GLBT Market strong despite economy

The purchasing power and brand loyalty of lesbians and gay men has been thoroughly researched, documented and reported over the past several decades. Community Marketing, Inc., a research, marketing and communications firm established in 1992, succinctly states on its website: The facts are plain: gay men and lesbians travel more, own more homes and cars, spend more on electronics, and have the largest amount of disposable income of any niche market. Undaunted by events in the news, gay and lesbian consumers make up at least 10% of the consumer market. Critically, their dollars go to products, services and destinations that recognize their unique buying preferences and offer them differentiated value. GLBT buying power in the United States in 2009 was estimated to be $712 billion, according to the research and marketing company Witeck-Combs Communications. That number is expected to rise to $835 billion in 2011. Results from a poll conducted by Witeck-Combs and Harris Interactive in November 2009 underscore the extraordinary discretionary income gay men and lesbians have to influence the marketplace and illustrate that even in the midst of a struggling economy gays still spend. In a press release from Dec. 7, 2009, Witeck-Combs stated: The nationwide survey of 2,516 U.S. adults, (ages 18 and over) was conducted online between Nov. 2 and 11, 2009, by Harris Interactive, a global market research and consulting firm, in conjunction with Witeck-Combs Communications, Inc., a strategic public relations and marketing communications firm with special expertise in the GLBT market. The survey revealed that compared to what they spent last year on holiday gifts, 29% of GLBT adults planned to spend more. In comparison, only 9% of heterosexual adults planned to spend more. The GLBT community in Atlanta is both large and active. In the American Community Survey (US Census Bureau) of 2005, Atlanta ranked third in cities with the largest GLBT population at 12.8%. Only San Francisco (15.4%) and Seattle (12.9%) ranked higher. There are 250+ GLBT and AIDS-related organizations within the metro area alone and Pride attendance has placed Atlanta in the top five in the country for well over a decade. Atlanta was named Americas gayest city by The Advocate in its January 2010 issue. Reporter Mike Albo counted points based on same-sex households per capita, statewide marriage equality, gay elected officials, gay dating per single male population, gay bars per capita, cruising spots per capita, and gay films in Netflix favorites to determine first place. Albo explained that social and cultural life put Atlanta at the top of the Advocates list. Atlanta is undoubtedly our gayest city - with 29 gay bars here, theres a reason its dubbed Hotlanta, Albo wrote. Atlanta guys are hunky, the ladies are gracious, the gay sports leagues are seriously well organized, and its housewives (and their gay BFFs, complete with handbags and heels) are now camp icons. And who doesnt love the sweet lilt of a Georgia accent on a knockout guy or gal? While the article in The Advocate was low on science and high on camp, it nevertheless confirms what both activists and the party crowd have known for several decades: Atlanta in its own laid back style is the epicenter of GLBT life in the South and can hold its own as both a bastion of civil rights and gay culture with any other city in the country. In 2007, Atlanta won the Dinner of the Year award from the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) based on attendance and fundraising. HRC is the nations largest LGBT civil rights organization with some 700,000 members and supporters. Corporate sponsors of the HRC Dinner in Atlanta have included CocaCola, Delta, Home Depot, Bank of America, Wachovia and Cox Enterprises among others. Atlanta LGBT Pride is one of the largest in the country with major corporate sponsorships and attendance in excess of 100,000 every year. Georgia Voice, in addition to loyal local advertisers, has within its first few issues garnered marketing dollars from national corporations and organizations such as Orbitz, Bridgestone, Miller Lite/Coors, GlaxoSmithKline, US Census Bureau and Frito-Lay.

Making History
HISTORY &
When Southern Voice closed on Nov. 16, 2009, it left Atlantas lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities without a voice for the first time in almost 22 years. An institution since its inception in 1988, Southern Voice offered its loyal readership a professional and highly regarded publication that disseminated local and national news, timely information on events and organizations and commentary on the news of the day. Profitable since 1993, the free weekly newspaper was sold to Window Media in 1997 and enjoyed continued success for over a decade. Plagued by management problems that were exacerbated by a deep recession, Southern Voice was forced to cease publication. Within a few days, former SoVo Editor Laura Douglas-Brown and original SoVo founder (1988) Christina Cash developed a plan to launch a new media outlet that would surpass the mission and the success of Southern Voice. They held a community meeting to introduce and name the new publication, established a corporate structure, identified and hired an experienced staff, and developed new business models for a LGBT media outlet that would help lead its readership into the future. The Georgia Voice website launched on March 5, 2010 and the first print edition hit the streets on March 19, 2010. History has come full circle.

Christina Cash, Publisher

Complete Coverage
The web and print versions of Georgia Voice work in concert to give readers a comprehensive LGBT media outlet that provides both immediate access to information and the analysis and perspective to understand how it impacts all of us.
We publish daily online and in print every other week. The website, www.thegavoice. com, is a robust web portal for LGBT news, events and community interaction. Updated multiple times daily, it provides breaking news as it happens, developments in ongoing stories as they evolve, the days top events and headlines, expansive video and photo galleries, and a directory of community organizations. The Georgia Voice website works in conjunction with strong social media efforts including Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to keep in constant contact with readers and disseminate our coverage as quickly and widely as possible. Currently, GA Voice has more than 1,500 fans and growing every day. Our website, though very new, has had 15, 106 unique visitors (May 13, 2010) who spend more than three minutes on the site. In addition, our bounce rate is significantly under industry standard. Complimenting the compelling content at www.thegavoice.com, a variety of online advertising options give local and national companies the opportunity to engage daily with an active, savvy readership. Advertisers have a choice of four placements and receive discounts on web advertising if they also purchase print advertising. The print edition of the Georgia Voice offers news, analysis, features and commentary in an engaging, news-magazine style. The Georgia Voice publishes every other Friday with a current press run of 6,500 copies and a readership of 16,000 in the Atlanta metro area and Savannah. Publishing every other week, rather than weekly, was an intentional decision that allows the Georgia Voice to offer what is too often missing in todays information-saturated society: context. Thanks to the Internet and the 24/7 cable news cycle, people are often bombarded with an endless stream of information. There is no shortage of headlines, but readers remain starved for insight, analysis, perspective, and time to sit back, make sense of it all, and develop and share their own opinions. Our longer news cycle allows Georgia Voice to offer readers more depth than is often possible in the breaking news-driven world of the web, as we have more time for more analysis and investigative reporting.

The Georgia Voice, LLC, is managed by its co-founders, Christina Cash and Laura Douglas-Brown, bringing almost 25 years combined experience to lead both the editorial division and busiLaura Douglas-Brown, ness division of the Editor-in-Chief company. Christina Cash founded Southern Voice in 1988 and served at various times as publisher and editor until 1997 when the newspaper was sold to Window Media. During her tenure, Southern Voice grew from a very small startup to a profitable business with revenue in excess of $1,200,000. Cash has vast experience and knowledge in all aspects of the alternative newspaper publishing business. Laura Douglas-Brown served as a reporter and news editor for Southern Voice from 1997-2006. In 2006, she was named Editor and served in that role until the closure of Southern Voice in November 2009. She is known in the community for her fairness of reporting, her high standards of journalism and her superb writing skills. Brown is responsible for the hiring and management of the editorial and art departments. The staff she has assembled for the Georgia Voice includes three former employees of Southern Voice who serve in their same capacity. A Board of Advisors comprised of experts in the fields of accounting and taxes, digital media, sales and marketing and editorial serves as a resource to both staff and management.

EXPERIENCE MATTERS

GA Voice Readers: A Dream Demographic

AGE 18 to 24: 25 to 34: 35 to 54: Over 55: GENDER Male: Female: Other: EDUCATION 57% 40% 3%
17% 22%
Less than $25,000 $25,000 - $50,000 $50,000 - $75,000 $75,000 - $100,000 $100,000 - $150,000 $150,000 - $200,000 More than $200,000 10% Chose not to answer.

TRAVEL (In the last 12 months): 75% have taken 1 or more round trip ights 53% have taken 2-21 round trip ights 60% have taken 1-4 vacations in last 12 months 26% have spent 10-25 nights in a hotel room READERSHIP: 75% read local LGBT pubs at least once a month 53% read local LGBT publications regularly 34% visit LGBT internet sites daily 32% visit LGBT internet sites weekly SOCIAL MEDIA/E-COMMUNICATION: 35% check Facebook several times per day 27% check Facebook all day long

INCOME .4% 17.7% 58.8% 18.4%

4%

6%

6% 16% 19%

32% text several times per day 25% text all day long 56% use e-mail all day long 36% use e-mail several times per day PURCHASING DECISIONS: 36% make buying decisions on behalf of employer 19% are self-employed and make buying decisions for business PURCHASES LAST 12 MONTHS: 35% have bought a laptop 30% have bought a HD-TV 27% have bought furniture 21% have bought an automobile 7% have bought a primary residence PLANNED PURCHASES NEXT 12 MONTHS: 35% plan a major vacation 22% will buy a laptop 19% will buy an automobile BEVERAGE PREFERENCES: 70% drink bottled water 60% drink wine 42% drink Vodka HEALTH: 55% take vitamins daily 39% are regular runners 70% drink coffee 46% drink light beer

65%

make more than $50,000 a year.

76% 32%

are college graduates. have post-grad degrees.

26%

make more than $100,000 a year.

61%

own a home.

50% get regular massages 35% go to a gym regularly

The purchasing power and brand loyalty of lesbians and gay men has been thoroughly reported over the past several decades. Community Marketing, Inc., a research, marketing and communications rm, succinctly states on its website: The facts are plain: gay men and lesbians travel more, own more homes and cars, spend more on electronics, and have the largest amount of disposable income of any niche market...their dollars go to products, services and destinations that recognize their unique buying preferences and offer them differentiated value.

LGBT buying power in the US in 2010 is estimated to be $743 billion, according to the reasearch by Witeck-Combs. Totals are expected to hit $835 billion in 2011. The LGBT community in Atlanta is both large and active. In the American Community Survey (US Census Bureau) of 2005, Atlanta ranked third in cities with the largest LGBT population at 12.8%. There are 250+ LGBT and AIDS-related organizations within the metro area alone and Pride attendance has placed Atlanta in the top ve in the country for well over a decade.

Although there is no typical GA Voice reader, we can condently report that our readers are extremely well-educated, have higher than average incomes, are frequent travelers and are ardent users of technology and social media. This demographic information is taken from an online survey conducted JuneJuly, 2010, by Community Marketing Services, Inc. Complete survey reports on GA Voice readers and the national LGBT market are available upon request.. Contact: tboyd@thegavoice.com

JANUARY
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1 8 15 22 29

MAY
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Jan. 7: Jan. 21:

2011 Preview Health & Fitness

May 27: Gay Days of Summer Issue

January is the peak of tness season. Promote your brand to readers with resolutions.

JUNE
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FEBRUARY
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EDITORIAL CALENDAR 2011

The Georgia Voice offers discounts to advertisers who appear in multiple issues, but who are we to decide the best dates for your business? Check out our list of street dates and special issues so you can decide when to deliver your message to our readers. Street dates: BOLD Special issues: HIGHLIGHTED
Dates may be be subject to change. Certain special issues may require early deadlines. Ask your advertising representative for more details.

Feb. 4: Sex & Dating Feb. 18: Faith & Religion

June 10: Stonewall Weekend Preview June 24: National Pride Weekend Preview Even though Atlantas Pride is in October, Stonewall weekend is still heavy with local events.

MARCH
6 13 20 27 7 14 21 28 1 8 15 22 29 2 9 16 23 30 3 10 17 24 31 4 5 11 12 18 19 25 26

JULY
3 10 17 24 31 4 11 18 25 5 12 19 26 6 7 13 14 20 21 27 28

1 2 8 9 15 16 22 23 29 30

SEPTEMBER
4 11 18 25 5 12 19 26 6 13 20 27 7 14 21 28 1 8 15 22 29 2 9 16 23 30 3 10 17 24 6 13 20 27

NOVEMBER
7 14 21 28 1 8 15 22 29 2 9 16 23 30 3 10 17 24 4 5 11 12 18 19 25 26

March 18: GA Voice First Anniversary

July 8: Best of Atlanta The Best of Atlanta Issue offers readers and editors picks for the citys best in gay and lesbian... well, everything!

APRIL
3 10 17 24 4 11 18 25 5 12 19 26 6 13 20 27 7 14 21 28

1 2 8 9 15 16 22 23 29 30

AUGUST
7 14 21 28 1 8 15 22 29 2 9 16 23 30 3 10 17 24 31 4 11 18 25 5 12 19 26 6 13 20 27

Sept. 2: Black Gay Pride and Fall Preview Sept. 16: Auto Section Sept. 30: Pride Issue Pride: our biggest issue!

Nov. 25: Holiday Guide and World AIDS Day Issue Place your ads in in time for the gift-giving season.

OCTOBER
2 9 16 23 30 3 10 17 24 31 4 11 18 25 5 12 19 26 6 7 13 14 20 21 27 28

April 29: Travel Issue Studies have shown that gay men and lesbians love to travel, so this is the perfect issue for travel agents, destination locales, hotels, B&Bs and transportation.

1 8 15 22 29

DECEMBER
4 11 18 25 5 12 19 26 6 13 20 27 7 14 21 28 1 8 15 22 29 2 9 16 23 30

3 10 17 24 31

August 5: Pet Issue August 19: Black Gay Pride Preview

Oct. 14: Home & Real Estate Oct. 16: AIDS Walk Atlanta

Dec. 23: New Years Preview and Year in Review

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