FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Allyson Mongrain, Scarborough Research, 703-451-3174, amongrain@scarborough.com GAY/LESBIAN CONSUMER ONLINE STUDY ADDS MORE THAN 175 NEW BRANDS Bank, Beer, Wine, Hotel, Rental Car and Auto Insurance categories include new brands NEW YORK, NY (November 1, 2005) - The Gay/Lesbian Consumer Online Study  (G/L Study), an annual survey of the demographics, lifestyles, psychographics, and media patterns of the world’s largest gay/lesbian consumer panel online, has introduced more than 175 new brands to its survey. The new brand information will provide marketers with opportunities for more effective sponsorship programs, grassroots marketing, media planning and buying, and overall increased ROI for multicultural marketing efforts.           The new brands cover some bellwether companies in top consumer categories such as finance (banks), beverages (beer and wine), travel (hotel and car rental), and automotive (insurers).  They join the several hundred brands already represented in the study.           According to Jeff Garber, president of OpusComm Group, a G/L Study partner, companies can leverage the new brands information with the existing depth and breadth of information in the G/L Study to create high-impact advertising.           “Marketing toward the gay/lesbian consumer has matured and become more sophisticated, as more companies recognize the significant benefits of targeting this consumer group,” said Mr. Garber. “Marketers need equally sophisticated tools to drive greater impact. The G/L Study provides this, with detailed information on the demographics, psychographics, and shopping behaviors, as well as both gay/lesbian and mainstream media patterns, of gay and lesbian consumers.”           Companies who count GLBT as part of their multicultural marketing efforts are using the G/L Study to benchmark their impact so budgets can be modified for maximum ROI.           “The ability to track so many companies and brands and the influence they’re having on GLBT consumers is a key advantage,” said Mr. Garber. “Not only is it a measurement of overall sales impact, but the companies measured in the study have a new, valuable tool for tracking their competition.”           With approximately 8,000 respondents, the 2005-2006 Gay/Lesbian Consumer Online Study is the largest and most comprehensive gay/lesbian consumer and media study and the only one sponsored by a major university. The G/L Study is conducted by G/L Census Partners (OpusComm Group and S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University), and is exclusively available through Scarborough Research.           In addition to the new brands measured by the G/L Study (listed below), it also includes hundreds of brands in leading categories, including: auto manufacturers, airlines, credit card companies, computer companies, cruise lines and gambling destinations, cable and network television (including the leading television shows watched), national/mainstream newspapers as well as gay/lesbian magazines, and websites, including both mainstream and gay/lesbian websites. For full details of the G/L Study, including a full list of measurements, please log on to www.glcensus.com/survey.cfm <http://www.glcensus.com/survey.cfm>. G/L Census 2005/2006 New Brands Added BANK BRANDS AmSouth Comerica Huntington National Bank SouthTrust Bank Associated Banks Commerce Bank Internet bank  (such as EtradeBank, NetBank, etc,) Southwest Bank Banco Popular Commercial Federal KeyBank Sovereign Bank Bank Atlantic Compass Bank Liberty Bank Standard Federal Bank Bank of America Dollar Bank Local Oklahoma Bank Sterling Bank Bank of the West Fifth Third Bank M&I Bank SunTrust Bank One First American Bank M&T Bank TCF Bank Banner Bank First Citizens Bank Mercantile Bank Third Federal Savings & Loan BB&T First National Bank National Bank of Commerce U.S. Bank CCB First State Bank National City Bank UMB Bank Charles Schwab First Tennessee Bank Navy Federal Credit Union Union Bank Charter One Bank First Virginia Bank People’s Bank Union Planters Bank Chase Fleet Bank PNC Bank Wachovia Bank Chevy Chase Bank FleetBoston Provident Bank Washington Mutual Citibank Frost Bank RBC Centura Bank Washington Trust Citizens Bank Guaranty Bank Regions Bank Wells Fargo City National Bank HSBC Bank USA Republic Bank Whitney National Bank Colonial Bank Hudson United Bank Sky Bank World Savings BEER BRANDS Domestic light beer Domestic regular beer Milwaukee’s Best Corona Light Bud Light Bud Ice Rolling Rock Dos Equis Busch Light Budweiser Samuel Adams Foster’s Coors Light Busch Shiner Bock Guinness Michelob Light Coors Original Yuengling Heineken Michelob Ultra Henry Weinhard’s Any microbrew Labatt Blue Miller Genuine Draft Light Icehouse Other domestic regular beer past 30 days Molson Miller Lite Leinenkugel Imported beer Presidente Natural Lite Michelob Amstel Light Tecale Sam Adams Light Miller Genuine Draft Beck’s Other domestic light beer past 30 days Miller High Life Corona Extra WINE BRANDS Arbor Mist Concha Y Toro Kendall-Jackson Turning Leaf Barefoot Cellars Ecco Domani Lindermans Vendage Bella Sera Ernest & Julio Gallo Twin Valley Livingston Cellars Beringer Fetzer Peter Vella Wild Vines Bolla Franzia Red Bicyclette Woodbridge Carlo Rossi Gallo of Sonoma Redwood Creek Yellow Tail Clos du Bois Glen Ellen Robert Mondavi Columbia Crest Inglenook Sutter Home HOTEL BRANDS Best Western Four Points by Sheraton Millennium W Hotels Comfort Inn Hilton Motel 6 Westin Courtyard by Marriott Holiday Inn Quality Inn Wyndham Days Inn Hyatt Radisson Any bed & breakfast Doubletree La Quinta Sheraton Any upscale hotel Embassy Suites Marriott Super 8 Other hotel or motel RENTAL CAR BRANDS    AUTO INSURANCE BRANDS Alamo Hertz Allstate Progressive Avis National Geico State Farm Budget Thrifty Nationwide Dollar Other car rental Enterprise About Scarborough Research Scarborough Research is the leader in identifying local, regional and national shopping patterns and media usage for the American consumer. With a sample size of over 200,000 adults nationally covering 75 local U.S. markets and countless categories and brands, Scarborough data is a valuable tool for marketers and media professionals in their quest to achieve optimum marketing and sales ROI. Scarborough Research is a joint venture between Arbitron Inc. and VNU Media Measurement & Information. For additional information, please log on to www.scarborough.com. About OpusComm Group OpusComm Group Inc., the founder of the annual Gay/Lesbian Consumer Online Census, is led by co-principals, Jeffrey Garber and Daniel Fedrizzi, who have been providing effective marketing, public relations and advertising to Fortune 1000 marketers for almost 20 years.  As one of the world's leading researchers in gay/lesbian consumerism, OpusComm provides consulting services and market plan development for businesses seeking to target the gay/lesbian community in the mainstream media. For more information please log on to  www.opuscommgroup.com. About the Gay/Lesbian Consumer Online Study The Gay/Lesbian Consumer Online Study (G/L Study) is conducted annually via a partnership between OpusComm Group, Inc. and the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. Professor Amy Falkner is the lead researcher on the project. With approximately 8,000 respondents, the G/L Study is the largest and most comprehensive gay/lesbian consumer and media study and the only one sponsored by a major university. It addresses many consumer categories including demographics, purchasing behaviors, lifestyles and media usage. For more information please log on to www.glcensus.org.