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.
The bi-monthly magazine reFRESH which is aimed at professional gay men, and interestingly does not include any adverts for chatlines or pornography, featured adverts from the likes of British Airways, Boss, Toni & Guy, Bang & Olufsen, Olympus, L’Oreal, and Vauxhall.
There is plenty of discussion on this blog about major companies targeting the gay market. This is increasingly happening, and the evidence is there in print, but we have to recognise that brands need to find the right media to reach their target customer. For established brands this is likely to be in high-quality glossy magazines, and not alongside adverts for teeth whitening clinics, saunas, and sex products.
SUBSCRIBE
Eddy,
I agree. I am not sure what the mood is like in the U.K. but I know that major companies in the U.S. are hestitant to advertise their brands in mainstream GLBT media, especially online, because they don’t want to be associated with stereotypical gay advertising (underwear, hook-up sites, etc). That is one of the reasons we started Gaywheels.com – to give the risk-averse automobile manufacturers a “safe”, professional, targeted medium to speak to the GLBT consumer.
What does that mean for the existing gay media? Do sites like Gay.com need to change their focus or is there room for us all out there? Will companies ever feel as comfortable advertising in OUT as they do in Playboy? Only time will tell. I can say that even with gaywheels.com’s lack of sexually-oriented advertising, it has been difficult to attract the mainstream advertisers.