[Thebaddog]

Not that there's anything wrong with that.

[lOKKI]

The trick, I would think, is to market your product as attractive to a specific group, without having it identified as exclusively being a product for that group only. Many people will reject a product if they believe it personifies a stere0type they reject.

The mini-van is an easy example - Sales almost disappeared when it became viewed as "a housewife-mom's taxicab". Women who drove one suddenly felt old and trapped. They all moved to SUV's insstead.

Another example is Buick - I tried to buy my 70ish mom a Buick, but she rejected it as "an old peoples' car" - and she bought a Toyota Avalon intead. Now the Avalon is a copy of a Buick, but it doesn't carry the negative perception.

So - If a product becomes associated with the gay market - perhaps 6% of the population at best - can Ford's products survive on being a target vehicle for only 6% of the population? Remember, there's no promise that gay's will buy the product being advertised to them, but a really good prospect that others won't as they don't want people thinking that they're gay.

Final Example - How many pink sweaters do you own, guys?

[little jeremiah]

FYI.

[Gondring]

It is unfortunate that companies feel compelled to take sides on such divisive issues, boasting how their corporate policies are gay-friendly, instead of simply flying below the radar screen. [...]

Yes, it is, but instead of living in a fantasy world, what's the real-world approach, where a large corporation can be attacked merely for NOT taking sides, since the debate has already been reframed such that non-action is considered "insensitive"...? Barn door is already open--the horse is gone while conservatives are still pondering whether to tie it up or not.

NewsMax really needs to hire some editors!

[SweetCaroline]

Isn't Ford laying off 59,000 workers because of a slump in sales?? Hmmmmmm

[Richard Kimball]

The hazard of target advertising is that for every group you attract, you'll turn off another group, unless you narrow-cast your advertising. I think Levi-Straus hurt their sales when they went to the heroin-chic MTV crowd, and started attacking the Boy Scouts. Similarly, I think Subaru took a hit with the Martina Navritalova ads, as they became known as THE gay car company. Budweiser, OTOH, has managed to straddle the fence, advertising in exclusively homosexual publications and sponsoring homosexual events, while running an All-American ad campaign in the mass media.

I wonder who Dr. Pepper was going after with the "Stacey's Mom" ads. I don't even want to think about who Burger King is going after with the King ads.

[longtermmemmory]

The other problem that advertisers have is to put out a homosexual based ad for their product will create a stigma that will destroy their public image.

IE the revised ford thunderbird was PERCIEVED as being a "gay" vehicle and thus straight men stayed away. For every one homosexual, (2-3% of the population) they will loose the other 98%.

No matter what any looney leftist says, it has been proven time and time again that people do NOT consider homosexuality an acceptable behavior choice. (and most inteligent thinking people do not buy the BS of "born gay".)

[mrmargaritaville]

I bought a new vehicle last week (Dodge Durango), I avoided Ford because of their left leaning world view.