In Praise of Advertising

by Paul Varnell

First published in the Chicago Free Press, January 11, 2006

A fall 2005 survey by Harris Interactive and Witeck-Combs Communications comparing gay and heterosexual adults found that gay men and lesbians were by several percentage points more likely than heterosexuals to respond to advertising messages, and that this was particularly true of offers that were keyed to their needs and respectful of their identities.

According to Witeck-Combs CEO and cofounder Bob Witeck, those results are good news for the advertising managers who have promoted more than 800 brands to the gay market and invested a quarter billion advertising dollars to reach same-sex households.

It is easy to see how ads directly aimed at gays by containing gay elements or same-sex couples would elicit a positive response from gay readers or viewers. But we could wonder why gays and lesbians might pay a little more attention to advertising generally. It is possible to imagine several plausible reasons.

• Since fewer gays have children, they are likely to a have greater disposable income to spend on consumer products and personal services, so they naturally pay more attention to advertising that tells them what kinds of things are out there that they might use their money for.
• A special case of this is gays' tendency to be “early adopters”—their eagerness to adopt a new fashion style or have the most innovative consumer product—computer, sound system, electronic gadget, messaging system, whatever. To do that successfully they need to be alert for advertisements for new products.
• Having fewer children also means that gays are better able to “pick up and go.” Previous research found that gays go on more frequent trips or vacations and go out more to restaurants, concerts, movies and clubs. So they naturally look for advertising that tells them what is available.
• Married heterosexual couples still tend to divide the work of maintaining the household, so each partner is likely to pay attention mainly to advertising about the aspects they handle. Same-sex couples do not divide household responsibilities so clearly, so both partners may notice, say, ads for better microwaves as well as new cars, new DVD players as well as new lighting fixtures.
• Finally, I sometimes wonder if growing up as gay with a greater need for a self-protective awareness of other people's responses does not create—at least in some gays—a more or less constant state of alertness to the details and nuances of what is going on around them.

As all those examples underline, the whole purpose of advertising is to provide information that you the potential consumer did not know and would not otherwise have. It may not be information you want or need at the moment, but you might eventually and somebody else might find it useful right now.

Examples: A fascinating new product is now available. A familiar product has been upgraded and restyled. We can provide this time-saving service for you. A fine store is conveniently located near you. Some store is having a special “50 percent off” sale. This product will entertain you better. That nifty product will impress your friends. This club is having special entertainment. This movie is opening at that theater. Et cetera.

How are you going to find out these things if not through advertising—or from a friend who saw the advertising? We tend to forget how much of what we know about the world of products and services we learned directly or indirectly from advertising. Commercial products and services do not become known by magic.

A quick survey found gay friends who said that because they saw an ad they:

• Opened an account at a particular bank.
• Discovered a store that sold a brand of shoes they wanted.
• Bought a Bose Wave Radio.
• Changed brands of toothpaste to one they liked better.
• Found dress shirts on sale.
• Tried dental whitening strips.
• Bought an original iMac the minute it came out.
• Hired an attorney who advertised in a gay newspaper.
• Tried a new remedy for cold sores.
• Went to a concert a friend saw advertised.
• Hired an “model/escort” for a pleasant evening.
• Bought a book that looked interesting.

The list could go on.

Some people say they do not like advertising. They are usually thinking of loud or repetitious radio or television commercials. But there are well-designed advertisements in newspapers and magazines as well as clever and entertaining ads on radio or television. The New Yorker contains a great deal of exemplary, stylish advertising, especially around Christmastime.

And such people are forgetting how much information they themselves obtain from advertising. They remind me of Richard Wilbur's little poem “Solipsism”:

We milk the cow of the world, and as we do
We whisper in her ear, “You are not true. ”

Advertising can even create aesthetic benefits. Some artists in the early 20th century noticed how advertising's color and variety enriched the city's visual environment. French artist Fernand Leger who loved bright colors wrote enthusiastically of “life-giving color ... including all forms of everyday advertising.”