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
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