Vol. 1 No. 3

Seven Out of Ten Heterosexuals Know Someone Gay Business Inside Out: Capturing Millions of Brand Loyal Gay Consumers...and Attention Witeck-Combs, Travel Industry Association and Harris Interactive Travel Survey What's New at Witeck-Combs

Welcome to the Latest Issue of the Witeck-Combs Communications Newsletter! The end of the year is fast approaching and what a year it has been! It is at this time of the year that many of us are reviewing milestones and preparing for new projects in 2007. This edition provides updates on intriguing projects, including Land Rover's latest marketing program directed at gay and lesbian consumers, highlights of recent market surveys, an update on the launch of "Business Inside Out," Bob Witeck and Wes Combs' book about the GLBT marketplace, and a glimpse of what's new at Witeck-Combs. We hope you find this newsletter to be a helpful tool as you assess 2006 and begin your planning for the year ahead. We are proud of our valued clients and our mission to serve them.				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 implement marketing and communications plans to reach your goals.
MARKET RESEARCH INSIGHTS October 10, 2006 — Seven Out Of Ten Heterosexuals Today Know Someone Gay Seven out of 10 (70%) heterosexual adults in the United States today say that they know someone who is gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender (GLBT). More than half of those who are GLBT (54%) say that concern about being the victim of a hate crime would be a reason for a person to not come out. Other concerns that GLBT adults cite about why a person might not come out include rejection by their families (39%), rejection by their friends (32%) and losing their jobs (27%). Read More May 31, 2006 — Americans Support Free Access to Research In an online survey of public attitudes conducted and released by Harris Interactive in the spring, 8 out of 10 (82%) adults polled said they believe that “if tax dollars pay for scientific research, people should have free access to the results of the research on the Internet.” Read More
CLIENT SNAPSHOTS Land Rover Takes Gay and Lesbian Consumers to New Heights This fall, Witeck-Combs Communications helped Land Rover get up close and personal with gay and lesbian consumers by creating two special day long driving experiences in Denver and in the Washington, DC area. The hand-selected guests in each city spent a day off-roading in the complete suite of Land Rover products while enjoying refreshments, extraordinary scenery and great company. Read More
American Airlines Launches AA.Com/Rainbow Witeck-Combs Communications recently applied our media relations savvy to help American Airlines launch their new GLBT-tailored booking site called AA.com/Rainbow. Welcoming travel-eager and net-savvy GLBT consumers is an American Airlines tradition. Building on the popularity of its AAVacations.com/rainbow microsite for holiday packages that interest GLBT consumers, American Airlines has welcomed AA.com/rainbow, a comprehensive new page on its award-winning Web site intended especially for GLBT travelers.
BUSINESS INSIDE OUT: A NEW BOOK BY BOB WITECK AND WES COMBS On September 1st, Kaplan Publishing released Bob Witeck and Wes Combs' book, "Business Inside Out: Capturing Millions of Brand Loyal Gay Consumers," the first book to provide a detailed look at business approaches to reaching the GLBT market. This book provides a comprehensive overview of the demographics of the GLBT consumer market, and offers marketers a solid business case on how to tap the segment's $641 billion buying power. "Business Inside Out" provides the reader with keen insights about the consumer behavior of GLBT consumers that would not have been possible without the unique capabilities of Witeck-Combs Communications' market research partner Harris Interactive. Bob and Wes debuted their book at two key GLBT national events this fall: the National Lesbian Gay Journalist Association (NLGJA) annual convention, as well as the Out & Equal Workplace Summit, where a combined audience of over 2,000 attendees had the opportunity to hear first hand the lessons Bob and Wes have applied over the past thirteen years. Read More
GLBT Leisure Travel Study This fall, Witeck-Combs Communications teamed with its strategic market research partner Harris Interactive and the nation's top travel companies through the Travel Industry Association (TIA) to administer the most comprehensive survey examining the preferences, attitudes and behaviors of GLBT travelers regarding destination choice and activities for leisure travel. Conducted online among 2,000+ self-identified U.S. GLBT adult travelers and over a 1,000 heterosexual travelers, the survey found that half of gay men and lesbians feel that a destination's "gay friendliness" is important to them. Gay men and bisexuals were likely to spend the most on individual travel when compared with heterosexuals, and that word of mouth, personal experience and the GLBT media are among the most trusted sources for endorsement among the GLBT community. Highlights of the study were disclosed to the national media on December 6th at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. Read More
WHAT'S NEW AT WITECK-COMBS COMMUNICATIONS Witeck-Combs Receives NGLCC- Wells Fargo LGBT Business of the Year Award The National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) and Wells Fargo & Company announced that Witeck-Combs Communications has been named the NGLCC/Wells Fargo LGBT Business Owner of the Year Award winner for 2006. Witeck-Combs Communications was recognized at the 2006 NGLCC National Dinner, An Evening of Courage, on November 17th at the National Building Museum in Washington, DC. Mike Williams Joins Witeck-Combs Communications as a Marketing and Communications Associate/Media Coordinator Mike Williams brings valuable professional experience from the non-profit health sector and a keen sense of market research to Witeck-Combs. Prior to joining the firm, Williams served with the membership department at America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), a trade association representing the health insurance industry. There, he developed recruitment and retention campaigns and performed market research of the healthcare industry. Williams further developed his communications and media relations skills through positions with The McGinn Group, United Nations Associations of the National Capital Area, and the West Virginia Telecom Pioneers of America. A native of Pennsylvania and graduate of West Virginia University, Mike holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Relations.