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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (May 7, 1999)
may 7. 1999 • J n t M at j 3 i u m : fiìn n e w s new report shows that advertis ing in gay and lesbian publica tions is growing faster than in any other category of publica tions— but th at’s not the whole story. A closer look reveals some interesting trends in who is advertising in gay and lesbian publications, who did before but doesn’t now, and who has never done so. For the fourth consecutive year, advertising spending in gay and lesbian newspapers and magazines has risen, according to a yearly report issued by Mulryan/Nash, an advertising agency. Spending in 1998 reached $120.4 million, up 20.2 percent from 1997. Spending had also risen in 1997. T hat year, spending rose more than 35 percent over 1996. Since 1994, adver tising spending in the queer press has more than doubled. By comparison, m ainstream newspaper advertising grew 8.6 percent between 1997 and 1998, while main stream magazines gained 9 percent in advertising revenues, according to statistics from American Demo graphics cited in the Mulryan/Nash report. W hile the numbers are encouraging for the industry as a whole, prob lems exist for some publi cations, according to Scott Matter, a Mulryan/Nash W #i*S spokesperson who worked ttfw e» on the report. “1 think a lot of smaller papers are having difficulty getting advertising,” he says, noting that these publications often rely on ads purchased by local clubs and small businesses that do not create the appropri ate feel for high-dollar national advertisers. “T hat is somewhat alienating to big compa nies,” he says. The number of sexually explicit ads in some publications can also scare away big-name advertisers, he adds. “It’s hard to get an advertisement for Chase or American Express in a publication like that. I think publications face a choice,” M atter explains. Such publications can choose to rely on sex ually explicit advertising and possibly turn off big names, he says, or they can “clean up their image” by getting rid of some sexually explicit ads and risk losing an important source of cur rent revenue. W here ’ s the S heath ? Advertising in queer publications continues to increase, but ads from condom makers are conspicuously absent by Gip Plaster nterestingly, condom ads do not appear on the pages of gay and lesbian publications nationwide. The reason is not entirely clear. “They’re obvious naturals for the gay press,” says Todd Evan of Rivendell Marketing, a com pany that places national ads in most major gay and lesbian publications. “Even the most sim plistic person in advertising should see that. But not one major condom company has ever done an ad campaign in the gay press.” In Evans’ memory, Kimono Condoms is the only condom company I Carter-Wallace’s policy regarding advertising in gay media. “Carter-Wallace Inc. has no comment to your questions,” said the statement issued by spokesperson Steve Curtis. Repeated calls to Ansell International, maker of Lifestyles and other brands— as well as calls to Ansell’s ad agency— were not returned. London International Group produces 2.5 billion condoms a year. It makes the Durex brand and controls about 20 percent of the con dom market worldwide. condom ads do not appear in U.S. gay and les bian publications. Some experts think companies fear lawsuits that could result if a condom manufacturer claims its product can prevent disease and it then fails to do so. M ichael W ilke, an advertising industry expert and writer, suggests: “Condom compa nies d on’t spend a lot of money advertising in the first place. A nother philosophy of theirs that they’ve shared is that they believe gay men read mainstream magazines and see their ads there.” He also points to the nature of the gay and lesbian market as another reason some national advertisers avoid queer publications. There are relatively few national magazines, but many local gay and lesbian publications. “It’s a lot easier for an advertiser to make a national buy,” Wilke says. “The market is still very young, too.” mong the other sigr ignificant find ings of the report, Mul ryan/Nash notes a trend away from the coverage of HIV and AIDS and death-related issues and toward more upbeat themes. It also found that advertising by pharmaceu tical companies increased as more ads for protease inhibitors and related drugs began appearing. T h e trend is consistent with an overall increase in advertising by drug companies. This ad category increased from 1.6 percent in 1997 to 2.5 per cent in 1998. PtUS 33 P 4 g L w / * * ! ‘,*S*<*o According to the report, 19.9 A call to its London percent of the advertising came headquarters was referred to the compa from bars and clubs. Telephone ny’s U.S. office in Norcross, Ga. Repeated calls services, mostly sex lines, came in second with to officials at that location, as well as to the 16.6 percent of ad revenues. Classifieds and ads agency that represents the company, went unan for gay and lesbian meetings and events also rep swered. resent a significant portion of advertising. All Interestingly, condom ads can be found in other categories each accounted for less than 5 some Canadian gay and lesbian publications. percent of total advertising. Trojan ads appeared regularly until last summer Mulryan/Nash monitors advertising each in a major gay Canadian publication with a total April and uses the data gathered to estimate circulation of 100,000. T he ads have not advertising dollars for the entire year. In 1998, appeared since, but publication representatives 152 publications were monitored. In 1997, 138 say that may be due to the company’s advertis publications were monitored. In addition to ing cycle. local and regional papers, the firm looks at national magazines, plus arts and entertainm ent ecause of companies’ reluctance to talk publications and other print media including about their advertising polices, industry analysts can only speculate about the reasons newsletters and resource guides. A ever to run an ad campaign in gay and lesbian publica tions. The small brand, part of Mayer Laborato ries, ran a campaign on the West Coast, but doesn’t currently advertise in gay and lesbian publications. Evans says he has often contacted major con dom companies about advertising. Some have even requested that he submit a formal request for a proposal, but none of his efforts have result ed in a deal with a condom company. arter-Wallace Inc., the maker of the Trojan, Class Act and Naturalamb brands, controls more than 65 percent of the U.S. condom mar ket. Its advertising agency, Ruder-Finn, issued a one-sentence statement in response to multiple calls and a written request for information about C B Skip into sp rin g ’ s n e w home selection. Let our relators and licensed tax consultant show you the ropes, pro viding the facts and service you need to sail through loan approval, home selection, inspections and appraisals, to closing. W e’ll be there in person every step of the way, to make sure that nothing trips you up. Call today for free, in-depth client education and complete professional services to buyers and sellers. And hop into a new home. 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