The American Family Association may think their boycott of Ford for "supporting homosexual groups which are pushing homosexual marriage" ended the automaker's efforts to attract DINKs (Double Income No Kids), but a new ad campaign from the Land Down Under says otherwise. Gaywired.com reports Ford Australia is running a commercial in their "Everyone's Journey is Different" campaign that includes two same-sex couples, including a a pregnant woman. Sinead McAlary, Ford Australia's PR wonk, said the ads aren't meant to "target any particular group." They're "designed to appeal to the wide variety of consumers who are now driving smaller cars in Australia." She describes the ads as "very successful with awareness and brand recognition quite high after only one month on air." While they don't use fairies zapping macho men into sweater-draped metrosexuals, they do show a white male couple in sweaters with matching Pugs on leashes. Ford has refused to comment on why they chose to depict the gay couple in such a stereotypical manner.
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Good on Ford to support and show gay couples. They have been discriminated against long enough.
Kudos to Ford!
I dislike many Ford products and their corporate culture. But I agree that Ford is actually doing something good – ignoring the homophobes and Bible beaters (they are a minority in this world but an organized one). I’m sure if Ford has any dip in sales they’ll claim credit that their 100 gay bashing members made all that difference b/c of the boycott.
Ugh…
Nothing pisses me off more than “Family” organizations trying to enforce their values on others.
yay Ford! I mean c’mon! Who doesn’t love lesbians?
I know a lot of people who have heard of the AFA boycott, and agree with it, at least out here in the heartland, which happens to be where Ford sells most of their products.
I certainly understand their despiration to go after anyone who has a dollar in their pocket, but making your traditioinal customer base feel like they have to violate their own values to buy your products may have something to do with a collapsing market share.
Taxman100:
I’m having trouble seeing how marketing to ALL different types of people has to make the “traditional customer base feel like they are violating their own values.”
If so, it’s time for the ‘traditional customer base’ to get a reality check. Not everyone is like them.
taxman100
making your traditioinal customer base feel like they have to violate their own values to buy your products may have something to do with a collapsing market share.
If everyone evaluated a product on what groups, organizations, political views or “values” its parent company supports, there would be very little left to buy.
Whatever Ford does it is market-based, not based on what’s right or wrong. They are famous in the 1970s for calculating the cost of a death vs. protecting the gas tanks in Pintos.
‘Nuf said. I don’t congratulate them no matter which way they go on this issue because like most other multinationals they are not propelled by humanitarianism.
I heard something the other day, but I cannot substantiate it at all. I was told that Ford actively recruits homosexual car salespeople. No reason or source was given. I just thought someone else have more information to prove/disprove this.
Not only is Ford a sorry automaker, but now with this catering to homosexuals, is very much deserving of continuing to lose market share. I will celebrate their final demise – hopefully in the near future.
I guess Lee is a card-carrying AFA member and homophobe. Of all the reasons to celebrate a company’s demise, the fact they are advertising to the gay community must rank among the most shallow and pathetic.
I’ve heard numerous statistics about how members of the gay community tends to be better educated and more wealthy than the national average. Subaru has kind of found themselves a nice little niche as a known gay-friendly company, and I think it’s worked well for them.
While the boycott of this sneering hate group might indeed hurt the “heartland” sales today, I think that if Ford can stay alive at all history will be quite kind to them on the equality front.
Not only is Ford a sorry automaker, but now with this catering to homosexuals, is very much deserving of continuing to lose market share.
You know who else sells products to homosexuals? Walmart. And Target. And Macys, JC Penny, GM, Mercedes, BMW, Safeway, PetCo, McDonalds, Best Buy, Home Depot, Office Max, Burger King, Sears, Levi, Anheuser-Busch, Menards, Gap, the NFL, AT&T, Sony, Smith & Wesson, Pottery Barn, PG&E, Microsoft, Comcast, Geico, Sirius, Farm & Fleet, Amazon…
I will celebrate their final demise – hopefully in the near future.
All companies “cater to” homosexuals by selling products and services to homosexuals. I imagine you must eagerly await the none-too-soon demise of all corporations besides eHarmony.
Since gay couples tend to not have children, their disposable income is much higher than average. On the other hand, homophobes are usually poorly educated and tend to have lower incomes. I think Ford is making the right decision both from a moral and a business perspective.
I know a lot of people who have heard of the AFA boycott, and agree with it, at least out here in the heartland, which happens to be where Ford sells most of their products.
Count me, my wife, my parents and my sister as a bunch of Midwesterners who disagree with the boycott and the AFA in general.
We aren’t all bigots out here in fly-over land.
I see a lot of new Ford Fusions, 500/Taurus, and Edge vehicles in front of the local churches. There are many, many Subaru’s also.
Did the AFA get the message out to the right people?
I’ll let this article comment for many of us in “flyover country”.
It is at least a rational explanation to those of you on the coasts who wish to think rationally about this. You can do it if you try. Instead of knee-jerk anti-“flyover” or anti-Christian rhetoric, that is.
http://www.michnews.com/artman/publish/article_18379.shtml
As for Ford, well, they’ve made their bed and they can lay in it.
Seems to me that all companies – including Ford – would have been wiser to simply advertise their wares in mainstream media to “everyone”, and thereby simply being willing and happy to sell to whomever wishes to buy their products.
I avoid Ford products as well as GM and Chrysler because of past experience.
A lot of companies advertise in areas where they might not be wise to do so – and get entangled in the culture war currently going on in the world.
They all should wise up.
Potentially offending tens of thousands of potential customers to potentially gain a sale or two is not good business practices.
Steer clear of the culture wars AND religion, dear auto (and other) companies. Would you advertise in a Catholic magazine and make fun of Lutherans? Or advertise in a Mormon magazine and make fun of Catholics or Muslims?
No, of course not.
I have to agree with Lemmiwinks, but none of these companies is “supporting” the gay community..or the AFA, for that matter. They are targeting demographics. Ford is targeting adults; all of them. They have woman/gay-friendly, city-dweller friendly, sort of pistonhead-friendly, manly-man-friendly, and whatever other demographic-friendly cars you can think of. They aren’t out to support anyone. Thinking that they want anything other than your money is utterly niave.
Note: glenn126’s article does not in any way speak for those of us in “flyover country”. I think it speaks for a very specific minority of us in “flyover country”. Nor do I appreciate framing our current national debate as a culture war. I wonder if the admonition to steer clear of the “war” would have been issued if Ford had published an ad condemning homosexuals rather than acknowledging them as customers deserving of respect.
I still love the Ford’s decision and support the gay community’s right to live as they see fit, and I’m as firmly planted in the Midwest as anyone.
Folks, the individual pursuit of of happiness is difficult enough as it is these days without organizations such as the AFA trying to make life miserable for a particular grouip of citizens with their self righteous intolerance. The AFAs unatural interest in other peoples private lives is clearly an unhealthy obsession.
If the AFA changed their name to “American Taliban Association” then at least it would reflect their philosophy.
Or they could change their name to the Constitutional Party and loudly and proudly trumpet small government and freedom and liberty for all, unless you happen to be a woman or gay.
Talk about much ado about nothing…
glenn126: Steer clear of the culture wars AND religion, dear auto (and other) companies. Would you advertise in a Catholic magazine and make fun of Lutherans?
How is the Ford ad “making fun of” anybody? By advertising in a gay magazine, do you feel that they are making fun of heteros?
By the way, I find it interesting that you state how religion and culture should be avoided, and then posted an article that may as well have been written by the Pope.
Lee: now with this catering to homosexuals… I will celebrate their final demise
Would it shock you to know that there are homosexuals reading TTAC? Would you then celebrate the demise of TTAC?
…making your traditional customer base feel like they have to violate their own values to buy your products
‘Values’ that include taking offense that products are marketed and sold to anyone different than you?
Kind of makes you wonder why those who claim to hate homosexuals are reading gay/lesbian media. Kind of reminds me of those pervs who are caught with kiddi porn and then claim to be doing “research” (Pete Townshead) because they oppose it.
In other words…if you aren’t gay, would you even notice? I doubt it.
The AFA standpoint, whereas homosexuality is a lifestyle choice, is just hogwash. Pure reactionary idiocy.
Since homosexuality is a given, Ford might as sell to those who are not hetero. Why not?
I like it that Ford is making an effort to distance itself from the bigot heritage of the company’s founder. Actually, if I remember it correctly, even Henry Ford II took an open dislike to Lee Iococca on the ground that the latter wore too tight trousers.
Anyway. One of the main differences between backward societies and modern, open places like the U.S. and Europe is the way they treat minorities such as gays. Let’s be glad to live in such a place, in such times.
# Lee :
Not only is Ford a sorry automaker, but now with this catering to homosexuals, is very much deserving of continuing to lose market share. I will celebrate their final demise – hopefully in the near future.
Bugger me, some fun on the TTAC news blog at last!
Lee, calm down old boy. The thought of two blokes buggering each other is obviously getting you all hot and flustered. Stop thinking about it.
Word of advice. Next time you want to share your bigotry, be sure to cite your religion. That way we’ll know you’re sincere.
Anyway I like a bit of humour. Thanks TTAC.
cheers
Malcolm
I guess I’m in the ‘who cares’ crowd on this one. I don’t see how this advertisement is offensive. It’s not like they’re advertising a new ‘Limp Wrist Edition’ Ford Edge in neon pink or anything, they’re just making an ad that appeals to a particular group. Nor are they producing this ad in a manner that speaks negatively of non-gay folks. When it’s car shopping time in our household my wife and I will look at Ford based on the merits of their vehicles, not who they’ve offended with an ad.
*sigh* the name of this website is "The Truth about Cars" The website is supported because cars are an industry. It is an industry because people buy cars. All kinds of people. Does it really matter what gender, color, race, creed, language, or what said buyer does in the privacy of his/her own home? Car companies are in business to sell cars. Period. That means using whatever marketing techniques are efficient at getting buyers to be interested in the product, period. Can we leave the socialogical value judgements out of the equation? My question to any AFA member; If a gay person buys a Ford Edge and you buy a Ford Edge, does that mean you are afraid that people may think you are gay, also? For God's sake, (and I mean that…) please get a grip. It's the car business. If you want to talk rreligion, politics, or sociology, please go to another website and by all means, rant and vent until you get all your homophobic angst out of your system. Please, let us have this website so we can talk about The Truth about Cars. Thanks. Now go away.
Well…looks like we solved that one.
The question I have is: Is there a cause and effect? Is there data to suggest a correlation between the boycott and the lost market share?
Well, Joe, the AFA certainly thinks there is. The numbers would appear to even back them up.
Of course, it could be just that Fords stink. That’s my take on it. Plus the old “sorry, not covered under warrantee” schtick at the dealer’s over the past multiple decades… with millions of (ex) customers.
Ford’s big mistake was to promise the AFA that they would stop putting “non-family oriented” (read obscene) ads in pro-gay magazines, then Ford backed away and changed their minds. They’d have been better off to have ignored the AFA. Because it was after this that the AFA boycott started.
I work with lots of gay people, have no problem with them. But I can understand why some people get up in arms about having someone else’s lifestyle constantly pushed into their faces, and schools for little children *cough* (Californication).
Some of what recently transpired in San Francisco – with drag queens dressed as nuns and going up for holy communion – was extremely offensive to Catholics, for example.
How about the gay guys try their hand at mocking the religion at their neighborhood mosque and see where it gets them.
Religion of peace? We’d find out quick enough, eh? Between now and then, just feel free to mock my religion and my God, if it makes you happy, folks. I won’t blow you up, I’m a Christian.
In the meanwhile – anyone with any grasp of world history will look and realize that ANY society which openly embraced homosexuality – died out.
I guess the reasons would be pretty self-evident?
Anyway, can we get back to cars, now? Much more fun.
‘coz I don’t suppose I’m going to convince anyone to actually reconsider a viewpoint they’ve already adopted – resulting in polarization of our culture. Which is one reason why civil discourse is just about extinct in the United States. PCism is worse than naziism.
As for mocking the Constitution Party, go ahead there, too. Feel free! You’re still free to do it, for now (until some dictatorship takes over).
I guess if we can’t even agree on the validity of our Consitution, our nation is as good as dead, though, isn’t it? Stick a fork in the United States, it’s done…
Thanks Ford.
A Bi on FindBilover.com
And that has what to do with Ford advertising? Their ads seem tasteful to me.
It seems to me that the AFA has a problem with homosexuals simply existing. Nothing short of genocide will satisfy those fundamentalists. Sexual preference is genetic. Scientists have been able to create homosexual animals in the lab, there is no credible debate at this point. It would be practical very soon to devise a test to determine whether a fetus is homosexual. I do hope that one makes the fundamentalists’ heads explode, abortion vs gays, which one do I hate more!?!?
KBW: Sexual preference is genetic. Scientists have been able to create homosexual animals in the lab, there is no credible debate at this point.
Not to derail further debate, but one would suggest that leaving said homosexual animals in the wild while monitoring their progress would reveal how mother nature feels about and more importantly, deals with “homosexual” animals that fail to reproduce with their proper complementary species members.
That said, I still believe that homosexuality/gender switching is more of a lifestyle choice than anything else, even when it involves kids who are unsatisfied with their born gender and desperately want to “switch it up”. As far as the AFA is concerned, the marketplace will have the last say on the effectiveness of their boycott.
Not to derail further debate, but one would suggest that leaving said homosexual animals in the wild while monitoring their progress would reveal how mother nature feels about and more importantly, deals with “homosexual” animals that fail to reproduce with their proper complementary species members.
The fact that they exist at all indicates that there must be some survival benefit to the gene which causes it. Perhaps it is expressed more often when environmental stress is high in an effort to reduce population. While it might be detrimental to the individual with that gene, it would help the survival of a species as a whole. Of course this is all conjecture. No one really knows for sure why this type of gene developed, but its existence is unquestionable.
I see no reason to rehash the whole sexual orientation argument – no one is going to change their mind.
The point I was trying to make is Ford screwed up their handling of this entire chain of events. In the last ten years Ford has become the most politically correct of the U.S. automakers, and I think it is indicative of a corporate culture that was convinced of their superior liberal values, rather than tending to business. If any of you work in Corporate America, you know exactly how that works out.
The feeling Ford sends out to their core customers is it a company no longer in tune with mainstream American lifestyles, values, etc., and it is showing in their sales, AFA boycott or not. I come from a Ford family (Dad bought Fords for 50 years), and out of myself and my six siblings and spouses (about 15 vehicles), there are only a total of three Ford products left. Well, four if you count my 40 year old Ford I use as a summer cruiser.
I plan on buying one more Panther in spite of not liking Ford as a company, but my two siblings will not replace their Fords with another one. It just doesn’t feel right to give your money to them anymore.
glenn126: “In the meanwhile – anyone with any grasp of world history will look and realize that ANY society which openly embraced homosexuality – died out.”
Oh, for crying out loud. What a crass and parochial argument. Can you cite any historian of repute (and I don’t mean some third-rate guy at a creationist-Christian college) who sees a causal relationship between clear tolerance of homosexuals and social downfall?
MrGlenn126,
The Dutch have openly tolerated homosexual relationships. They’ve been around for some time. And the comment about “I won’t blow you up, I’m a christian” is rather sweeping. Mr Timothy McVeigh was a Christian and he did a fair amount of blowing up.
Extremists exist in all religions, even buddhists (setting themselves on fire).
I respect you and your opinions. I just hope you’ll respect my opinion, too, Mr Glenn126.
But I agree with the consensus the is “The Truth About Cars”. So let’s get back to talking about cars before this thread has more posts than “In Defence of: American Manufacturers”!
Ford has refused to comment on why they chose to depict the gay couple in such a stereotypical manner.
How the heck else were we supposed to know they were gay? /end-tongue-in-cheekiness
Imagine if they depicted two average men holding hands and smiling at each other? Woohoo the fur woulda flown then.
Hi Katie.
Anyone claiming to be a Christian who blows other people up “for his religion” is lying. He’s no Christian.
I have some Mennonite friends and I occasionally visit their church (think “Witness” but they have churches instead of worshiping in each other’s homes, cars, electricity and phones – but no TV, and they do educate their own children ages 5 through 17 at church school). These people actually are able to hold a conversation – pretty much a lost art in our western sillivization.
These folks are truly Christian. I’ve never met a bunch of people more at peace than they. It’s palpable and beautiful.
They also understand the concept of things either being right or wrong and live their lives accordingly.
They’re also generally unwilling to vote, be drafted, fight in wars and don’t have particularly competitive personalities (i.e. you won’t find a Mennonite in charge of a big company). Typically, they are carpenters, a pretty good calling for a Christian, no?
What I would like to see is Ford make the best Damn car they can and get out of the political and gay issues. I have owned Fords all of my life with a Vette and Camaro in the mix. Ford going after the gay buyer offends me personally. Bronco Rider