5 Rothman-A Welcome Mat for Lesian and Gay Customers

This se]eclion begins with o New York Tlmes orticle f rc]m August
2AAl in whichCliff Rothmon, who writes
for ct vcniety of newspopers ond mogozines os well os solon.com,
drscusses the shiftingodvertisjng procijces of oulomokers os th-^y torgel Jesbions ctnd goy men. We
ore olso includlng the Suboru od thot rctn
with the orilc1e' os weJJ o's lwo ods thot rctn in magctzines ond newspopers
Ior ihe Jesbion ctnd gcty community Study lhese ods, ond osk yourself wh ot, if onything, oppeors
to be speciljco lly lesbion or goy
obout them.
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CLIFT ROTHMAN
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A Weicome Mot for Lesbion
Goy Customers
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fter decades of treating
gay consumers as the
oflen were, automakers are courling them directly, often with messages that wave the rainbow
barrner of gay acceptance.
This year, Jaguar, Volkswagen and \lc1vo began advertising in narional gay publications. joining three companies-Saab, Saturn and Subaru
had signed on earlier.
-that
And the commitment often runs
deeper than a few srrateqic ads.
Carmakers
u.. .pon.oring
goy
events, awards and causes.
Last year. DaimlerChrysler,
Ford and Ceneral Molors were
sponsors
ofthe annual show of
the Lambda Car CIub. a group
of nearly 2.000 gay collectors.
For two years, Jaguar has sponsored media awards given by
42
the Gay and Lesbian Alliance
Against Defamation.
In
Bennett, director
marketing
June,
Volvo provided cars for the Los
Angeles gay pride parade.
ganized by an advocacy group.
the Human Rights Campaign.
was founding sponsor
of the Rainbow Card an affinity
a
credit card
program-
co-founded by Martina Navra-
tilova-that has raised
more
than $1 million for gay causes.
Subaru gives discounts ofup to
$3,000 to cardholders.
"We're clear that we suppofl the health and civicmindedness of the gay and
lesbian community," said Tim
national
Subaru. ,.W'e
to offer domestic
partnership benefits. We,re not
just here to sell you a car as an
exploited segment."
Saab was the first to advertise in the national gay press, rn
I994. Sarurn dipped its toes in
the water a year later, then retreated, but returned in 1999.
Although it only recently joined
the party. Volvo seems intent on
having fun. Last month, it ran
an ad in Genre. a gay Iilesryle
magazine, that showed a man,s
Subaru, whose cars have
long sold well among gay men
and lesbians, has taken an increasingly prominent role. It
sponsors the Los Angeles gay
pride festival and events or-
It
for
were the f,rst
of
bare upper torso and an 560
sedan. The tagline read: .,Lust
and logic. Don't they make a
s
lovely couple?"
Subaru, which began gayspecific adverrising in 1997, is
probably the most visible, and
daring. Typical of ils sassy tone
l
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Cllff Roihmon: AWelcome Mot for Lesbron ctnd Gov Cuslomers
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was a recent ad with the tagline,
"Get out. And stay out," a sly
wordplay on leaving the closetand exploring the great outdoors.
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group that in many ways wants to
remain hidden?" asked Bret
Scott. a C.\4. engineer who is cochairman of G.M. P1us, an advocacy group for the company's gay
"It
says, 'We acknowledge
you as a consumer; this is the language that you speak,"'said John
Nash, president
and lesbian employees. "And
how do you advertise to a group
that is really a sub-set of a lot of
of Moon Ci{,
Productions, the New York com-
other groups of peopie?"
pany lhar created the campaign.
\n
nestic
E not
3-i an
The change came after Big
Three employees jointly peti-
and
lesbians," Mr. Bennett said.
Research also determined
"It's been
1
divlsion.
i
l
served" said Tom Eise, senior
vice president ofPublicis & Ha1
funey, which does Saturn ad-
under-
Iy99.
Liberation Publications Inc.,
whiclr owns Out, a lifeslyle
Et 0n
E ran
xt] ie
I3EI1
S
s60
-Lust
lLe
a
magazine, and The Advocctte, a
newsmagazine, the publications'
average reader is a 39-year-old
white-collar professional man
with a college
degree and a
household income of $95,000.
Readers also have a strong
propensity to buy European
cars, the survey found.
rl
i,
md
BtrNi
'last
diversity program, the company
is channeling its marketing energies toward thJee groups.
ss- u1
Ies tn
oiaed
manager for BMW. "The com-
munity already purchases our
cars without having to target
began offering employee benefits to same-sex partners, under a joint agreement with the
United Automobile Workers.
vertising.
National gay publications offer prized demographics to advertisers. According to the most
recent survey commissioned by
rir er-
Relations belween lhe in-
buyers. "There were educators,
health-care professionals, tech-
Yet, however visible many
gay people have become, automakers face a marketing conumdrum. "Hor.v do you reach a
year
tioned the companies, and the
that the gay community was a
good market for Saturn, a G.M.
-\\'e
said
Karen Vonder Meulen, marketing and events cornmunications
warmed considerabiy
dividualists-man vs. nature
types-and then gay men and
dr.na]
to the gay community,"
dustry and many gay people
when the Dehoit automakers
ro
union, on the issue.
"The recognition ofgays and
lesbians as car consumers is
something that has been put on
the radar screen of the Big
Three companies by their employee resource groups," said
Cindy Clardy of Ford Globe, a
gay employee group. "We also
told Ford not to try and consider
direct marketing to gay and 1es-
bian consumers until they had
their internal policies in p1ace.
You run the risk of being seen
as, 'You just want to take our
money but you don't care about
your gay employees."'
Throughout the car industry,
diversity consultants are popping up. 'Al1 the leading companies are taking initiatives to
do diversity marketing," said
Javel)n Ibarra Baldwin,
cu1-
fura1 marketing manager for
Jaguar. "They are realizing that
they can no longer ignore, or do
43
marketing or advertising, without having a consideration of
all the groups that exist."
Sti11, most companies do not
advertise in the gay press. "We
don't do any specific targeting
1994, Subaru identif,ed gays
as one of its five core groups of
nical professionals, rugged in-
t
tr
them individuaily..'
Though Mazda has a new
African-Americans. Hispanics
Asians-that showed more
marketing potential, said Jyoti
Bates, a media and diversity
marketing specialist for Mazda.
But indushy
executives are
also sensitive to the possibitity
a
bacldash lrom
the
of
major-
iq, of their customers. "They
worry that reaching out to
gays with a pafticular model can
then affect the rest ofthe lineup,"
a senior
advenising executive
said adding that the companies
aimed their promotions where
only gays were likeiy to see
them. "They may view it
as a
po-
litical nightmare to be strongly
associated in the market."
But Vr. Bennen of Subaru is
pragmatic about his company's
explicit stance: "Look, we know
that our ou,ner base and our
consumers are extremely well
educated, and they celebrate
diversity. A person who would be
by oul
oft'ended
advertising
probably would not have bought
our car anyway."
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Cliff Rothmon:AWelcomeMcifor Lesbron ctndGoy Cuslomers
At Delta, we tak€ greal pride
maks us what we are
ii lhe diversrty
0i the people who
-
a eompany ol many culturos, lan"
guages, backgrounds and experiences, These differences
serue t0 brin! us together, make us str0nger and give us a
uniqre underslanding and sensitlvlty t0 the nesds 0f 0ur
cusl0mers and thg 0ommunities w€ serve,
However, Ilke the most dedicated gatdener, 1,lreie nevet satisiied with how our garden gr0!rrs. We c0nsiantly strive to burld
on our achievements to make Delta feftile ground for our
employees, padners ard suppliers around the globe.
Delk
-
sawing the seeds
lar success wa*lwirle, naturally.
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45
46 o
Chop-ter i: Longuoge os Argument
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Wo want to make our posilion perfectly clear'
on
This election year, there! a lot of natioflal debate
tt ut" i*portant to the GLBT communirl'' including
"i N"nligeAmendment And, as apolitical -.
ii* iuirirr
p.tu cinrs has expressed his personal position
this
"rna[*i",
or init'it*". Coors Brewing Company's Plsition-on
Kiely
Guu Oiiter" ttom pete Coors', Coors CEo Leo
follows:
outtines $e company's ofliciat position as
i*r"t
.We do not supporl discrirnination against the GLBT
community-via legislalion or otherwise''
*
Let's be clear" W€ donl support amending the
Constituti0n.
1978'
That atlitude is in keepinq wilh our aciions since
nondiscdmination policy that
rmoonizea tn; riqhts ot GLBT applicants and employees
we tloot anottrerlmportant step lorward in 1988 and
oior-iAJ coipo,afe support to important GLBT community
*e're proud to back the eflorts of the
Irorrt.
-e foiuv,
ilnc, r-nno,'cpnC and numerous AIDS organizations'
*t *" r.;UopuU .n incluiive
&
t
&
only a befier
And we've conlinu€d o$ eflorts to be not
More
citir"n, but a betler place to work as well'
"or*ratl
uso, we created our Lesbian and Gay
in"ilo
i*otoud" Reso-urce Council (LAGER) to provide an
our senlor
emolovee support nelwork and regulady advise
made hrstory in 1995' when Coors
*"l",ia*a"i.'w"
"venbrewery in America to otiel
Oecarie lfre first maior
same-sex partnel health benelits'
,"""
eftorts
Manv oeoDle have responded positively to these
Righls
tn iooi,'we'receiveo the Colorado Human
highest score
bamoarqn nwarO nnd we iust received the
oosLte"trom rne numan Bights Campaign's corporate
perlect' we're
Eoirurlw rna"r-roo. So, while we're not
cleatly workiftg hard to be a betler company'
It's simple. At Coors, we
believe suppoding lhe rights of
the GLBT community is good for
our customers and our
ernployees. And, above all, it's
lhe right thing 10 do.
Thanks for lislening.
Give us your loedback: strStalk@mergamadiagroup'com
t{owkthetims'
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Clif{ Rothmon AWelcome Mctt for lesbjon ond Goy Customers
about the texts
l. Whot qre
the potentiol odvontoges ond dis_
odvontoges for crutomokers o{ ods thot tor_
get lesbion ond goy consumers? Why might
these consumers be seen os on ottroctive
torget oudience?
2. Are there ospects of these ods thot you do
not understqnd? Do you {ind them interest_
ing ond oppeoling os ods? Why (or why
you respond il these ods
oppeored in o publicotion torgeted crt the
generol public? Why?
not)? How might
on
nguage use
3. Study ccrrefuliy the 1onguoge used
in these
ods. Which specific uses of long,uoge, im_
oges, metophors, or wordpioy might oppeol
to the lesbion or
goy reoder? Why?
qrticle notes, mojor industries
hove only recently begun using od com_
poigns thot torget lesbion or g,oy communi_
ties. Find such on od in o public spoce, o
4. As Rothmons
rE{
l. llore
t
-tg*lr
rCoo*s
I
!6fts.
Itco{e
EEE
!b
mogozine or newspqper, or on o television
prog'rom. How does the od oppeol to its tor_
gret oudience? How effective is it?
a
47
for wri
5. Choose two mogozines torgeted ot
verv dif_
Ierent oudiences (Mctxim ond Good House_
keeping, for exompie), ond exomine the
odvertisements for o specific consumer
product-cors, clothing, cologne, etc. Write
on essqy comporingr crnd controsting the
woys in which the ods oppeol to their respective reoders.
6. Choose o group in Americon society_on
ethnic group or some other identiliotle
group (e.g., skoteboorders, qeeks)_ond
look ot how it is represented (or not repre_
sented) in the ods of severol issues of o spe_
cific mogozine. Conslder boih ods thot
might oppeol to members o{ the group ond
those thcrt might represent them poo.iy o.
inoccuroteiy. Write on essoy onolyzing whot
you find, being sure to ottoch coples o1 the
ods you discuss. If you find no represento_
tions of the group, write obout why certorn
gr-oups do not oppeor in the mogozines you
exomine.
.th":
<#ordsconheol.org>
words conHeoJ js cr nonprofit notionol orgonization founded in 2a0l and endorsed by
Tom
mony ociors, pojiticions, and clergy, including Tom Ctuise, Goldie Hown' Senolor
gooJ is
lis
others.
omang
Schul./eI,
Daschle, Senoior /ohn Kerry, ond the Reverend Robert
proctice
of
ethicol
"to
volue
ond
plomote
the
"to reduce verbol violence ond Erossip" ond
in our
speech in order to improve our democrocy, bui)d mutual respect, honor and dignity
its
organization,
the
obout
more
country." Go to <wwnorton.comlwrilellonErugroEre> to leorn
to
ioke'
visitors
its
cho.lienEres
gools, ond jts melhods. Be.iow is the pledge thc:t the l4leb siie
#iiS;'.i.rre8"ei!il jiiir$d,iiw-lk-t$iF{Wi,t*k8,
S{eS6e:
, pl*.r{? ttrlhlnk m{.s slred tka Btort ,
I *Hl t.y t& rqQ tsB {ln.ilp he*$ $at$l*,
t*d{{ilBg fryie}t, 6{i, ssr& to ellekr&e
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w'll I'y to Bpldn wodr thdt hu( wtlh
woda tl,r! eDC€ilroqe, enqaqu ood
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48
sn6
*iildiiii itiliirs*'t*:ih*il$ah44iR".,!slRry.
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wordsconhecl.org
about the text
l. Erplor.ih. Web site for Words Con Heol.
sec cy
or ]en:
fts;oo/ is
st
s:iicol
m:1-
ln our
rv.llion, iis
]ls :c toke.
Whcrt ossumpiions do members of the orgonizotion mcrke crbout the relotionship between the woy we use longuoge in our
dcrily lives ond the noture ol the society we
live in?
2. Recrd corefully the press releose on thls
book's Web site. Whot specilic events motlvcrted the creotion of this orgonizcrtion? Do
you believe orgonizotions like this one do
crny good? For whom? WhY or whY not?
3. The press releose mentioned in question 2
implies thcrt there ore problems in Americon
schools. Whot ore these problems? Whot
crre their consequences? How do the creotors of the orgonizotion hope to respond to
the problems?
on language use
video for the Words Con Hecrl
compoign ond study the ods for print medicr
on this book's Web site. Which ol these oppecrls to you most? Lecrst? WhY?
4. Wotch the
5. How con we see the ossumptions of the or-
whv?
for writin
which you evoluote the
possible benefits of Words Con Hecrl. Study
the Web site in detoil ond exomine the
hondbook ond kits, whlch you con find at
links on the moin site. Consider whot this
progrom is likely to crccomplish, whot it ossumes, how volid those ossumptions might
be, whom thls progrom will likely help, ond
who will most likely pcrrticipote.
7. A theme of this chopter, ond indeed ihis
book, is thot words lunction crs orguments
becouse they crrticulote certcrin ossumptions
thcri not everyone outomoticclly occepts ln
whot woys does Words Con Heol illustrote
this theme? Write on essoy in which you
explore how everydoy longuoge proctices
(including e{forts to ovoid certoln longuclge)
support the clcrim thot words {unction os
6. Wrlte on essoy in
crrguments.
fu
zu+ed hr Ke','lh v\h,l{.ers Q
M;abia,i
49
gcrnizotion's creotors ond members reflected
in the ods for the initicrl compcrign? Do you
think the ods iorget speciflc groups? Whot
kinds of people do you thlnk might find the
crds most crppeoling? Leost oppeoling?
dhtfr.{ongu.ry-ffiT7
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7J58