Understanding how
gays use media
They're bigger users, especially of the internet
By Diego Vasquez
Jul 14, 2009
The gay and lesbian community tends to have more discretionary income than straights, with buying power projected to grow to $835 billion by 2011. Much of that money will be put toward media, notably new media, according to a new report from Mindshare, the WPP media agency. The report finds that gays and lesbians purchase laptops and DVRs at more than double the rate of the straight population. Television and the web are thus the two best ways to reach gays and lesbians, Mindshare concludes. As for TV preferences, gays and lesbians like to stay up on current events, and half say they watch news or current affairs shows, while some 38 percent prefer dramas. When they’re online, email and search are the top activities, and more than half of the study’s 1,452 respondents age 18-64 said they’d visited a newspaper web site over the past week. A third had visited a magazine site. Though this group listens to the radio, usage tends to trail off after 6 p.m. Lisa Antonucci, director of business planning at Mindshare, talks to Media Life about why gays and lesbians have more discretionary income, who they are most likely to throw their brand loyalty behind, and why they are so engaged by the internet.
What did you find most surprising or most interesting about this study?
We thought for the most part that this was a niche audience, reading and viewing niche media, but what the study really uncovers is these consumers are also viewing and reading mainstream media.
What is the most important thing media buyers and planners can learn from it?
It's not only important to understand gay and lesbian media consumption habits but also their purchasing patterns and lifestyle.
Are gays/lesbians more likely to be early adopters? Why or why not?
The study showed higher ownership of technology items among gays and lesbians than the general population.
Laptop ownership among gays and lesbians is more than double that of the general population. A greater proportion of G/Ls also own DVRs (56 percent versus 24 percent of the general population) and GPS devices (32 percent versus 7 percent).
Why are gays and lesbians such an engaged online audience?
In addition to having more time, there is more niche content available on the internet for this audience than any other medium.
What's the biggest difference between the media habits of gays and lesbians and heterosexuals?
The difference really lies in the amount of consumption; gay and lesbian respondents have an average of two hours of so-called “me time” on a typical weekday, which generally occurs between 6 p.m. and midnight.
Sixty-eight percent of respondents spend this time surfing the web, and 50 percent are also consuming TV programs in real-time.
Do gays and lesbians favor different genres of TV compared to heterosexuals? Why or why not?
There were really no distinct differences in the type of programs viewed by G/Ls compared to the general population.
Why do G/Ls have more discretionary income than straights?
G/L respondents, for the most part, are less likely to have children than the general population, so therefore have more discretionary income. More than 80 percent of G/Ls do not have children.
What's the biggest misconception about marketing to G/Ls?
Equally important to marketing to this community is a company's commitment to building strong relationships with this audience.
Establishing trust and loyalty among G/Ls is key for any company targeting this group.
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