "the year's most talked about tourism ads." Out Now Consulting is a leading global gay marketing specialist agency, founded in 1992. Clients include Barclays, IBM, Toyota, Citibank, German National Tourist Office, Visit Britain, Lufthansa and Time Inc. Magazines. Out Now won the "Outstanding Interactive" category in New York at the 'Images in Advertising' awards for an online campaign for their client Lufthansa.

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To learn how to get lesbian and gay marketing strategy right -- rely on gay marketing expert strategic advice from Out Now -- the leading experienced global strategic gay marketing, research and communications agency.

Tel Aviv - Gay Tourism Market Research

Yesterday Out Now released preliminary findings of its gay tourism market research study for the City of Tel Aviv.

The news? Some bad - mixed with a lot of good.


Ian Johnson, Out Now
October 12, 2009

Topics: Gay and lesbian marketing. Tel Aviv, Israel. LGBT market. Gay marketing. Advertising. PR. Marketing Tel Aviv to the gay and lesbian tourism market.

Yesterday, interim findings from the latest Out Now gay market research study were released in Tel Aviv.

This research by Out Now is a groundbreaking piece of work - being the first gay tourism market research study into gay market travel intentions to visit the Middle East - in this case, the city of Tel Aviv.

Our findings were greeted warmly by the city of Tel Aviv and its key decision-makers.

The Mayor of Tel Aviv, Ron Huldai, was present to attend this event which happened at the IGLTA symposium in the GLBT Aguda Center.

The final results are being presented next month by Yaniv Waizman - the Mayor's tourism advisor at the Out Now Gay Marketing Masterclass at WTM London World Travel Market.

We were welcomed to the symposium by John Tanzella, CEO of the International Gay and Lesbian Tourism Association (IGLTA) - whose local rep, Shai Doitsh, did an excellent job at organizing the symposium that happened yesterday.

Below (L to R): Ian Johnson - Out Now; Ron Huldai - Mayor of Tel Aviv; John Tanzella - IGLTA CEO; Yaniv Waizman - Tel Aviv Alderman; Etty Gargir - CEO Tourist Association of Tel Aviv-Yafo.


Etty Gargir - head of the Tourist Association of Tel Aviv, spoke of the importance of the Out Now research to guide Tel Aviv as it charts its strategy for increasing levels of gay and lesbian tourism.

One of the nicest guys working in tourism anywhere in the world - Russell Lord of Kenes Tours - also spoke to the delegates yesterday on the power of LGBT tourism to build a better future in this region that has had more than its fair share of troubles over the years.

The event was big news here in Israel - making various TV news broadcasts last night and many of today's news websites and print newspapers.

Below is an extract from an article that is in today's Jerusalem Post about the Out Now gay market research study in Tel Aviv.

In Jewish culture there is an expression called "Mazel Tov" which means good luck - or sometimes good destiny. I feel rather blessed to be here working on this project at this time. It is a quite special experience for my company, and for me personally.

'Foreign gays think they're unwelcome in TA'

In the eyes of Israelis, Tel Aviv may be a liberal and gay-friendly city, but a new survey of gays from abroad found Tel Aviv unsafe, intolerant and too religious.

The survey results were released on Sunday to a group of gay tourism professionals, as part of the International Gay and Lesbian Tourism Association annual conference and symposium being held in Tel Aviv.

Tourism professionals specializing in the gay and lesbian market are in Israel this week to get a first-hand view of the country, so that they can pass the information on to their clients. Based out of Tel Aviv, the group will also tour Jerusalem, the Dead Sea and the North before moving on to other countries.

According to preliminary results of a survey conducted by the US-based Out Now consulting, which specializes in the gay and lesbian market, only 5 percent of the people polled said they were very likely to visit Tel Aviv as a tourism destination, while 46% said they were very unlikely to do so.

The survey, which polled 900 people from Germany, London and the New York region who identify as homosexual, found that the likelihood of a visit grew if the person asked knew someone who had visited Tel Aviv.

The main reasons given for not coming to Israel were: safety concerns (84%), regional conflict (70%), perceptions of Tel Aviv being too religious (62%) and the belief that homosexuals are unwelcome (41%).

When asked what would draw them to Tel Aviv, 67% said cited the beaches, 65% said they would come to experience the local culture, 59% mentioned Israel's rich history, 43% were attracted by the prospect of visiting Jerusalem and 31% said they would come for the Gay and Lesbian night life that the city has to offer.

According to Out Now CEO Ian Johnson, the final results of the survey will be published in a few days. Johnson was optimistic about the survey results, pointing to the relatively high proportion of people who answered maybe/maybe not when asked if they would visit Tel Aviv.

"This is a group that we can work with. With the aid of marketing and communication these people can be moved into the likely category," he said.

Despite the mildly negative survey results, Tel Aviv will continue to be heavily touted as a gay tourism destination. The fact that the annual conference is being held there is a testimony to the efforts put forward by the municipality to develop rainbow tourism.

"Tel Aviv is Israel's capital of commerce, economy, culture and nearly everything else. It adds honor to the country as a whole because of the values it holds dear," Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai said.

"Yesterday, I participated in a Simhat Torah celebration and someone came up to me and urged me to stop holding the Pride Parade in the city. That is the nature of democracy; different people have different ideas. All I can say is that gay pride is part of the life of the city and everyone here is free to be whatever they want."

Tel Aviv council member Yaniv Waizman is the driving force behind the city's gay-friendly initiatives. He said that despite the shooting that took place in the gay and lesbian youth center on August 1, Tel Aviv was very open to homosexuals. "The shooting was traumatic, but it made us stronger and just increased our willingness to succeed," he said.

He added that what is necessary for future success is increased marketing budgets, a gay-orientated information booth and the goodwill of the citizens and service providers to welcome those who come to the city. Waizman asked the foreign visitors to be Israel's ambassadors to the gay community and attempt to break down the common misconceptions.

In anticipation of the conference, a small group of protesters stood outside the G.L.B.T. Community Center to demonstrate against the Israeli occupation of the West Bank. The group members all wore black shirts with "Queers for Palestine" printed on them.

"We are queer activist here to protest the promotion of gay tourism to Israel and to encourage queers to visit Palestine," said a man who identified himself as Zohar, the group's spokesman.

"This has been an issue that has been manipulated in the last few months, especially since the shooting in Tel Aviv, but even before that, to supposedly represent the liberal State of Israel... As queer people, we don't want to be used as a poster for human rights."

If you want to get your gay marketing up to speed to include the latest social media and other leading-edge gay marketing strategies, get in touch with market leaders Out Now.

---------------

AdWeek referred to one of Out Now's gay advertising campaigns as "the year's most talked about tourism ads." Out Now Consulting is a leading global gay marketing specialist agency, founded in 1992. Clients include Barclays, IBM, Toyota, Citibank, German National Tourist Office, Visit Britain, Lufthansa and Time Inc. Magazines. Out Now won the "Outstanding Interactive" category in New York at the 'Images in Advertising' awards for an online campaign for their client Lufthansa.

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To learn how to get lesbian and gay marketing strategy right -- rely on gay marketing expert strategic advice from Out Now -- the leading experienced global strategic gay marketing, research and communications agency.

Gay Tourism Marketing? Think Again.

Think you know all about gay welcoming tourism destinations?

Think again.



Ian Johnson, Out Now
October 7, 2009

Topics: LGBT tourism marketing. Lesbian market. Gay travel. Gay tourism. Market research. Tel Aviv. Out Now. WTM London World Travel Market. Out Now presents important new research study on gay tourism to the Middle East at WTM London World Travel Market as part of this year's Out Now Gay Marketing Masterclass.

One of the most important events for the global travel and tourism industry takes place next month in London.

Out Now has for the past three years presented its industry-leading Gay Marketing Masterclass to delegates attending the WTM - World Travel market - in London.

Taking place over four days, this event attracts the most important decision-makers of the global travel industry, and Out Now is delighted to be back for a fourth year to talk about a whole range of leading-edge gay and lesbian marketing strategies.

One of the exciting things we will discuss there is the release of new online research data representing the first ever GLBT tourism market research into travel to the Middle East.

Web 2.0 social marketing, 'old' media, advertising approaches that work, how to incorporate video content into your gay marketing, what a company staff assocation means to your gay marketing strategy - and many more gay market essential topics for 2010 will be addressed in an action packed 90 minutes this November 11 at WTM in London.

Here are details of the latest lesbian and gay travel marketing research on the Middle East.

The First-Ever Market Study into Middle East Gay Travel Unveiled by Out Now at WTM

Out Now Consulting will reveal the findings of its study into GLBT (gay, lesbian and bisexual and transgender) tourism to Tel Aviv during its session on gay marketing - The Gay Marketing Puzzle - Solved by Out Now at WTM.

In a region not usually associated with GLBT travel, Tel Aviv is now putting in place various strategic steps to develop a campaign that extends its reach and broadens its appeal to lesbians and gay men as a tourism destination.

The gay tourism marketing strategy of Tel Aviv will be discussed, along with the presentation of findings from a gay market research study currently underway, testing the attitudes and opinions of gay consumers in three regions - New York City, UK and Germany - about the prospects of Tel Aviv becoming the new ’hot’ gay travel ticket.

Out Now Consulting Founder and Chief Executive Ian Johnson, along with Tel Aviv City Council Member Yaniv Waizman - who is responsible for the city’s tourism portfolio, will discuss the study and advise delegates on gay marketing strategies.

"We thought it was very important to start our gay market development plans with the best possible insight" says Waizman. "That is why our first step has to be market research, to discover the current positioning of Tel Aviv in the minds of the gay and lesbian travel audience."

Johnson said: "Tel Aviv is a destination that many gays and lesbians do not immediately think of when planning their next vacation."

"Yet as a gay targeted destination, the city has world-class tourism options to offer to gay and lesbian travellers. It is also a city that comes with a lot of history - cultural, religious and political" Johnson added.

Johnson said the preliminary results reveal a big gap between certain perceptions and reality when it comes to Tel Aviv.

"The early results are quite revealing" Johnson said. "They show significant divergence between what gay and lesbian people think Tel Aviv is like, compared to a quite different reality on several key points. This new research will make for much better informed strategic marketing decisions for the destination."

The final report will be unveiled at The Gay Marketing Puzzle - Solved by Out Now at WTM at World Travel Market, ExCel - London at 11am on 11 November 2009.

If you want to get your gay marketing up to speed to include the latest social media and other leading-edge gay marketing strategies, get in touch with market leaders Out Now.

---------------

AdWeek referred to one of Out Now's gay advertising campaigns as "the year's most talked about tourism ads." Out Now Consulting is a leading global gay marketing specialist agency, founded in 1992. Clients include Barclays, IBM, Toyota, Citibank, German National Tourist Office, Visit Britain, Lufthansa and Time Inc. Magazines. Out Now won the "Outstanding Interactive" category in New York at the 'Images in Advertising' awards for an online campaign for their client Lufthansa.

Like this? Subscribe to Gay Market News. It's free. Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

-------------------
To learn how to get lesbian and gay marketing strategy right -- rely on gay marketing expert strategic advice from Out Now -- the leading experienced global strategic gay marketing, research and communications agency.