Gay/Lesbian Consumer Online Study Adds New Brand Coverage.

The Gay/Lesbian Consumer Online Study (G/L Study), an annual survey of the demographics, lifestyles, psychographics, and media patterns of the world’s largest gay/lesbian consumer panel online, has introduced more than 175 new brands to its survey. The new brand information will provide marketers with opportunities for more effective sponsorship programs, grassroots marketing, media planning and buying, and overall increased ROI for multicultural marketing efforts.

The new brands cover some bellwether companies in top consumer categories such as finance (banks), beverages (beer and wine), travel (hotel and car rental), and automotive (insurers). They join the several hundred brands already represented in the study.

According to Jeff Garber, president of OpusComm Group, a G/L Study partner, companies can leverage the new brands information with the existing depth and breadth of information in the G/L Study to create high-impact advertising.

“Marketing toward the gay/lesbian consumer has matured and become more sophisticated, as more companies recognize the significant benefits of targeting this consumer group,” said Mr. Garber. “Marketers need equally sophisticated tools to drive greater impact. The G/L Study provides this, with detailed information on the demographics, psychographics, and shopping behaviors, as well as both gay/lesbian and mainstream media patterns, of gay and lesbian consumers.”

Companies who count GLBT as part of their multicultural marketing efforts are using the G/L Study to benchmark their impact so budgets can be modified for maximum ROI.

“The ability to track so many companies and brands and the influence they’re having on GLBT consumers is a key advantage,” said Mr. Garber. “Not only is it a measurement of overall sales impact, but the companies measured in the study have a new, valuable tool for tracking their competition.”