Advertising Week 2010 Focuses on the LGBT Community

Advertising Week is being enlightened by a new subject this year: Gays & Lesbians, Know Them? The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) and Publicis Groupe have joined forces to ask panelists this very important question with the hopes of changing hearts and minds and making the LGBT lifestyle more approachable in the media.

The New York Times will be sponsoring the event to be held on Monday, September 27, 2010 from 11:00-11:45 a.m. at the Paley Center - Concourse Theatre on 52nd Street in New York City. Representatives from Microsoft, American Airlines, LOGO, and Prime Access Inc. will be on-hand at the ground-breaking panel discussion.

Marketing to Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender People: The Research, The Campaigns, the ROI will be held during Advertising Week on Wednesday, September 29, 2010 from 2:30-4:30 p.m. The subject on the official program website states:

Proposition 8. Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. Rosie. Ellen & Portia. Neil Patrick Harris. Chaz Bono. These are just some of the sights and sounds of the LGBT community in today’s headlines. But beyond the headlines are upwards of 15 million consumers – consumers who buy shampoo, laundry detergent, cars, wine and spirits. 15 million consumers with checking accounts, credit cards, with worries about the declines in their 401(k)’s. 15 million consumers who watch tv and movies, download iTunes and travel to new and exciting locales. How do marketers put a value on the size of the LGBT consumer opportunity? How do marketers effectively communicate with this audience? And how can marketers evaluate the ROI of their LGBT marketing investment? The LGBT Committee of the ARF’s People Council will tackle these three key issues.

To attend in person or virtually register via My ARF.

GLAAD President Jarrett Barrios spoke about the importance of Advertising Week 2010. "When companies include images of our community in their ads, they send an important message that gay and transgender people are a part of the American cultural fabric. It's these images that build acceptance and understanding of our community.  We are proud to partner with Publicis to advocate for fair, accurate and inclusive advertising."

Sandra Sims-Williams, Chair of the Publicis Groupe Diversity Council in the USA said, "We created Egalite at Publicis Groupe to unite our brand's LGBT employees and allies in the New York region and streamline an LGBT approach for our clients. Egalite serves both an internal and external purpose, and our partnership with GLAAD is one illustration of our global Diversity Policy, composed of several initiatives dedicated to various communities."

Adam Wasserman, Digitas and co-founder of Egalite shared, "We're seeing more and more gay and lesbian storylines on TV every day, and it's not taboo anymore. This recent evolution is encouraging us to increase our deep knowledge about this community, and to find the right ways for an efficient dialogue between brands and LGBT consumers."

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