Archive for December, 2006

2006 Review

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1) What was the most significant/important/memorable LGBT communications breakthrough of 2006?

The new Gay Times / Out Now research earlier in 2006 which put a figure of £70 billion on the spending power of the gay and lesbian market in the UK. After years of speculation, estimates and surveys, we now finally have a comprehensive study of the “pink pound” and powerful evidence of the value of this market segment.

A word for Pink News, which has established itself as the number one gay news wire service in Europe and an excellent source of gay stories and gay angles on mainstream developments.

Also the number of companies who have joined Stonewall’s Diversity Champions scheme, including the Conservative Party – unthinkable just a few years ago.

2) What was the most significant/important/memorable LGBT communications campaign of 2006?

VisitBritain’s rebranding of Britain as the United Queendom.

The website welcomes visitors with the declaration: “Welcome to the United Queendom of Great Britain . . . with our proud gay history, cutting-edge culture and fashion, flamboyant cities and pulsating nightlife, isn’t it time you came out . . . to Britain?”

Perhaps a little clichéd, but still an innovative edgy campaign that got people talking this year.

3) Who do you believe was the corporate leader of the year in targeting the LGBT market?

British Airways. Has gone from zero to hero, well almost, in the eyes of the gay community. After boycotts of the airline just a few years ago, the airline was a major sponsor of EuroPride, and is now a regular advertiser in gay publications.

| December 29th, 2006 No Comments »
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2006 in Review

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1) What was the most significant/important/memorable LGBT communications breakthrough of 2006?
A: My pick may not be a milestone in LGBT life; however, it is significant for its lack of longevity in the news cycle: the 2006 coming out announcements of celebrities such as Lance Bass, Neil Patrick Harris and T.R. Knight. While these events made headlines and a few of magazine covers, in retrospect, they ultimately were mere “blips” on the media radar this year. This evolution in society comes only a decade after Ellen DeGeneres’ near-catastrophic declaration from which she also now has recovered quite nicely.

2) What was the most significant/important/memorable LGBT communications campaign of 2006?
A:  The campaign of the World OutGames Montreal vs. Gay Games VII is memorable to me for its aggressive and boastful messaging for one-upmanship as the new global LGBT event. After its summer debut, OutGames became more memorable for netting a seven-figure financial loss and year-end bankruptcy filing.

3) Who was the corporate leader of the year in targeting the LGBT market?
A: Orbitz is one of the early-to-market leaders in LGBT-targeted advertising.  It remained true to our community in 2006 with a menu of specific print and broadcast campaigns that has become more robust.

| December 28th, 2006 No Comments »
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The Year That Was: 2006

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J0342001For our year-end posts, we’ve decided to focus on three key LGBT communications questions as we consider the year that was 2006. Steve and Eddy will post their answers later this week. Here are the questions and my answers:

1) What was the most significant/important/memorable LGBT communications breakthrough of 2006?

A: The impact of gay bloggers on mainstream media coverage and popular opinion. Much has been written about Perez Hilton, TowleRoad, AmericaBlog and others (several of these bloggers, including my friend Wayne Besen, are highlighted in the Advocate’s year-end issue). For me, the most significant moment was not a single blog, but the impact that all of these bloggers had on popular culture, politics, marketing and communications. In nearly every aspect of our lives, gay bloggers had some significant impact on how all of society viewed a particular issue or even that it knew about an issue at all.

 

2) What was the most significant/important/memorable LGBT communications campaign of 2006?

A: The gay travel outreach program "Get Your History Straight and Your Nightlife Gay" developed by the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation. The program was actually launched in 2005, but this was the year it really broke out into mainstream awareness (and won awards) – this campaign was one of the first municipal tourism marketing campaigns to achieve widespread recognition and success (their research shows that they reached millions of people).

3) Who do you believe was the corporate leader of the year in targeting the LGBT market?

A: The travel and tourism industry, for its growing engagement with our community in many sectors (hotels, car rental agencies, and airlines).

Let us know what you think; and if you want to take a shot at answering these questions yourselves, please send your answers to us – we may post some of them next month. 

Happy Holidays!

| December 26th, 2006 No Comments »
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Brands need to find the right home in the gay media

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I am something of a magazine addict. Yesterday I was browsing the selection available in Selfridges to pick up a new supply to get me through the festive period when the endless hours of Christmas TV become to much to bear.

I always make sure I pick up the latest editions of the gay magazines. It’s just over a year since we launched FH Out Front in the UK market and I thought it would be interesting to check out some of the adverts appearing in these publications.

There were ads for many of products you might expect to find – underwear, specialist cruises, gay-themed movies, cosmetic surgery, skincare products. All slightly predictable and perhaps a little clichéd, but what was noticeable was the increasing appearance of major brands in the glossier high end publications even compared to last year.

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| December 22nd, 2006 1 Comment »
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A Minority Within A Minority

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We didn’t want to end the year without starting to broaden our horizons to include even more diverse LGBT viewpoints. To that end, I am pleased and proud to introduce a colleague in our FH Out Front practice group: Ivette Lopez Sisniega. Ivette is an Account Executive in the Austin office of Fleishman-Hillard and one of our young rising star colleagues from the Lone Star State.  I hope you enjoy Ivette’s interesting examination of an underreported LGBT communications story.

Maracas2_1By Ivette Lopez Sisniega

The rapid growth of the U.S Hispanic population has created a buzz throughout the country, and yet, no one has called attention to gay and lesbian Hispanics. Most of us are aware Hispanics are the largest minority, but what most people don’t know is that 14 percent of U.S. Hispanics identify as LGBT – a minority within a minority.
Let’s take a closer look at this audience. Just last year, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Policy Institute reported that a whopping 54 percent of Hispanic lesbian couples and 41 percent of Hispanic gay couples are raising at least one child under the age of 18. Wow. I find this bold and encouraging. The same report states there were more than 100,000 Hispanic LGBT households in that year. Separate research led by LLEGO (National Latina Latino Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Organization) in Washington D.C. said that 44 percent of same sex Hispanic couples were immigrants, coming to the U.S. looking for a life where they can be free to be out as gay or lesbian.
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| December 21st, 2006 4 Comments »
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