Men + We=Gay? | We Spectator Foms

Contents:

• CASE STUDY: "GAY" W
• MEN + WE=GAY? | WE SPECTATOR FOMS
• WHAT IS THE GAYT DRK
• IS DRKG WE GAY?
• GAY MEN, WE HAVE A DRKG PROBLEM
• GAY MEN AND ALHOL: THE RELATNSHIP WH THE BOTTLE

CASE STUDY: "GAY" W

"The general assumptn is that if you are drkg a vodka soda or a vodka cranberry, you are a woman or you are gay. Of all the many teemed we-producg regns North Ameri, wtern Sonoma County - particular the area between Healdsburg and the Rsian River rort area - stands out not only for s superb weri and stunng natural scenery, but also for havg a tremendo gay followg. A group of Californian gay we enthiasts created Out the Veyard 2011, “an experiential We Country Event and Travel pany promotg posive LGBT liftyl and offerg exclive, luxury erari and events We Country for the discerng gay traveler and their iends.

In the mid 2010's more and more weri were g out loud and proud their support of gay marriage. Their webse says: "Égalé’s missn is not only to be the bt we to toast Equaly for gay Amerins, but also to help LGBTQ youth nquer life's challeng.

MEN + WE=GAY? | WE SPECTATOR FOMS

As Amerin attus towards gay people have improved - later than most of the Wtern world - the prence of "gays we", always there but largely visible, has bee clearer: not jt the dtry self, but their marketg approach as well.

But ’s also regnn that the gay muny has a lot of disposable e - and gay people like to drk we: 16% more than straight people. Acrdg to the Journal of Studi on Alhol and Dgs some 75% of gays and lbians were scribed as "current drkers, " as pared to 68% of bisexuals and 59% of heterosexuals. And lbians out-drk gay men.

WHAT IS THE GAYT DRK

"Historilly, so much gay drkg went on gay bars bee there was virtually nowhere else where gays uld socialize, " thor Sharon Wilsnack says. When Jab’s Creek beme exclive advertiser on the TV-show Friends, Diageo's Blossom Hill reacted by sponsorg Will en Grace, the gay (beloved) TV-seri - at USD 1, 000, 000 for the n of 24 episos (the bottle and glass set pictured on the left uld have been signed for that, but wasn't).

Hardy W was promently prent on London’s Gay Pri Para and Sydney’s Mardi Gras early ‘00s. But this ncerned regular, existg w, aimed at a gay dience.

IS DRKG WE GAY?

Some brands went one step further and created ‘gay w’.

In 2007, blogger Tom Wark wrote: “It’s a fact, whether you like or not, gay w are here to stay. It all began as some sort of silly game: why would anyone need to drk a gay we? What would be the special featur that would make a we “gay iendly”?

In 2008 he observed: “Marketg we to the Gay muny isn't bra surgery.

GAY MEN, WE HAVE A DRKG PROBLEM

"There's no qutn that marketg to the gay muny is different than marketg to, say, ultra-right-wg relig nservativ, but while the labels may change, you n serve them up the same we - 's got nothg to do wh what's ** the bottle. In 1997 they started advertisg to the gay market, wh an ad that showed the AIDS quilt and clared s support for the Nam Project. They also reerated their support for the Nam du Bois spent $ 800, 000 on the gay marketg mpaign over those four years.

" She received hundreds of posive emails rponse to a wery ad nng gay publitns that shows a field of v beg irrigated, wh the risg mist creatg the effect of a rabow. A number of weri have n their natnal ads gay publitns like The Advote and Out, but Clos du Bois was the first to create ads specifilly for gay nsumers and make a staed ph to the gay market, said Michael Wilke of AdRpect.

GAY MEN AND ALHOL: THE RELATNSHIP WH THE BOTTLE

Bee so few weri had targeted the gay market, was still largely untapped. Beli Veyard, a Napa Valley wery, had n s mastream ads gay and lbian publitns for two years, but by 2001 had not yet veloped ads tailored for the muny. Jt like many mastream publitns, we ads homosexual media were overshadowed by ads for beer and spirs.

Alhol is the most crowd tegory gay marketg, wh more than 40 brands jostlg for attentn, Wilke said. The we dtry, however, has been slower to move to gay media. Clos du Bois voted 2-3% of s advertisg budget to the gay ads, but planned to tensify their mpaign.