Gay Buying Power Projected at $641 Billion in 2006
How Important is a Company’s Reputation to the GLBT Holiday Shopper?
Client Snapshots: Ticket to Work, LOGO
Welcome to the first issue of the Witeck-Combs Communications Newsletter!
For more than a decade, we’ve been helping our clients enhance and protect their reputations — any organization’s most important asset. Now more than ever, corporations and nonprofits alike depend on a trusted and respected reputation to effectively reach out to those who will most benefit from their products, services, advocacy or knowledge.
With spring on the doorstep, there is no better time to share the work we love to do with the people who matter to us the most!
The quarterly Witeck-Combs Communications Newsletter touches upon current news and insights relevant to your world and ours. This includes our latest market and opinion research highlights, updates on our most recent client work, and noteworthy announcements regarding our staff.
We’re proud of the work we do on behalf of our valued clients, and we hope you’ll find something in every newsletter that is applicable to your needs.
About Witeck-Combs Communications
Witeck-Combs Communications provides strategic public relations and marketing communications services for corporate and nonprofit clients who believe, as we do, that protecting and enhancing their reputations is a key to their success.
Our work often is focused on social and market issues and how they impact our diverse clients: corporations, nonprofits, foundations and government agencies. Our unique specialties include the gay and lesbian consumer market; health, disability and social issues; and reaching the Washington, D.C., market. Whether you are looking to communicate with the media, customers, members of the public, or another unique audience, Witeck-Combs Communications will help you develop strategies and messages and to implement marketing and communications plans to reach your goals.
MARKET RESEARCH INSIGHTS
February 14, 2006: Gay Buying Power Projected at $641 Billion in 2006
The total buying power of the U.S. gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) adult population in 2006 is projected to be $641 billion, according to the latest analysis by Witeck-Combs Communications and Packaged Facts (a division of MarketResearch.com). The estimate was originally derived in a joint study by both organizations entitled, “The U.S. Gay and Lesbian Market.” In 2005, the gay buying power projection was estimated at $610 billion, comparing favorably with the African American, Hispanic and Asian markets. >More
February 6, 2006: One in Four Gays More Likely than Last Year to Consider Shopping at Stores with Reputations as Good Corporate Citizens
Gay and lesbian adults were more likely than heterosexual adults to say that more than last year, they would consider shopping for holiday gifts based on a store’s reputation as a good corporate citizen, according to a nationwide online survey of U.S. adults conducted prior to the holidays in December 2005. Nearly one in four gay and lesbian adults (24%) said that, while shopping for holiday gifts, they would consider, more than during the 2004 holiday season, to shop at stores with reputations as good corporate citizens, compared to only 16 percent of heterosexual adults responding to the same question. >More
For more information about research findings, especially about the LGBT consumer market surveys that we conduct with our strategic partner Harris Interactive, click here.
CLIENT SNAPSHOTS
Ticket To Work — Ticket to Work is an innovative program from Social Security that helps individuals with disabilities who are trying to find rewarding employment. Social Security hosted a series of Ticket to Work Conferences and Expos in 10 cities around the country to promote increased use of the Ticket to Work program. In conjunction with Fleishman-Hilliard Communications, we worked to help drive traffic to the Expos and present a positive image of SSA and their Ticket to Work Expos within the disability community. Through our outreach, Ticket to Work’s message successfully reached people with disabilities, their caregivers and potential employers in communities across the country. >More
LOGO — LOGO is America’s first 24/7 advertising-supported television channel intended primarily for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) audiences, launched last year by MTV Networks. Witeck-Combs Communications came on board very early to help MTV Networks craft its messages and develop its corporate communications strategies to sensitively prepare MTV Networks’ distribution partners, marketers and advertising agencies for the new business opportunities that await them. For a glimpse of the new channel and to find out more about the launch, check out www.logoonline.com. It is especially exciting to know that at the start of this year, LOGO already doubled its initial goal to reach 10 million homes — and instead already has found its way to 20 million households!
HELPING YOU LEVERAGE TODAY’S MARKET OPPORTUNITIES
As we enter 2006, gay and lesbian issues are increasingly part of corporate planning. Today’s multicultural marketing and planning means understanding how gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) employees as well as customers fit into the fabric of a company’s mission and vision.
For the past 13 years, Witeck-Combs Communications has pioneered strategic communications and marketing consulting in the GLBT consumer market for many brand leaders, helping company executives to develop a productive balance between addressing the needs of their business and recognizing opportunities in the marketplace. It is no longer possible or prudent for a leading corporation to ignore GLBT issues and opportunities in today’s marketplace.
To assist executives on the front lines in a tested and very trusting way, Witeck-Combs Communications has developed a number of tools to help you not only prepare for today’s challenges, but also make smart business decisions that positively impact your bottom line.
These include:
- Communicating Effectively about Gay and Lesbian Issues
- Your Business and Gay Public Policy
- How to Tap the $641 Billion Gay Market
We welcome the opportunity to discuss further how we can help guide you through this sometimes delicate process with long experience, knowledge and trust. For more information about these tools, feel free to contact Wes Combs at 202.887.0500 x14 or via email at wcombs@witeckcombs.com.
WHAT’S NEW AT WITECK-COMBS COMMUNICATIONS
Over the past year, we’ve welcomed a few new faces to our growing staff!
Meka Lloyd, Communications and Marketing Strategist
Meka handles day-to-day project management for automotive companies and nonprofit organizations served by the agency’s GLBT and Health & Disability practices. Before joining Witeck-Combs Communications, she worked with the International Food Information Council as a media relations assistant, acting as a liaison between media outlets and key food safety and nutrition experts.
Roberto Munoz, Communications and Marketing Strategist
Roberto currently offers strategic counsel for our services to Jaguar and Land Rover, two popular Ford Motor Company automotive brands. Prior to his position with the firm, Munoz worked at the Corporate Executive Board in the Sales and Marketing practice area, communicating daily with CMOs at Fortune 500 companies to help develop their marketing and communication plans.
Michael Vallebuona, Marketing and Media Services Coordinator
Michael serves as a valuable asset to Witeck-Combs Communications through his experience in public relations and project management. He previously held a public relations position with Washington-based K M Communications, where he devised communications strategies for clients in the luxury and non-profit sectors.
Robertine Watson, Administrative Assistant
Robertine brings her professionalism and warmth to the front office of Witeck-Combs Communications. Robertine previously worked for Fairfax County Public Schools, helping learning disability students exceed their personal expectations both in and out of the classroom.
Bob Witeck and Wes Combs named Business Leaders of the Year
We’re also excited to announce that Bob Witeck and Wes Combs were recently named the Potomac Executive Network’s (PEN) Business Leaders of the Year. Celebrating its 15th year, PEN – Metro D.C.’s LGBT Chamber of Commerce – is the nonprofit, nonpartisan, all-volunteer network of more than 1,600 lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or advocate professionals who work for business, nonprofits or government in Washington, Virginia, and Maryland. PEN is an affiliate of the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce.