En Route to the GLAAD Amplifier Awards in NYC

I'm currently on a plane to New York, where I'll be attending the 2011 GLAAD Amplifier Awards. I'll be attending with execs from Allstate, who will be accepting the 2011 Corporate Responsibility Award, as well as the 2011 Outstanding Outdoor Campaign, which I worked on. So excited for this and grateful to both Allstate and Leo Burnett for giving me this opportunity. Hard work and passion does pay off!

Follow Me at the Planningness Conference on Twitter

Over the next two days, you'll be able to follow me on Twitter at the Planningness conference in Minneapolis, @brianstout. Along with some colleagues, I'll be representing Leo Burnett at this one of a kind meeting of strategists from around the country. 

Multicultural Marketing in 2011 and Beyond

Top multicultural marketing experts have weighed in with their informed opinions on what to expect in Multicultural Marketing in 2011 and over the next decade. Read on to learn what these experts have to say about marketing to African Americans, Asian Americans, Muslim Americans, the GLBT consumer market and people with disabilities. Click here. 

IPG and Time Hold Fundraiser Benefitting At-Risk LGBT Youth

On Monday, the GLBT employee affinity groups of Interpublic Group (IPG) and Time Inc. held a fundraiser featuring RuPaul’s Drag Race to benefit the Hetrick-Martin Institute, home of the Harvey Milk High School. IPGLBT, an Interpublic resource group for GLBT employees and their allies, hosted the fundraiser in conjunction with OUT@Time Inc., the gay employee resource group at Time Inc. and the Logo cable channel.

“The Hetrick-Martin Institute is a remarkable resource for at-risk youth, and Interpublic is proud to participate in supporting this important community organization,” said Philippe Krakowsky, EVP, Strategy & Communications at Interpublic Group. “We’re also excited to partner with OUT@Time and Viacom’s Logo on this worthy fundraising event. It represents one of the many programs that we are undertaking as part of our commitment to promoting diversity and inclusion across our organization.”

The evening started with a cocktail reception at Interpublic Group’s main office in New York, attended by more than 150 people. The highlight of the evening was a guest appearance by RuPaul’s Drag Race breakout star Pandora Boxx, a recently cut contestant from the show, who mingled with guests and charmed the crowd. The reception was followed by a private screening of the evening’s RuPaul’s Drag Race episode and an exclusive sneak-peek of the season finale held in the HBO headquarters next to the Interpublic office. Over $2,000 was raised during the evening for the Hetrick-Martin Institute.

The Hetrick-Martin Institute (HMI) runs a program in New York that supports at-risk gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or questioning youth. HMI also directs the groundbreaking Harvey Milk High School. IPGLBT has been working with HMI throughout the year, including tutoring students at the high school.

The mission of the IPGLBT group is to ensure that GLBT employees, consumers and their allies have relevance within IPG, their operating companies, and the work they do for their clients. It is one of four groups in the IPG MERGE (Multicultural Employee Resource Groups for Excellence) program, which aims to bring employees together in support of the company’s inclusion and diversity mission.

OUT@Time Inc. is an employee organization for Time Inc. lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender employees created to address the ever evolving needs of the LGBT community and to be a voice for the community within the corporate structure.

Largest Ever Gay Market Research Study to Launch in 14 Countries

Stretching through 14 countries right across Latin America and Europe, the world's largest gay market research study ever to be undertaken is about to launch.

Developed by Out Now -- a leading specialist global marketing agency -- the new study will survey lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people living in fourteen countries. From Mexico's border with Texas right across the world to Israel and to the top of Sweden -- this will be the most comprehensive study of its kind ever to be undertaken.

With an overall population of three quarters of a billion, these regions are home to more than 35 million lesbian and gay people living diverse lives.

It is the first time a gay community targeted market study has been conducted across so many countries at one time.

The countries being surveyed in the '2010 Out Now Global LGBT Market Study' are: in Latin America - Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay; and, in Europe -- France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Spain, Sweden and the UK.

The study will cover many areas including consumer habits, incomes, education levels, media usage, parenting, relationships, travel, employment, discrimination, equality concerns, aspirations and more.

The research has attracted corporate attention: the European arm is being sponsored by Berlin Tourism Marketing and the Latin American research is being sponsored by Delta Air Lines. In Latin America, the research is also being undertaken in conjunction with GNETWORK360, the region's leading LGBT networking organisation.

Learn more here

Sunday Spotlight: Virgin Mobile

I love Canada. Virgin Mobile Canada created this print ad as part of their "fearless" campaign that launched in September. Their television, print and out-of-home ads encourage people to "hook up fearlessly" with secret lovers during the holidays–including this execution of two men kissing, which Virgin is running nationally across Canada. The work is another home run by rising-star agency Juniper Park out of Toronto. The agency recently won the Quaker Oats business from Goodby, so you know they're onto something.

Out Now Consulting Invests in Australia

Out Now Consulting, the Dutch LGBT marketing agency with an increasingly global presence, has announced a major investment in the Australian market. 


"Australia is a market whose economy demands that Out Now help companies better understand this key consumer category," says Ian Johnson, the company's founder and CEO. "Lesbians and gay men have a well developed community, defined media channels and distinct marketing opportunities... Our clients are the world's leading brands, and our new expansion in Australia reflects both the strategic objectives of our clients and the strong LGBT marketing opportunities here."

Johnson also announced the appointment of gay tourism marketing specialists Mark Proffit and Dee Farrell of Sydney to join the Out Now Global network of specialist LGBT marketing experts.

Proffit is the founder of one of Australia's leading travel businesses targeting the gay consumer market - Rainbow Tourism International (www.RainbowTourism.com )  - and he is an IGLTA Ambassador. Farrell was a charter member of IGLTA and worked as a tourism operator for many years before starting of Peacock Tourism Marketing in New York City last year. She is also co-director of Rainbow Tourism and is based in Sydney.
Full press release here

New talent agency offers GLBT division

For some advertising agencies, marketing to the GLBT community means placing an attractive model and a rainbow in the same ad. Through his new talent agency, Josh Robbins wants to change that.


"I want gay people to be in gay ads," he said. "I want to book people who really understand that ad from the perspective of [the] people it's targeting."
Read the full article here (Out & About)

Out-the-door advertising

Tonight my boyfriend and I had dinner at at Cici's pizza. No, no special occasion... I was inspired to do this after watching a Cici's TV commercial earlier (see, advertising does work). I had never been before and wanted to see what you really got for $4.99. Turns out, it's pretty impressive. For a pizza buffet that is. But what caught my eye was this sign that was on the door on the way out. What a cool way to build brand loyalty- by reinforcing your positioning against fast food restaurants while people are walking out your door filled up (barely able to move in my case). Deutsch in LA does good work for them. Looking forward to seeing what they do for VW.

Deutsch and Lowe to merge

     

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Interpublic Group of Cos. is about to pull the trigger on a merger of its agencies Lowe Worldwide and Deutsch that will do away with the Lowe brand in the U.S., according to people familiar with the matter.
Full AdAge article here

$121M Viagra advertising account goes into review

Have you noticed that the people in Viagra commercials keep looking less like your grandparents and more like you? No, you haven't aged suddenly. Viagra has just been pushing all the limits in an effort to broaden its customer base. And now they've apparently hit a standstill: they're looking for a new advertising agency.
Read more here