Source: Hollywood Reporter, Marketing Charts,
LOS ANGELES -- NBC Universal's Bravo emerged as the most "gay-friendly" company, according to a survey from Prime Access and PlanetOut.
Four of the five top-ranked brands were from the media and technology sectors. Following Bravo were Apple, Showtime and HBO.
Among gay consumers, Apple finished second with a 39 percent score, followed by Showtime (35 percent) and HBO (34 percent). The list was rounded about by nonmedia companies including Absolut, Levi's, American Express, and Starbucks.
In contrast, Wal-Mart, Dunkin' Donuts, Cracker Barrel, Exxon Mobil and Samsung are the least gay-friendly, according to the 2008 Prime Access/PlanetOut Gay and Lesbian Consumer Study, MarketingCharts reports.
"In virtually every category - from financial services to fragrance - the study shows that gays and lesbians tend to be ahead of the curve when it comes to embracing new products and trends," said Kevyn Aiken, VP of Marketing, Media Sales at PlanetOut.. "They are early adopters that their peers look to for advice, opinions, and ideas. As a result of their influence, they impact many more purchases than just their own."
The survey was conducted by Clark, Martire & Bartolomeo on behalf of ad agency Prime Access and media and entertainment company PlanetOut, Inc.
"Gays and lesbians have many similarities to straight people, with one pronounced difference: they’re more powerful consumers," Aiken said.
Two-thirds (68 percent) of gay and lesbian consumers say they are more likely to buy from a company they consider gay-friendly -- a perception based largely on advertising, followed by input from friends and the media, the study found.
The study also found that 71% of gay and lesbian consumers say they have a more favorable impression of companies or products that feature gay imagery in their advertising. Howard Buford, president and CEO of Prime Access, noted that Levi’s, one of the top gay-friendly brands, recently featured a gay couple in television advertising.
Fifty-two percent of gay consumers polled recognized Bravo, which has aired many series featuring gay personalities, including Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, Project Runway, and Working Out, as gay-friendly. Bravo also was perceived as highly gay-friendly among straight consumers (28 percent).
Survey respondents were selected from both the Harris Interactive general population panel and from Harris Interactive’s GLBT specialty panel. A total of 2,259 adults aged 18-64 participated in the study, broken down as follows: general population, 1,502; gay and lesbian population: 757.
This survey found that 8% of adults in the general population panel identified as gay or lesbian, reflecting conventional wisdom that 5-10% of adults are gay. When asked to identify their party preference, 69% of gays and lesbians identified themselves as Democrats, while 7% are Republicans.
The report also surveyed 3,156 PlanetOut subscriber and reader respondents, drawn from email promotable lists provided by PlanetOut. Those results are reported separately, but offer some interesting differences. PlanetOut respondents were far more likely to recognize the top companies as gay friendly. Absolut, for instance, was recognized as gay friendly by 62% of the PlanetOut respondents, but only 33% of "gay and lesbian" respondents in general. Starbucks was judged gay friendly by 53% of PlanetOut respondents and 26% of the "general population" while only 23% of the gay/lesbian population recognized the company as gay friendly.
Full article: Bravo tops survey of gay-friendly companies | Hollywood Reporter
Most Gay-Friendly Brands: Bravo, Apple, Showtime, HBO, Absolut, Levi’s | Marketing Charts