'Gays & Lesbians, Know Them?' - Publicis Groupe & GLAAD Host Advertising Week's First Ever Panel Discussion Focused on the LGBT Consumer

NEW YORK, Sept. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Publicis Groupe and the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) host Advertising Week's first ever panel discussion focused on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) consumers entitled "Gays & Lesbians, Know Them?"

The panel, lead by Stuart Elliott of The New York Times, will be held on Monday, September 27, 2010 from 11:00-11:45 a.m. at the Paley Center - Concourse Theatre.  Panelists include representatives from Microsoft, American Airlines, LGBT-focused cable channel LOGO, and Prime Access Inc.

"Today, many brands have recognized the value in speaking to the LGBT community, but there are many more brands that haven't," said Phillip Sontag, MS&LGroup, and co-founder of Egalite, the Publicis Groupe's LGBT Employee Resource Group.  "Our goal is to have a thoughtful, provocative discussion that helps shape the way we as marketers reach the LGBT community."

"When companies include images of our community in their ads, they send an important message that gay and transgender people are a part of the American cultural fabric," expressed GLAAD President Jarrett Barrios.  "It's these images that build acceptance and understanding of our community.  We are proud to partner with Publicis to advocate for fair, accurate and inclusive advertising."

"We're seeing more and more gay and lesbian storylines on TV every day, and it's not taboo anymore," said Adam Wasserman, Digitas and co-founder of Egalite.  "This recent evolution is encouraging us to increase our deep knowledge about this community, and to find the right ways for an efficient dialogue between brands and LGBT consumers."

"We created Egalite at Publicis Groupe to unite our brand's LGBT employees and allies in the New York region and streamline an LGBT approach for our clients," added Sandra Sims-Williams, Chair of the Publicis Groupe Diversity Council in the USA.  "Egalite serves both an internal and external purpose, and our partnership with GLAAD is one illustration of our global Diversity Policy, composed of several initiatives dedicated to various communities."

To RSVP for this panel, please visit www.advertisingweek.com. Follow the panel discussion on Twitter using #LGBTAdWeek.

About Publicis Groupe

Publicis Groupe [Euronext Paris: FR0000130577] is the world's third largest communications group. In addition, it is ranked as the world's second largest media counsel and buying group and is the first global network in digital and healthcare communications. With activities spanning 104 countries on five continents, the Groupe employs approximately 45,000 professionals. Publicis Groupe offers local and international clients a complete range of advertising services through three global advertising networks, Leo Burnett, Publicis, Saatchi & Saatchi, two multi-hub networks, Fallon and 49%-owned Bartle Bogle Hegarty, as well as New York-based Kaplan Thaler Group. Media consultancy and buying is offered through the two first ranked worldwide networks, Starcom MediaVest Group and ZenithOptimedia; and interactive and digital marketing led by the two first ranked Digitas and Razorfish networks. Publicis Groupe launched VivaKi to leverage the combined scale of the autonomous operations of Digitas, Denuo, Razorfish, Starcom MediaVest Group and ZenithOptimedia to develop new services, tools, and next generation digital platforms. Publicis Groupe's specialized agencies and marketing services offer healthcare communications with Publicis Healthcare Communications Group (PHCG, the first network in healthcare communications), sustainability communications and multicultural communications. With MS&LGroup, one of the world's top three PR and Events networks, expertise ranges from corporate and financial communications to public relations and public affairs, branding, social media marketing and events, sports marketing and events. Web site: www.publicisgroupe.com

About GLAAD

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) amplifies the voice of the LGBT community by empowering real people to share their stories, holding the media accountable for the words and images they present and helping grassroots organizations communicate effectively.  By ensuring that the stories of LGBT people are heard through the media, GLAAD promotes understanding, increases acceptance, and advances equality.  For more information, please visit www.glaad.org.  For the latest updates on our work, visit twitter.com/glaad and www.facebook.com/glaad.

SOURCE Publicis Groupe