Jun 05, 2007News: USA: Advertising in Gay Media Growing Faster Than in Straight Media
By vanrozenheim
(New York, USA) - Advertisement spending in the gay and lesbian press has grown at almost three times the rate of consumer magazines over the past ten years, according to a major annual survey released today. Ad spending in gay and lesbian publications in 2006 reached a record $223.3 million, an increase of 5.2% over 2005 and an increase of 205% since 1996, according to the 2006 edition of the Gay Press Report, the annual survey produced by advertising agency Prime Access Inc. and gay media representative firm Rivendell Media.
During the same ten-year period, ad revenues for all consumer magazines increased by only 47%, translating to a compound annual growth rate of 4% for consumer magazines versus a ten-year growth rate of 11.8% for gay media.
Among Fortune 500® brands, more than 183 were active in the GLBT consumer market (gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender) in 2006, up from only 19 in 1994. Currently, the most popular product categories among these Fortune 500® brands are travel, financial services, automotive, fashion and entertainment.
Produced annually by advertising agency Prime Access Inc. and gay media representative firm Rivendell Media, the 2006 Gay Press Report provides a unique, historical perspective on the gay and lesbian market. This year’s survey analyzed 131 individual publications targeting gay and lesbian consumers, including local and national newspapers, consumer magazines and entertainment guides.
Among other notable findings in the 2006 Gay Press Report:
* Despite a general leveling off of the housing market, the “Real Estate” category accounted for the second-highest number of advertisements in 2006 (11.6% of total ads), up from the number three spot in 2005.
* The combined circulation of all publications constituting the gay and lesbian press reached 3,777,488, a 10.4% increase over the previous year.
* Several categories showed significant ad placement increases since 2005, including Events (+47.4%), Financial Services (+18.6%) and Retail (+18.4%).
