Q.Digital joined 40 Diverse-Owned media companies as participants in ANA and AIMM’s first-ever Growthfronts, designed to increase ad spending to Diverse-Owned media from 1.2% to 4% by 2025. With LGBTQ+ spending only accounting for .02% of all ad dollars currently spent with the top eight ad agencies, the event was a strong call to action to increase visibility, access, and equity for the queer community.
“This event promises to change the industry’s expectations, closing the gap between intent and action and ultimately, making the industry stronger by providing more investment and equity,” says Bob Liodice, CEO, ANA. “We are grateful for the support from our incredible members and sponsors whose passion enabled this momentous event to happen.”
The event schedule was centered around networking sessions and one-on-one meetings designed to be equitable for all media entities and ensure each advertiser meets with several diverse-owned media, including one from each segment. More than 550 individual meetings were scheduled during GrowthFronts so that all 40 diverse-owned and targeted entities could present, transact, and connect. Panels across many segments including Asian, Black, Hispanic, LGBTQ+, and Native/Indigenous communities echoed challenges with programmatic advertising, and the use of blocklists to achieve brand safety, citing the need for brands to consider cultural relevancy.
Q.Digital’s Chief Revenue Officer Justin Garrett spoke on a panel focused on LGBTQ Media Challenges & Opportunities, moderated by GLAAD President & CEO Sarah Kate Ellis, that dissected the immediate need for more ad investment in the LGBTQ+ segment.
“The .02% spending stat is alarming and should be a call to action to all marketers here at Growthfronts to move toward having conversations with diverse communities by working with diverse-owned publishers and move away from total market campaigns that speak at diverse segments,” said Garrett, emphasizing the need for more spending with Diverse-Owned properties.
The panel also discussed new Gallop research that highlights the exponential growth expected in the LGBTQ+ market, with 21% of Gen Z and 10% of millennials identifying as LGBTQ+. Given the enormous spending power of the LGBTQ+ community at $1.4 trillion, there is a massive opportunity for major brands to build authentic connections with queer people in partnership with a diverse-owned publisher.
How is your brand engaging LGBTQ+ consumers? Q.Digital offers year-round opportunities for brands to connect with our audience of 9.4 MM each month – with five tentpoles for Pride Season alone!
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