Spotlight on Same-Sex Marriage Helps Push Ad Spending in Gay Media

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NEW YORK, March 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Same-sex marriage might have polarized lawmakers, but it has galvanized advertisers in the gay press, according to a closely watched survey released today.
Overall ad spending in gay and lesbian publications in 2004 reached $207 million, an increase of 28.4% over the year before, according to the 2004 edition of the Gay Press Report, the annual survey produced by advertising agency Prime Access Inc. and gay media representative firm Rivendell Media.
"The findings in this report represent the biggest increases in spending for the gay press since 2000," said Howard Buford, founder and president of Prime Access Inc. "Conventional wisdom held that controversy around marriage would deter marketers. Instead, the debate had a powerful effect in the opposite direction."
Gay media also saw an astonishing surge in ads with "gay-specific" content, the report revealed. The number of gay-specific ads, which feature messages directly aimed at gay and lesbian consumers through their copy or art direction, jumped 241.9% over the previous year.
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