Record $223.3MM in Gay Media Ad Spend in 2006

June 5, 2007

This article is included in these additional categories:

Magazines | Media & Entertainment | Men | Newspapers | Women

Ad spending in gay and lesbian publications in 2006 reached a record $223.3 million, an increase of 5.2% over 2005 – and an increase of 205% since 1996 – according to the 2006 edition of the Gay Press Report.

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In the past 10 years, ad spend in the gay and lesbian press has grown at almost three times the rate of consumer magazines’, according to the annual survey produced by advertising agency Prime Access Inc. and gay media representative firm Rivendell Media.

During the same ten-year period, ad revenues for all consumer magazines increased 47%, translating to a compound annual growth rate of 4% for consumer magazines versus a 11.8% CAGR for gay media.

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Among Fortune 500 brands, more than 183 were active in the GLBT consumer market (gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender) in 2006, up from only 19 in 1994. The most popular product categories among these Fortune 500 brands are travel, financial services, automotive, fashion and entertainment.

Among the findings in the 2006 Gay Press Report:

  • Despite a general leveling off of the housing market, the Real Estate category accounted for the second-highest number of advertisements in 2006 (11.6% of total ads), up from the number three spot in 2005.
  • The combined circulation of all publications constituting the gay and lesbian press reached 3,777,488, a 10.4% increase over the previous year.
  • Several categories showed significant ad placement increases since 2005, including Events (47.4%), Financial Services (18.6%) and Retail (18.4%).
  • Some  93.4% of all ads are in local publications: Local newspapers account for most (52.4%) of all ads, followed by local magazines (21.7%) and entertainment guides (19.3%).
  • National publications account for 6.6% of all ads, with 5.6% of them in magazines.

The 2006 Gay Press Report (pdf) analyzed 131 publications targeting gay and lesbian consumers, including local and national newspapers, consumer magazines, and entertainment guides.

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