Overview:

As media dollars continue to shrink, leveraging exposure through editorial coverage has become a priority when targeting niche markets. In 2011, the New Orleans Tourism and Marketing Corporation tasked GMc+Company with developing programs to target the burgeoning Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) market.

GMc+Co. worked closely with the New Orleans Tourism and Marketing Corporation, developing an experience truly reflective of New Orleans’ rich and complex LGBT culture. We strategically selected locations and experiences we knew would resonate overall with the LBGT segment. Writers were given the opportunity to explore New Orleans’ eclectic neighborhoods, dining at quirky dives and world-class restaurants while taking a guided tour of New Orleans’ storied gay heritage. Writers were also able to stand front and center at the Voodoo Music Festival, joining the raucous fun that is “Halloween New Orleans” including on-stage performances with New Orleans’ own Chris Owens, the original “Queen of Burlesque.”

Collaborating with venues throughout New Orleans to deliver a once in a lifetime experience, GMc+Co. identified six top LGBT writers from both online and print publications such as Curve Magazine , GayListDaily.com, ABOUT Magazine, QGuide.com, IGLTA , Ambush Magazine, TomonTour.com, and Pink Banana to experience the familiarization tour and develop stories positioning New Orleans as the LGBT Capital of the South among the LGBT market.

Solutions:

Articles

Results:

• In December 2011, Forbes listed New Orleans as a top gay destination in the United States
• Articles developed from the Familiarization Tour reached 1,000,00,000+ readers
• According to Community Marketing Inc.’s 16th Annual Gay & Lesbian Tourism Report , 12-14% of LGBT visitors travel to New Orleans