ABSTRACT
From the perspective of advertisers, the gay audience is not to be ignored. With at least 15 million self-identified gays in the United States, it is estimated that they represent more than $485 billion in combined buying power (Bean, 2003). 1 Although this buying power does not necessarily mean that gays are more affluent than the general public, gay men may have greater disposable income, in part because they are far less likely to have children. Moreover, gays are twice as likely to have graduated from college, have an income over $60,000, and, even more surprisingly, are twice as likely to have an income over $250,000. More specifically, Wilke (1997a) indicated that over 28% of gay households have incomes greater than $50,000 and 21% have incomes over $100,000. In addition, industry sources indicate that homosexuals are extraordinarily loyal to brands that advertise to them (Bean, 2003). Establishing the actual size of the gay population is difficult, but a recent estimate suggests that from between 4% and 10% of the overall population is gay ( Wilke, 1997b). Even at 4%, the consumption potential is substantial from a marketing perspective. 2
