Los Angeles marketing firm The Asterix Group has released a rather thorough study involving gay consumers, their buying habits and the types of advertising gay audiences find most appealing. You can read an abridged 50-page version of the full report online as a PDF file–and we suggest you do. The Asterix report quantifies queer spending habits in ways we find alternately hilarious and fascinating. The above chart, for example, is taken directly from a section categorizing marys in relation to their money:
- Super Gays are the most aware of gay identity and the most conscious of anti-gay discrimination. They’re very open about who they are and tend to seek out diversity.
- Habitaters tend to be in long-term relationships and are primarily concerned with domestic issues like children and health care. They go out less often than any other group and watch more TV than any group.
- Gay Mainstream mix their interest in gay issues and media with mainstream concerns. They come from a variety of demographics and their tastes tend to fall in the middle on most issues.
- Party People are the most cutting edge and urban in their tastes and the most likely to spend money on personal pampering. They see sexual orientation as an important part of their lives and tend to go out frequently.
- Closeted tend to be older, living in small towns and aren’t likely to have many gay friends or belong to LGBT organizations. They don’t follow gay media very often and are the only group that doesn’t frequently read The Advocate (the group’s most-read magazine is Readers Digest).
What, no category for “Poor Gay People”? Pffft! Whoever heard of a poor gay person?
“Groundbreaking Study Explores Gay and Lesbian Opinions on Print Ads and Commercials” [asterixGroup] (via AfterElton)
Mr. B
Heh. In the course of a year, I seem to have gone from Super Gay/Party Person (as in, most of my social life did revolve around hooking up and going to bars) to Habitater(minus the TV part)/Super Gay. Totally unexpectedly, too. It’s funny what suddenly becoming a parent will do to you…
Mr. B
And yeah, it’s kind of problematic that poor gay people have been excluded from this chart, although it *is* a marketing group that did it…
thatguyfromboston
Well, yeah. what would you market to poor people anyway?
Paul Raposo
“ItââŹâ˘s funny what suddenly becoming a parent will do to youââŹÂŚ”
Mr. B! You’re a dad? Care to elaborate?
chandler in hollywood
You can be a poor gay person and be in any of the categories. It is a social breakdown not an economic one.
WWH
Very good point, Chandler.
hisurfer
This might be the first survey in history where I would be “mainstream.” I think I need to go take a pill and bounce myself into a hipper demographic.
The study actually had a lot of interesting information on self identity, ethnicity, and politics.
Mr. B
Well, Paul, I kind of got launched headfirst into co-parenting. đ My partner of ten months has a daughter who turns five in two days. And even though our relationship is still “fairly” new, since he’s a single parent she’s understandably a big part of his life, so I got initiated rather quickly. A packaged deal, as it were.
And it’s been great. Sure, it’s not always easy. It was definitely not something I EVER envisioned for myself. But I’ve totally got “daddy brain” now–when I reunite with old friends, I definitely find myself talking about children’s books and Dora the Explorer a lot. đ
Regardless of whether my partner and I remain together indefinitely or not, we definitely agree that I am her second parent for the long haul. You can’t just undo the kind of imprinting and bonding we’ve gone through on both sides.
Heather_L_James
Ok I found a picture of a “super gay”, in the event anyone was wondering…
http://www.worth1000.com/entries/253500/253675vBda_w.jpg
Paul Raposo
That’s delightful, Mr. B 8^)
I’ve never dated anyone with a child, so much as even thought about being a parent and I’m 34. I think I need to get out more.
Sounds like things are going very well, Mr. B and I hope they continue to do so–DADDY 8^)
Rt. Rev. Dr. RES
The gay United States dollar is many things today thanks to Bush. It is equal to and may become weaker than the Canadian dollar…..a loss of 40% of its value since Clinton left office. It is worth half a British pound and is one and a half and more against the Eurodollar.
It keeps the many American gay tourists home, while the rest of us are gallavanting around the globe with stronger currency.
All truthful satire aside, I believe that the majority of gay men and lesbians live monogamous coupled lives “in quiet desperation” in the US, from MA to AL – in some degree of justice more or less. In Canada, there are still pockets of hatred, but even they must accept the fact that like the American heterosexual African-American, we are free at last, thank God Almighty we are free at last !!!!
Charley
“God Almighty free at last crap”. That same biblical sky god told Moses that gays should be stoned to death. Slaves got an easier sentence, even though that god said it was OK to beat them.