Google’s Android mobile operating system is #1 on the top 20 brands favored by the LGBT community, according to the researchers at YouGov BrandIndex. Last year, Google's YouTube topped the annual LGBT ranking.

The 2012 LGBT buzz list includes four Apple-related and several other tech and social media brands, and looks quite different from last year’s ranking, with 12 new brands making the top 20: Android, iPad, Target, Samsung, Aleve, Kindle, Advil, PBS, LG, Starbucks, Comedy Central, and Skype. Disneyland and Disney World share fourth spot, reflect the parks' annual LGBT days and outreach to the gay community.

“Gay consumers number 15 million and counting, spending $743 billion annually” in the U.S., according to LGBT marketing agency Prime Access. Falling out of the top 20 this year: Google, Amazon, Whole Foods, Claritin, HBO, Lowe's, Cheerios, Food Network, M&Ms, Nike, Trader Joe's and Bose.Continue reading...

Jon Bon Jovi’s new movie “New Year’s Eve,” including a stinging slap by actress Katherine Heigel, coincides with his first endorsement of a product in his 30-year career – pain relief from Pfizer’s Advil.

Shot at the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Kitchen, his non-profit community kitchen in Red Bank, N.J., the rocker’s testimonial is part of The Advil Stories campaign launched last year, TakeAdvil.com.

The gist of the campaign is that pain has no prejudice, disrupting all our lives equally — even if you're a rock star/actor/community activist running a not-for-profit restaurant. “Pain does not have much of a place in my life. I checked the schedule and it’s not on it. You never know when Advil is needed,” says Bon Jovi in the TV spot.

How the celebrity brandmatch came about? While on tour last year, the Jersey-proud rocker injured his calf muscle and told a reporter he used Advil for relief. Advil, naturally, contacted him to tell his story.Continue reading...