Gay Press Outperforms Overall Media.

In a sign of strength at a tumultuous time in the media business, an annual study released reveals that advertising spending in the gay press in 2001 declined far less than did overall media spending the same year.

According to the 2002 Gay Press Report released today by advertising agency Prime Access Inc. and gay media representative Rivendell Marketing Company, spending in print advertising overall dropped 6.2% in 2001 — but gay advertising saw only a slight drop of 1.7% after several years of rapid growth.

“The findings in this report are extremely positive about the health of gay media,” said Prime Access founder & CEO Howard Buford. “Niche markets usually see steeper declines than the mass market as a whole, because niche budgets are often the first cut. What we see in this study indicates that the gay market is holding its own in this advertising downturn, and that large corporate advertisers are valuing the market more than ever,” he said.

Seventy-two Fortune 500 brands were active in the gay consumer market as of 2001. Over the past year, Chrysler, Ford and Sears have also begun exploring the segment. And by 2004, the aggregate income of gay men and lesbians is estimated to be $557 billion, according to Kalorama Information, LLC.

The study also noted a dramatic 34% increase in advertising executions created specifically for gay consumers in major categories including financial services, travel, automotive, beer, spirits, and fashion, Buford said. “It’s another sign of how valuable gay consumers have become to marketers,” noted Todd Evans, president and CEO of Rivendell Marketing. “They’re realizing you need to deliver a relevant and compelling message to really see sales gains.”

Among the other findings in the 2002 Gay Press Report:

* Since 1994, the growth rate of ad spending in gay and lesbian print media has far exceeded the growth of ad spending in all consumer print media.
* Recruiting/Jobs, Pets & Vets, Hotels/Resorts and Church advertising all achieved growth in excess of 200%. In another significant development, mainstream lifestyle advertising categories such as Real Estate and
Restaurants more than doubled.
* HIV/AIDS-related advertising has seen dramatic decreases, partly as a result of improvements in AIDS treatment medication and the subsequent decline in death and infection rates.

According to Joan M. Garry, executive director of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), the report reflects major changes in how companies think about gay consumers. “Competitive situations among marketers have led to the dramatic increase in advertising that specifically targets gay consumers,” Garry said. “The strength of the numbers means that advertisers are no longer thinking about gay media or consumers as part of an experiment, but as a necessary part of their media mix.”

To view report CLICK below:

http://www.primeaccess.net/gaypressreport.html.