Oh blimey. That increasingly popular maxim, the Pink Pound is rearing its controversial head once again. But what exactly does the term mean' Simply put, the Pink Pound is a media-generated term that describes the available spending power of the gay population.

And no ' it doesn't describe a specially printed cerise-coloured currency tendered by those of us who're Kylie keen. Targeted by ad men and women across the world, the Pink Pound (or the Dorothy Dollar as it's called in the States) is perceived wealth that (apparently) goes hand in hand with being gay.

In commercial terms it's often assumed that the majority of us aren't likely to have children and will therefore have significantly more cash to burn. We won't, they imagine, have the attendant worry of schooling costs, children's travel, kids' holidays or any of the ancillary expenses that make raising a family a pocket lightening affair.

Trend setters
So let's look at this issue more closely. The Pink Pound (certainly as far as advertisers are concerned) is a massively untapped resource. Hell, those pesky ad people chase our Holy Grail, dosh, like a band of heat-seeking missiles in sling backs. You see many advertisers see gay men as style ambassadors ' and therefore a license to print money. However, and you can take it as Gospel, as much as we know some eminently cool gay men and women we also know others who are the diametrical opposite to/of fashion and glamour. Similarly, we have straight friends who are thoroughly style literate and those who fall seriously under the fashion radar. Yup, it takes all sorts and we like it that way.

It's actually got to the point that some advertising execs will top-load their focus groups with Pink Pound spenders to ascertain what's hot and what's not in today's ever changing world. Driving an assumption that we in the gay community are the ultimate arbiters of all that's good, great and luxurious, they seek our advice to set their standards.

As far as we can see, this is no bad thing as there's a fair chance (and please bear with us, for there's an element of generalisation here) that single gay men and women (or couples) will have travelled more (and further afield), experienced more and simply tried more new things than their straight counterparts. Once again, this assumption is of course driven by the fact that there's more disposable income in a gay household than there is likely to be in a straight household.

Spending power
So what are the target markets of those who want to capture the Pink Pound'

Well retail, generally poses the ultimate bulls eye. But the fashion and technology areas of this market place are also of particular interest. And you can break it down further into music and film. The travel industry, too, now realises that the Pink Pound must be tapped. And hotels around the globe (as well as tour operators generally) are starting to list previously ignored aspects such as 'thriving gay community' amongst other more common destination attractions such as 'good travel links' or 'all-year-round climate' to entice the gay audience.

But it's the fashion and grooming end of the leisure industry that probably rate highest in the estimations of the money men and women who chase us notionally moneyed men and women.

Whether it's high-street fashion outlets such as H&M, Selfridges or Zara, the marketing heads of these retail multiples understand just how important the Pink Pound is, which is good news as equality and acceptance of every community, and in any shape or form can only be a good thing.