Queer Eyes

Media Post ^ | 4.12.04 | Seana Mulcahy

[Registered]

Queer Eyes
By Seana Mulcahy

A while back, I wrote an about the diminishing audiences of young men toward TV viewing habits. The Spin board got a bit heated and prejudiced (to no endorsement of mine). Several young men wrote that programming wasn't what it used to be. Many complained that everything was either, "reality or gay."

It made me think about content. As a real time medium, our industry is taxed with the daunting task of continuously coming up with new and fresh ideas. If content looks or sounds old, we are as good as dead.

Content tied with online activities revolves around psychographics. As a media person, I, among many others, strive to crack this code.

I often teach young (and old) online media darlings. I tend to use this scenario: When you think about how best to target an individual or group of people online think beyond demographics. It is critical to think of technographics, psychographics, and usage habits as well. For instance, if you are trying to place a campaign for a major fast food joint, age should not be the main factor. This frequent drive-through patron could be white, upper middle-class, educated, of high income, and with children. The bottom line is they are not just buying cheeseburgers for their kids after soccer practice.

The same goes for emerging markets: Afro-American, Hispanic, and Gay to name a few. What TV writers have done is scratch below the surface of mainstream, middle-class, white issues to a more diverse level of content. Are they doing it because they realize America is not vanilla or are they doing it for shock value? Or perhaps Americans are becoming more and more open-minded and tolerant? (I'll keep my jaded opinion to myself here as I still think ignorance prevails.)

Nonetheless, high ratings for such shows as Will & Grace and Queer Eye for the Straight Guy have made marketers and advertisers scratch their heads. Not only does America at large spend a great deal of time interested in such topics, there is finally programming outside the norm. The gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) market shouldn't be overlooked by advertisers.

Some top line facts are:

National surveys indicate that the Gay and Lesbian community exceeds 18.25 million people in the United States.

The gay community has disposable incomes well above the national average. More than 29% of gay Internet surfers have yearly household incomes of at least $90,000.

62% over $40,000 a year 25% over $60,000 a year 13% over $90,000 a year 39% of this population are between 20 - 30 years old 29% are between 30 - 40 years old

 More than 73% of gay Internet surfers have a college degree. The majority of gay Internet surfers are men (79%)

• The Gay and Lesbian community is three times more likely to be online than many average Americans.
• Gay consumer buying power is at estimated $485 Billion (USD) and represents about 17 million people. 
• Gay market reports that 78 percent of gay online users prefer to buy from companies that advertise to the gay market
• Gay men and lesbians go out more, buy more, have more disposable income and are extremely loyal consumers 
• Gay and lesbian consumers purchase from companies/brands that advertise in gay media, deliver product messages in gay-specific advertising, support gay and lesbian community causes and are good to their own gay and lesbian employees
• Gay consumers are four times as likely to spend more than $150 on long distance a month, and twice as likely to spend $250 on cellular service

More than 90 percent of gay consumers took a domestic trip this year

• 60 percent took a foreign trip in the last three years
• 65 percent identify themselves as having to have the "latest" product model
• 68 percent upgrade to a product's latest model
• 57 percent "prefer to buy top of the line"
• 59 percent buy themselves whatever they want

  Source: Selig Center (African-American, Hispanic and Asian-American Buying Power), U.S. Census estimates, and Witeck-Combs Communications and MarketResearch.com (GLB Buying Power), 2003., Wired Digital, 2004.

  I share these stats with you, dear readers, as something to watch. However, I will not advocate intolerance toward such groups on the Spin board. Advertising should not be about personal biases. And as advertisers, marketers and sales folk, we owe it to consumers to appeal toward their preferences. Archie Bunker is in the archives and queer eyes have raised many brows.

   

[Registered]

Nonetheless, high ratings for such shows as Will & Grace and Queer Eye for the Straight Guy have made marketers and advertisers scratch their heads.

I guess she doesn't understand the "Freak Show" factor in attracting viewers....

[King Black Robe]

I read that Doc on PAX actually receives about double the ratings, on average, that Queer Eye receives. It just has the wrong politics and worldview. Money is not everything to those who wish to create a liberal socialist utopia.

[MegaSilver]

National surveys indicate that the Gay and Lesbian community exceeds 18.25 million people in the United States.

That's 6.22 percent. Even on my outrageously liberal spoiled-brat college campus, I don't believe that.

[MegaSilver]

Money is not everything to those who wish to create a liberal socialist utopia.

Right again.

[IronJack]

If content looks or sounds old, we are as good as dead.

Then take another look at your vapid sitcoms. And the endless cops&robbers shows. Or the retreaded hospital "dramas." You're as good as dead.

[IronJack]

By the way, if, in your rush to court the homo demographic (the "homo demo?"), you manage to alienate the straight community -- you know, the 260 million Americans who aren't an abomination before God -- how successful has your programming been?

I guess you can run "Queer Eye" 24-7. Which is what Bravo pretty much does, now that I think of it.

[I still care]

There have been plenty of family shows that have had good ratings, that have been dropped simply because they aren't in the network vision. (young, hip, urban)

[tiamat]

I think some of the reason guys are watching less is that so often men are portrayed as either helpless boobs or as potential rapists and thugs.

Who the heck wants to watch that?

I like CSI, though.

[azcap]

For the life of me I can't understanding the programming on Bravo. They run 6 hours of war movies and then 3 hours of queer TV. Do they think their demographic is homosexual war mongers?

[Paul Atreides]

The only people I have heard gushing over Will and Grace are women. For some reason, there are certain women who get a charge out of homosexual men.

[Eala]

>If content looks or sounds old, we are as good as dead.
Then take another look at your vapid sitcoms. And the endless cops&robbers shows. Or the retreaded hospital "dramas." You're as good as dead.

And don't forget the empty-headed, airblown, biased, pretty-faced breathless "newscasters" who think the world revolves around them. It's kind of amusing to read news online when the sources are TV stations' webpages and they have to promote their "anchors" (dead weights? you bet!). Wherever they are in this country, they all look like... nice suits, nicely made-up faces, nice hairdos... yawn.

And as far as I'm concerned, television is long since dead. I think I've gone downstairs (no way will a TV reside in our living room!) maybe twice this year to watch the tooob -- the second was the President's recent press conference and I've forgotten the other.

And even as a longtime Star Trek fan I just sort of quit watching ST:Enterprise... out of boredom.

[King Prout]

the colloquial non-pc term is "fag hags"

[IronJack]

And even as a longtime Star Trek fan I just sort of quit watching ST:Enterprise

Sorry, but Star Trek these days is a soulless, two-dimensional PC epigone. It's what an idea becomes when it's drained of its life force by Hollywood vampires.

[Joe Hadenuf]

I guess she doesn't understand the "Freak Show" factor in attracting viewers....

Nope, they've just made it acceptable, you know, the cutesy alternative life style, where many think they are perfectly fine, and those that question it are somehow strange and intolerant.

[Eala]

Sorry, but Star Trek these days is a soulless, two-dimensional PC epigone. It's what an idea becomes when it's drained of its life force by Hollywood vampires.

You won't get any argument from me on that! ST:TNG had some entertaining episodes (and a lot of embarrasing wretchedness); ST:DS9 seemed to have potential but blew it several ways, ST:V... well... poor all-too-PC stiff start with a fair recovery but by the end they should have just been "Lost In Space" (Irwin Allen monster-of-the-day style), and ST:E... well, again, potential but they just lost it, and me, somewhere along the way...

(And don't get me started on the movies...)