Gay marketing Out Now timeline

Gay and lesbian marketing timeline

Since 1992, Out Now has been leading the world in the development of effective lesbian and gay marketing strategies.

Our clients, and millions of lesbian and gay consumers, have benefited as a result of our specilaist gay marketing agency work in markets across the world.

Here are a selection of highlights from two decades of Out Now's gay marketing specialist agency expertise.

1992

  • Out Now opens first gay marketing agency office, trading as Significant Others Marketing Consultants, in Sydney, Australia.
  • World's first lesbian and gay market research program commences. Out Now's gay marketing specilaist insight is now the longest continuing gay market research program in the world.

1993

  • Release of Australia's first large scale gay market quantitative research findings.
  • First lesbian market research commences in Australia.

1994

  • Australian gay market research - by way of qualitative focus groups - undertaken for leading food supplier, Competitive Foods.
  • Keynote address to the world's first ever gay marketing conference - 'Chasing The Pink Dollar' - in Sydney, Australia.

1995

  • Creation and launch of print gay marketing and advertising campaign for IBM. This was the first occasion anywhere in the world that the IBM brand had advertised directly to gay and lesbian consumers.

1996

  • Released findings from largest ever survey of Australian lesbian market.
  • Completed extensive gay market research study for the Credit Union Services Corporation of Australia.
  • Launched The Dance Bible gay and lesbian CD to benefit gay and lesbian counselling services.
  • IBM sales promotion in conjunction with BGF Shop Yourself Stupid.
  • Sponsors of 1996 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Festival.
  • Completed research project for the New South Wales Police Service into the attitudes of gays and lesbians in NSW towards police.
  • Attended the third US National Gay and Lesbian Business and Consumer Expo in New York City.
  • Ian Johnson elected as Vice-President of Sydney Gay and Lesbian Business Association.
  • Gay market research commissioned by Queer Screen,  promoters of the Mardi Gras Film Festival,  to undertake analysis of gay and lesbian cinema attendance patterns.
  • Created Australia's largest, and most successful, gay and lesbian market consumer event, the 1996 Gay and Lesbian Lifestyle Consumer Expo.
  • Created first ever gay-specific advertising for Qantas Airways ('Happy Hawaii').
  • Launch of gay and lesbian staff training program on how to better understand and market to lesbian and gay customers.
  • Created first gay market targeted advertising for Australian beer brand, Hahn Ice.

1997

  • New gay marketing creative strategies for 1997 produced for Qantas and Toyota.
  • Gay market research program commenced in Victoria and Queensland.
  • Sponsor 1997 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Film Festival.
  • Launch of Sydney City Toyota 'Recovery' advertising campaign. Separate advertising created for lesbian and gay markets.
  • Report prepared for Marrickville City Council providing minimum gay and lesbian population figures for their Local Government Area and detailing lesbian and gay lifestyle, parenting and home ownership patterns. This market research data was used by Council to create their first policy regarding the community social needs of their growing gay and lesbian population.
  • Gay market research report on HIV/AIDS prepared for NSW Health Department.
  • Designed and executed a major gay market research study for a multinational bank to investigate gay consumer needs for credit card products and financial services.
  • Created a computer-based gay marketing advertisement for Qantas Airways.

1998

  • Launched first Australian gay audience advertising for pharmaceutical company Merck, Sharp and Dohme.
  • Sponsor the 1998 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Film Festival.

2001

  • Out Now opens first lesbian and gay marketing specialist agency in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
  • Opening covered extensively by European media - including International Herald Tribune.

2002

  • Launched first ever lesbian and gay market advertising for Lufthansa German Airlines, in the UK market.
  • Create gay market advertising campaign for Merck Sharp & Dohme MSD Australia to advertise hair loss medications to gay men.
  • Comprehensive public relations strategy work with the Cologne Tourist Office in conjunction with Europride - the event's most successful year to date.

2003

  • Commence strategic consulting and gay market development work for the German National Tourist Office.
  • Create gay market advertising campaign for Merck Sharp & Dohme MSD Netherlands to advertise hair loss medications to gay men.
  • Launch Lufthansa brand into the Dutch lesbian and gay consumer markets.

2004

  • Undertook first ever large scale gay market research study in the Dutch lesbian and gay markets.
  • 'GayTravels Safari' campaign launched for Lufthansa.

2005

  • Out Now launches first comprehensive gay and lesbian market study of UK gay consumer market.
  • Market development work for Barclays Bank including extensive quantitative data analysis and bespoke gay market research, including focus groups.

2006

  • Online interactive gay marketing projects undertaken for Lufthansa and German National Tourist Office.
  • Keynote presentation to 'Pink Pound Conference', London, UK.
  • Gay market research study for Hilton Hotels.
  • Out Now presents 'Gay Marketing Masterclass by Out Now' at world's most important travel trade show - London WTM World Travel Market.

2007

  • 'Images in Advertising' (Commercial Closet) awards for gay marketing excellence honor Out Now in New York for 'Outstanding Interactive' for our 2006 'Lufthansa OutShots' campaign in the Netherlands.
  • Undertook largest ever gay market research study of the Irish gay and lesbian market.
  • 'Gay Marketing Masterclass by Out Now' launches at London WTM World Travel Market.
  • Launch announcement of GayComfort - Out Now's groundbreaking online training, marketing and accreditation program.
  • Out Now appoints gay marketing consultants in US market.

2008

  • City of Berlin joins GayComfort as world's first GayComfort accredited destination, via Berlin Tourism Marketing.
  • Present on strategies for gay marketing to the IGLCC International Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce in London.
  • Launch successful online gay marketing campaigns - using Web 2.0 interactive technologies - for Lufthansa, German National Tourist Office and Berlin Tourism Marketing.
  • Education workshop presentation to delegates at the IGLTA - International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association 25th Annual Convention in Las Vegas, USA.
  • Out Now delivers 'Gay Marketing Masterclass by Out Now' at London WTM World Travel Market.
  • Out Now appoints gay marketing consultants in UK market.
  • Out Now opens new office in The Hague, Netherlands.

2009

  • Launch new gay market campaigns for VisitSweden and Stockholm Visitors Board.
  • 2009 online gay marketing development campaign launched for German National Tourist Office, Lufthansa and Berlin Tourism Marketing.
  • Strategic marketing workshop presentation at IGLTA Annual Convention in Toronto, Canada.
  • Design and implement new gay market strategic advertising campaign for Vienna Tourist Board - 'Go Vienna'.
  • 'Gay Marketing Masterclass by Out Now' - presentation at EuroPride in Zurich, Switzerland for egma - European Gay Managers Association.
  • Stockholm, Sweden joins GayComfort as a Preferred Partner destination.
  • 'Gay Marketing - The Good, The Bad and The Ugly' presentation at OutGames in Copenhagen, Denmark for the IGLCC.
  • Out Now presents 'Gay Marketing Masterclass by Out Now' at London WTM World Travel Market.
  • Gay marketing consultants appointed for Scandinavia, Italy.
  • New Out Now office opens in Paris, France.