Gays and Lesbians Leading the Nation in Mobile Internet Usage

Some new data was just published showing that gays and lesbians are among the leading groups in the nation when it comes to mobile internet usage. And no, hours spent on Grindr was not one of the survey metrics. It turns out that we're more likely than the general population to own Smartphones, and more than twice as likely to make purchases from them. In fact, in the past week, 28% of us have made a purchase using our Smartphone, 63% of us have found info on a local business using it, and 36% of us have used it to receive or redeem deals or specials like Groupons. The data was published in 5th Annual LGBT Community Survey by Community Marketing, Inc., which can be found here. 

New Study: Openly Gay Applicants 40% Less Likely to Get Job Interviews

Openly gay applicants are 40 percent less likely to be granted an interview than their heterosexual counterparts, according to a study published Tuesday in the American Journal of Sociology. The study was the first of its kind to test the receptiveness of employers to gay male job applicants. It sent two fictitious resumes to more than 1,700 entry-level, white collar job openings in the U.S. The resumes were nearly identical, except each mentioned a different affiliation with a school organization. Read more here. 

New study on how gays and lesbians perceive advertising

A new study from the University of Miami interviewed 25 gay and lesbian Americans of different age, ethnic, and professional backgrounds on their reactions to commercials exemplifying dominant gay and lesbian portrayals. 
According to the study, five specific strategies emerged within these minority consumers to interpret the messages catered to them:

• Gay men accepted the perception of "higher disposable income of gay male households" and transformed material consumption into a definition of self-worth. "I was on many consumer panels because I fit the profile of gay men who have disposable income and travel a lot," one participant said.
• Participation in the mass market was equated to membership in mainstream society. "We got money. We contribute to the corporation. We contributed to big business. We got families. We are part of the mainstream now," a participant said.
• Targeted advertising was identified as an essential step in achieving social political inclusion. "Consumer rights and citizenship, civil rights are intricately connected in the United States […]. And when we express our identity as a consumer, that reinforces and strengthens our identity as a citizen," a participant said.
• Perpetuating problematic depictions of gays as effeminate men or lesbians as "sexualized femme" was tolerated in the interests of social inclusion. "I was ambivalent when watching this commercial. It's playing up the stereotype. But for me, if you can see gay people on TV in Texas, it's positive," one participant said.
• Participants were willing to give up something of their subcultural identity for the sake of total acceptance in society. "When we are truly accepted in the society, we will just blend in […] even that might mean sacrificing our uniqueness," a participant said.

Source: "How Minority Consumers Use Targeted Advertising as Pathways to Self-Empowerment: Gay Men's and Lesbians' Reading of Out-of-the-Closet Advertising" Journal of Advertising Vol. 40 No. 3 Fall 2011.

Study Paints a Better Picture of Today's Real Modern Family

Edelman has just wrapped up an interesting study on changing US family dynamic and demographics. Among the most interesting findings include that just 4% of US families have stay-at-home moms and working dads with children under 18 years old. That's right, just 4%. Furthermore, the study points out how economic pressures and blended family models have redefined individual roles within the family: skill sets have replaced gender, and 62 percent of moms and 54 percent of dads feel that parenting roles will be redefined away from the traditional “mom and dad” roles of the past. This creates a new opportunity for marketers to think in terms of skill set versus gender, opening up the entire family as a target. The study, which was commissioned in August 2011, included in-depth interviews with 2,482 consumers among a cross-section of today’s modern family: single parents, working moms, gay partners, multicultural heads of households and grandparents.

New Stats on LGBT Affluents

Some new stats were released last week on LGBT Affluents - that is, members of the LGBT community with household incomes of $100K+. The data, which comes from the 2011 Ipsos Mendelsohn Affluent Survey, shows that LGBT affluents have household incomes that are 25% higher than those of heterosexual affluents. Here are the full stats: 

New Data on Brands that Support LGBT Nonprofits/Causes

97% of LGBT Internet users say they are likely to consider brands that support nonprofits/causes that are important to them as a gay or lesbian person. That's up from 85% in 2007.