GLAAD Media Awards In Advertising Winners Announced

The 2010 GLAAD Media Awards in Advertising winners have been announced:

• Outstanding TV Campaign – LGBT Market: Levi’s Gay History Month/Logo Leaders Campaign (Levi Strauss & Co.)
• Outstanding Print Campaign – Mainstream Market:  America’s Top Couple (K-Y Brand)
• Outstanding Print Campaign – LGBT Market:  Works in Progress (Progressive Insurance)
• Outstanding Interactive Campaign:  The Advocate Money Minute Presented by Wells Fargo (Wells Fargo)
• Outstanding Social Marketing Campaign:  SAGECAP: The Caregiver’s Caregiver (SAGE)

Additionally, American Airlines was awarded the Corporate Responsibility Award for 2010.

All of the winning and nominated creative can be viewed here.  Congratulations to all the winners!

Gay Advertisement #19: Miller Lite

2010 GLAAD Media Awards In Advertising Nominee

This ad from Miller Lite, titled “Great To See You Out,” was nominated in the Outstanding Print Campaign – LGBT Market category.  The GLAAD Media Awards in Advertising will take place tomorrow, September 29th, in New York City.  Check back soon for a list of winners!

Gay Advertisement #18: Progressive Insurance

2010 GLAAD Media Awards In Advertising Nominee

Progressive Insurance has been nominated in the Outstanding Print Campaign – LGBT Market category for its “Works in Progress” campaign, which features historical works of art featuring gay couples.  For more on this campaign, read the article I wrote for the June/July issue of Echelon Magazine (page 24).

Large Companies Break Down Barriers In LGBT Marketing

Northwestern University’s Medill Reports recently published an article on marketing to the gay community.  The article presents a few snapshots of corporate marketing efforts and gives some helpful advice from experts on GLBT marketing.  I especially like this excerpt from Michael Murphy, senior vice president of communications firm Fleishman-Hillard:

“But in order to really tap into the market, Murphy said a company must start by looking inward.  “You have to practice what you preach,” he said.  Murphy suggests looking at human relations and corporate responsibility to see how LGBT employees are treated within a company.  Fair policies and employee work groups supporting LGBT are key.

Murphy sees employees within a company as the best “brand ambassadors in the community.”

In making the move outward, Murphy warns against stereotypes and cliches, such as rainbow flags in advertising and marketing campaigns.  He advises businesses to complete their market research and to test the campaign to make sure it is respectful through use of employee focus groups.

“The return on investment can be exponential if [the company] does it right,” Murphy said.  The market is not only untapped over all, but Murphy pointed out that each letter within the acronym ‘LGBT’ signifies a different untouched segment.”

You can read the entire article here.

Gay Advertisement #15: Tylenol PM

2010 GLAAD Media Awards in Advertising Nominee

This ad for Tylenol PM is nominated in the Outstanding Print Ad – LGBT Market category.  I especially like the clever incorporation of the rainbow into the Tylenol PM logo.  Tylenol has been a proud sponsor of the Human Rights Campaign since 2003, and is a regular supporter of Pride events around the country.

Gay Advertisement #14: K-Y Brand

2010 GLAAD Media Awards in Advertising Nominee

This K-Y print ad is nominated in the Outstanding Print Campaign – Mainstream Market category.  Geoffrey and Rusty were voted one of “America’s Top Couples” in a contest in conjunction with  the company’s “K-Y Couples” campaign.  Kudos to K-Y for including a gay couple in its contest and running the ad in mainstream media.

GLAAD Announces Nominees For Media Awards In Advertising

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) announced today the nominees and honorees for the 2nd Annual GLAAD Media Awards in Advertising Presented by Omnicom Group, Publicis Groupe, and Rokk Vodka.

Among the nominees are:  Absolut Vodka’s “Exceptional Moments: The Absolut RuPaul” commercials, Levi Strauss & Co.’s “Gay History Month/Logo Leaders” campaign, Progressive Insurance’s “Works in Progress” ads, Wells Fargo’s “Advocate Money Minute,” and Givenchy’s “Fall 2010″ campaign featuring openly transgender model Lea T.

In the coming weeks, I’ll be featuring some of the nominees on OGM leading up to the ceremony on September 29, but if you can’t wait that long, a complete list of nominated ads is included below and can also be found at http://www.glaad.org/advertisingawards/nominees.

Out Now Global LGBT Study: Companies Benefit From Gay-Targeted Marketing

Some preliminary findings from the expansive 2010 Out Now Global LGBT Study will be released this week, and the results suggest that corporations worldwide have more to gain than lose through ‘public displays of affection’ towards lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) customers and staff.  According to Echelon, initial results show the powerful gay consumer market – accounting for 6% of all sales worldwide – will choose brands that support GLBT customers with visible, well-targeted marketing campaigns.

“After ‘coming out’, LGBT people in 2010 are now well advanced in the process of ‘coming in’ – into the mainstream of society in many ways,” says Ian Johnson, CEO of Out Now – a global LGBT marketing specialist agency.  ”There still exists levels of discrimination and misinformation directed against LGBT people – but this new research reveals a clear trend,” says Johnson. “Gay consumers switch brands to support companies that support LGBT customers and staff. This is highly significant – and valuable.”

This news comes on the heals of Target and Best Buys’ highly publicized support of anti-gay Minnesota gubernatorial candidate Rob Emmer.  This move has enraged gay activists and has company shareholders worried.  The retailers’ ill-advised political contributions will no doubt cost them dearly.  The Human Rights Campaign has demanded the two companies make an equal contribution to that organization’s cause.  Neither has ponied up, but Target Chairman and Chief Executive Gregg Steinhafel did issue a half-hearted apology yesterday.  Better late than never I suppose.

Witeck-Combs Communications: The Nation’s Leading GLBT Marketing And Communications Firm

One reason I started this blog was to connect marketers and advertisers with first class agencies with the knowledge and  know-how to effectively reach the GLBT community.  Too often it seems, when organizations want to target gay and lesbian consumers, they turn to the large mega-agencies that handle the rest of their advertising programs.  While the big boys certainly afford advertisers some efficiencies in scale, I believe smaller, GLBT-focused (and often GLBT-owned) firms are vastly more qualified and effective at marketing to our community.

One such agency is Witeck-Combs Communications based in Washington D.C.  Witeck-Combs has emerged as the country’s preeminent public relations and marketing communications firm specializing in the GLBT consumer segment.  With an impressive client list that includes an array of Fortune 500 firms, there are few agencies that can match their experience with and knowledge of the gay community.

Business partners Bob Witeck and Wes Combs founded the agency in 1993 because they saw a disconnect between the gay community and the business community and decided their firm would be a bridge to connect these two worlds.  In addition to consulting services that include business plan assessments, media relations, management education, and strategic business partnerships and sponsorships, Witeck-Combs has been instrumental in bringing meaningful GLBT market research to the fingertips of U.S. marketing professionals through partnerships with organizations like Harris Interactive and MarketResearch.com.

To learn more about or to contact Witeck-Combs Communications, you can visit their website.  If you don’t have an immediate need for the agency’s services but are interested in learning more about GLBT marketing and communications, you’re in luck.  Witeck and Combs also penned Business Inside Out - hands down the best book on the subject of best practices in GLBT business.