Advertisers who target the gay and lesbian market "properly" are very likely to get strong response in spending from what's called "this…loyal and highly Internet-proficient group," according to two freshly minted surveys and internet.com.
The 2002 Gay/Lesbian Consumer Online Census says about 32 percent of the male respondents and 17 percent of the female respondents reported six-figure incomes beginning at $100,000, "making this a profitable demographic to pursue," internet.com said. The news site also said Nielsen/NetRatings showed the $100,000-150,000 income bracket in the gay/lesbian community amounted to about 12 percent of the Web population late last year.
And the GL Census indicated further that, among nine thousand respondents they surveyed last summer, an overwhelming majority said they'd notice and remember advertising featuring gay themes, with two thirds saying they were more likely to respond to gay-themed ads and 82 percent saying they'd be more likely to buy from gay-friendly companies, internet.com added.
"Gay consumers want advertisers to demonstrate that they care about their needs enough to create a separate message," said GL Census Partner's Jeffrey Garber to internet.com. "Also, a separate gay-themed ad can run in targeted mainstream media outlets to reach a broader gay consumer who can't be reached presently by gay media alone."
