Advertisers are just waking up to something we’ve known for decades: queers respond well to ads with queers in them. Sure, bigots call us “promiscuous”, but we beat out straights when it comes to brand loyalty, especially when ads run in gay mags and feature people like us. In fact, ad spending in queer titles rose 13.6% in 2009 while ad spending overall fell 17.5%. That means in a recession, when most businesses are afraid to take risks, advertisers are realizing the untapped gay market is a good bet. So if advertisers start becoming attracted to homos, will that make them gay? No of course not, it’ll just make them greedy. Sluts.
KWil
I didnt eve read the article, that pic is too cute 😀
Makes me want a boyfriend in a shopping cart, now THATS good advertising!
Cam
Yeah, but then they go overboard in making sure none of their ads look remotely gay in straight publications or on the air. Corona typically does those ads where there are two people in lounge chairs out on the beach with a bucket of corona between them. In a recent ad, there are two guys next to each other and one guy takes off the other guys blue tooth headset to pop open a Corona, as he hands it over, the camera pans out and you see a woman on either side of the guy. Yeah, because can’t have anybody thinking they could possibly be gay now can we!!
ForeverGay
There was a study a year ago which found gay people overall were less likely to cut spending during a recession. Maybe these companies heard about that research and thought it would be easier to grab the gay market in a recession because we are more receptive.
Fitz
@ForeverGay: That’s probably since most of us are dinks. Or in my case, “tinks”. (because I have 2 jobs, not 2 spouses).
Vicente Fox
@ForeverGay: “we are more receptive”
Only the bottoms.
Zach
Didn’t Queerty complain about companies pulling away from gay-oriented advertising like two weeks ago? Which is it?
Michael
Analysis not required. Merchandisers would market to the aboriginal community if they had wallets.
jon
I am so brand loyal. If Coke or Pepsi put a gay ad on a mainstream channel like Fox or CBS I’d be either a coke or Pepsi man for life. Same with Old Spice or Axe.
Mike in Asheville, nee "in Brooklyn"
Just got back from Ingles shopping for dinner, alas they were apparently all out of adorable blue T-shirt boys in the meat department. Darn. At least I got to cruise the totally hot buzzed headed tattooed butcher.
Trent
@KWil: “Cute?”
No, the guy on the left is damn ugly!
Vicente Fox
@jon: No homosexual should watch FOX.
mconyc08
@Zach: Right. I believe you’re referring to the following post: http://www.queerty.com/when-did-major-advertisers-stop-caring-about-the-gays-20100617/
Samwise
Must… go… grocery shopping…
jon
@Vicente Fox: I’ll keep watching Glee and Family Guy. BTW please call me queer, not homosexual.
Mike in Asheville, nee "in Brooklyn"
@Vicente Fox: Sorry, Vicente, while you are not wrong, I’m addicted to the Simpsons and my hubby to Glee. And, believe it or not, NFL games they broadcast too. Alas more time in purgatory for me; but at least Murdock and his Faux Newsies will be in hell.
Queer Supremacist
@Vicente Fox: Agreed. The Simpsons should have been cancelled 10 years ago, Family Guy was only funny when it was a cult show virtually nobody watched because nobody knew when it was on, and Glee is an autotuned minstrel show that was much better back in the 80s when it was called “Fame”.
Network television is as about as relevant in 2010 as that group that sang “Smoke of a Distant Fire.”