Advertisers out of the closet with gay-themed ads

LONDON, Aug 25: Italian designer Domenico Dolce appears in a magazine ad, one hand perched affectionately on the shoulder of his design partner and former lover Stefano Gabbana, the other holding his stylish new Motorola phone.

Whether it's US firm John Hancock featuring a lesbian couple in an ad for insurance or Altoids pitching two flavours of its ''curiously strong mints'' by asking readers if they are ''bi-curious'', big advertisers are storming out of the closet.

In part, the gay advertising boom reflects the lure of an underserved market: gay consumers are wealthier than average, and loyal to brands that they perceive as gay-friendly.

In 1994, just 19 of the Fortune 500 companies advertised their brands in gay media in the United States. Last year, 175 did, says Todd Evans of Rivendell Media, which places ads in gay US newspapers and magazines.

And increasingly advertisers are also using gay themes to appeal to mainstream consumers.

''Most big agencies have looked at it,'' said Gordon MacMillan, editor of London's ad industry Internet newsletter Brand Republic.

''One, they are targeting the gay market. And two, they are targeting the straight market as well, who perceive the gay market as having a certain style or cachet.'' Advertisers have discovered that gay-friendliness is cool, said Michael Wilke, who tracks gay-themed advertising on a Web site, the Commercial Closet.

''They are looking to have a hip image, to say we are part of pop culture, and pop culture is increasingly inclusive of gays and lesbians.'' IKEA BREAKS GROUND Just a few years ago, before men's makeover show ''Queer Eye for the Straight Guy'' and sitcom ''Will and Grace'', openly gay people were rare on television.

According to Wilke, the first US television ad to feature an ordinary gay couple was a 1994 Ikea spot showing two men shopping for a dining-room table. The company ran it only at night and pulled it after getting bomb threats.

Insurer John Hancock ran a ground-breaking television spot during the 2000 Olympics and World Series baseball championships, showing a lesbian couple adopting an Asian baby.

''Can you believe this? We're a family,'' says one.

As the commercial ends, one says to the other: ''You're going to be a great mom.'' The second replies: ''So are you.''

REUTERS