Scratching A Niche

Shane L WaggPrincipal

Wilde Marketinghttp://www.WildeMarketing.com

April 19, 2005

Pretty witty.

And gay.

Buy The Numbers?

It’s How Big?

U.S. Canada U.K.

POPULATION 281,421,906 31,413,990 59,600,0006% 16,885,314 1,884,839 3,576,000

-25%TOTAL 18+ 12,663,986 1,413,630 2,682,000

Have Gone, Will Travel

U.S. Canada

General Pop 76% 60%Gay Population 83% 81%

URBAN DWELLERS

Gay Youth

• 2 – 6x more likley to attempt suicide

• 50% report parental rejection over sexual orientation

• 40% of homeless youth identify as GLBT

• 28% drop out rate due to harassment

• 6x more likely to be harassed over orientation

Making Cities Slicker

Global U.S. Canada

Pride Events 100+ 60+ 25+Gay Film Festivals 160+ 80+ 10+

Marketing opportunities – sponsorship, broadcast media, print andonline media, event and promotional opportunities and sampling.

Pitchers & Catchers

Gay Games VII - Chicago - Jul 15 – Jul 22, 2006 - 27,000 expected

Out Games I - Montreal - Jul 29 – Aug 5, 2006 - 26,000 expected

Gimme A Ring Sometime

Canada’s wedding market is worthan estimated $31 Billion

Gay wedding market (~ 5%)

Actual Toronto same-sex weddingssince 2003 an estimated 8%

Gay wedding market in Canada ispotentially $1.5 Billion

Where The Boys Are

One of the most successful gay marketing campaigns to date has involved the hard to reach lesbian consumer market.

The campaign, by Subaru, has been so successful it warranted an email campaign by right-wing groups warning their membership against buying a Subaru lest they be thought lesbian.

Where The Boys AreMarket Challenges

• Lack of gay consumer research on a national level

• Lack of reach/frequency opportunities

• Editorial content/advertising issues for image-conscientious corporations

• Labour-intensive media planning/buying in accessing and reaching gay market

Gay Media - A Marketer’s Dream• Population Density/Migration Patterns

• Dedicated Media Channels Specific To Each Market

• Focused/Crafted Messaging Opportunities

• Gay Knowledgeable Marketers

• Low Market Entry Cost

• First-Mover/Front-Runner Advantage

• Creative License

Resource: The Gay Market Guide 2005 Hyperion Interactive Media

http://www.himcorp.com/guidebook2005.cfm

Plugged In

Gay.com

Gay.com is by far the gay market dominant leader.

The company is the first publicly traded gay media company, has an aggressive advertising campaign inCanada and has virtually shut out competitors based on its domain name.

Gay Population Composition

Gay 53%Lesbian 36%Bisexual 6%Transgender 1%Other 4%

Stereo Types – And Car Types Too!

Source: www.CarTalk.com 2004

Who should be advertising?

A better question is who shouldn’tadvertising in the gay market.

In Conclusion – Real World ExamplesBased on David Foot’s Boom Bust & Echo inheritance figures, Canada’s gay financial services market is potentially worth $50 billion; the U.S., approximately $500 billion.

VanCity Credit Union, CapitalOne, American Express, Smith Barney and others have created targeted gay contentadvertising, in addition to creating a mini-site specific to their gay client bases.

Other national financial institutions would do well to follow their market lead.

In Conclusion – Real World ExamplesTravel is a highly competitive market, and equally so in the gay market. Airlines are competing for pink dollars with the development of specials, and travel content targeting gay travelers. The Internet has provided gay travelers the opportunity to seek out not only value pricing propositions, but to identify companies such as American Airlines, Southwest Airlines and Air Canada, who are active in demonstrating their commitment to the gay travel market.

In Conclusion – Real World ExamplesPersonal and home electronics are appearing with increased frequency in gay media. With each new market entrant, more pressure is placed on competitors in each space particularly as marketers go in search of new markets and audiences.

Best Practices

• Be inclusive and diverse

• Be sensitive to stereotypes

• Do good research

• Whenever possible, go national

• Be consistent and be confident

Do

• Use real gay or lesbian individuals

• Use openly gay celebrities or athletes

• Use same-sex pairings in every day situations

• Use same-sex pairings with physical affection

• Reference sexuality through verbal, text, graphical or anthropomorphic mentions

• Use unexpected twists, counter time-worn clichés and add other humor sources

• Use a mix of masculine/feminine pairings or men or women as couples or friends

Don’t

• Resort to stereotypes• Presume to know the market without research• Use phrases like “the gays”

Resources

• GayDemographics.org

• Himcorp.com – Gay Market Guide 2005

• CommercialCloset.org

• GLCensus.org – Gay/Lesbian Consumer Census

• WildeMarketing.com

Thanks!

http://www.WildeMarketing.com