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新浪首页 > 新浪教育 > Gay Marriage Means New Business

Gay Marriage Means New Business
http://www.sina.com.cn 2004/04/16 17:46  Shanghai Daily

  When Leah McElrath was shopping with her partner, Cathy Renna, for a tuxedo for their wedding last year, some of the salespeople seemed more inclined to gawk rather than help.

  "You could see these guys in the corner, talking to each other, watching us," the New Yorker said.

  With same-sex weddings still new, retailers are working through some issues - such as sensitizing their employees to the needs of gay customers. But many are trying new marketing approaches, hoping to profit from the gay wedding business as pressure grows for same-sex unions to be legalized in some states and with Massachusetts set to grant marriage licenses next month.

  The gay wedding and honeymoon market is potentially lucrative, estimated to reach US$1 billion in a few years, according to Community Marketing Inc, a San Francisco-based marketing firm that tracks the gay market. Same-sex marriages could also lift the US$50 billion-a-year wedding business, whose growth has been flat for the past several years, according to Conde Nast Bridal Infobank, a market research arm of Conde Nast Bridal Group, which publishes Bride's and Modern Bride.

  Retailers in Massachusetts expect to be big beneficiaries of gay marriages.

  George Montilio, part owner of Montilio's, a bakery with three locations in the Boston area, anticipates a 5 percent to 10 percent increase in business from same-sex weddings. He has already ordered same-sex cake toppers for his stores, which get one-third of their business from weddings.

  "We are rethinking our advertising," Montilio added.

  Montilio noted that his company would begin including the word "partner" instead of only "bride" and "groom."

  Tiffany & Co, Williams-Sonoma and Michael C. Fina were among the first pioneers, changing their wedding registries to be non-gender specific a few years ago.

  Meanwhile, Websites have appeared, including gayweddings.com, an advertising portal for wedding resources, and Rainbow Wedding Network.com, which offers a gift registry for same-sex couples. The Rainbow registry, started three years ago, receives 23,000 hits a day and had a 50 percent jump in registries over the past six months, according to co-founder Cindy Sproul.

  "Everything is so much in the beginning stages," said David Toussaint, author of "Gay and Lesbian Weddings: Planning the Perfect Same-Sex Ceremony," to be published by Ballantine Books this summer. "But gay weddings are becoming more traditional" as couples seek to validate their relationships, he said.

  But navigating this terrain is tricky. Merchants and online resources want to embrace new consumers without offending advertisers or other customers.

  Carley Roney, editor-in-chief of The Knot.com, a wedding resource Website, said she received some flak from advertisers after spotlighting a gay couple in 2000 on its site, although she acknowledged that same-sex marriage is now more accepted.

  The company has increased its editorial on gay marriages.

  When shopping for their wedding on the Web and in stores, McElrath and Renna said they looked for language that was inclusive.

  "If people say partner or spouse, we look for that," said McElrath. She and Renna spent US$15,000 on their ceremony, reception and honeymoon.

  (The Associated Press)




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