GLBT community attractive to online advertisers

Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Internet users represent nearly 8 percent of the U.S. online population, according to a recent report from eMarketer, and their above average spending power is attractive to online advertisers.

by Helen Leggatt

There are around 12.1 million gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) Internet users in the U.S., says Ben Macklin of eMarketer in a recent report. That’s 7.9 percent of the total number of U.S. adults online and a large chunk of the total 15 million in the U.S. and their annual purchasing power of $660 billion.

The GLBT market is particularly attractive to marketers as it generally represents a group with larger disposable incomes and discretionary time than their heterosexual partners, mainly due to the prevalence of relationships with two incomes and no children.

GLBT Internet users conduct much of their travel arrangements online and many travel websites provide specialist information and itineraries. Blogs and social networking sites are also popular with the GLBT online community.

Previous analysis has indicated that the GLBT community online spends more time connected and has a propensity to purchase from advertisers with “gay-specific” campaigns.

Other GLBT consumer facts include:

- Over twice as likely as national index to be professionals or managers
- Average household income over $85.4K
- Are 3.4 times more likely to have household income over $250K
- The 2000 Census showed gay men and lesbians living with partners in 99.3 percent of all U.S. counties
- Twice as likely to have graduated from college