COMMENT: Ford's soap opera
So the Ford advertising fiasco has turned into quite a soap opera, hasn't it? AFA threatens boycott, Ford pulls advertising, LGBT community gets pissed, Ford reinstates advertising, this time featuring all of its brands, not just PAG. Seems pretty cut and dried, eh? Ford has the backbone of a jellyfish.
Or does it? Read on for this Autoblogger's take on Days of our LGBT-Targeted Advertising.
First and foremost, were not giving Ford enough credit. While the company isnt about to win any International Association of Business Communicators awards any time soon, for sure, I highly doubt that any decisions by Ford recently were made as frivilously as the AFA and LGBT groups make it out to be. Threats of boycotts dont make Fords world go round neither a potential AFA boycott nor the threat of an LGBT boycott is responsible for any decisions Ford has made recently, Id wager. I dont think angry AFA people convinced Ford to pull the ads, and I dont think that a meeting with angry LGBT groups made Ford change its mind.
To recap, Ford maintained that pulling the ads was merely a business decision, while the AFA claimed that Fords decision to pull advertising from gay publications was motivated by Ford dealers from the southern U.S. When Ford pulled Land Rover and Jaguar advertising from gay publications, the AFA made this statement:
We are ending the boycott of Ford. While we still have a few differences with Ford, we feel that our concerns are being addressed in good faith and will continue to be addressed in the future.
If Ford were worried about an AFA boycott, this would have been the end of the story. It seems that when the AFA
claimed victory, however, thats when Bill Ford flew off the handle. The reinstitution of the ads is less Ford caving
to gay interest groups and more Ford being annoyed that the AFA would claim victory when, regardless of whether or not
the company commits to advertising in gay publications, diversity and inclusion are clearly high on Fords priority
list. Unlike folks like Ed Lapham who argue that Ford caved
to both sides and has ultimately set a precedent that will no doubt be followed by other special interest
groups trying to intimidate the company, I dont think this is a case of Ford waffling its Ford making a necessary
public statement about its priorities after a business decision the company made was misinterpreted.
Which is why it is potentially damaging for LGBT organizations to now
claim credit for Fords U-turn. The AFA has
just been burned for claiming credit for Fords decision the worst thing an LGBT group could do is the same darn
thing. Hint, hint.
Now to the AFA boycott. How well will this potential boycott work? Take the instances of the AFAs boycott of Disney
and Kraft for their alleged gay-friendliness, for example. Both companies basically told the AFA to go jump off a
bridge, and neither company suffered because of their decisions. It took nine years for the AFA to come up with the
reasons to make it look like the organization was successful enough to end the boycott, although I highly doubt Disney
is producing The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe for the AFAs benefit. Furthermore, the AFA has 3 million
members. Assuming the United States is five percent LGBT
(a conservative estimate 10 percent is a figure
more commonly thrown around), there are almost 15 million LGBT folks in this country. Anyone could guess which boycott
would be more effective.
Now the column that we need to see in a big city newspaper is the one that will chastise the LGBT community for having
the reaction it
had. In its home state of Michigan alone, Ford was the first of the Big 3 to give Affirmations Lesbian and Gay
Community Center in Ferndale $250,000 for its new building, the biggest donation to an LGBT organization by any Fortune
500 Company. Ford drops huge chunks of change on the LGBT community (just as it does with the larger multicultural
community), from gifts such as the one it gave to Affirmations to domestic partnership benefits it provides its own
employees. What kind of thanks is it for the LGBT community to turn on Ford like that?
And why single out Ford, anyway? To my knowledge, Toyota, a brand praised by those who are environmentally
concerned, gay or straight, doesnt advertise directly to gay folks. Neither does BMW, a brand that is as much a part
of the rich gay mans wardrobe as it is the rich straight mans. General Motors and DaimlerChrysler, while both have
great benefits for employees and diversity initiatives in place (the two companies followed Ford in donating a quarter
of a million each to Affirmations), dont directly advertise to the LGBT community to my knowledge on a corporate
level. Why single out Ford?
The LGBT community has reacted terribly to this whole situation (with GLAAD earning a special place in my heart as the
most ungrateful recipient of Fords support when it
pulled a promotion that was netting the
organization fundraising profits thanks to the automaker), and I have no doubt that these thoughtless knee-jerk
reactions have completely undermined the future corporate fundraising efforts for LGBT organizations across the
country. Ford should expect this from the AFA, not the automakers allies and beneficiaries. I wouldnt be surprised if
corporations that were considering giving to an LGBT organization decide against it now for fear that, should the money
dry up down the road, theyll get backstabbed just like Ford did.
Hmm, corporations deciding against giving money to LGBT organizations Maybe this is a victory for the AFA after
all.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
goat 10:37PM (12/18/2005)
Enough already with this crap!
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dotsara 10:37PM (12/18/2005)
"The reinstitution of the ads is less Ford caving to gay interest groups and more Ford being annoyed that the AFA would claim victory when ... diversity and inclusion are clearly high on Fords priority list."
Now that's interesting. Somehow I'd missed that crucial bit about the AFA just claiming victory over a decision Ford made. Huh!
Why single out Ford? I think you called it: they advertise directly to the LGBT community. Makes them an easy target.
"Days of our LGBT-Targeted Advertising" - Hee.
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Steve 10:37PM (12/18/2005)
great commentary. Even if the AFA or LGBT boycott were successful, they would only be hurting their own members or people like them. There are a lot of Christians, Conservatives, Pro-family types, as well as LGBT people, working at Ford or Ford suppliers. Boycotting Ford only risks the livlihood of people with views very similar to both AFA members and LGBT people.
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B 10:37PM (12/18/2005)
Anyone who espouses to be Christian and spews hatred is surely not praying to my God. I consider myself spiritual and conservative but the former KKKers who now wrap themselves in the conservative Christian movement are not anyone I can relate to.
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Mal Fuller 10:37PM (12/18/2005)
This story has seen more coverage than the war in Iraq. As Imus would say, all this is making my hair hurt!
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Mick 10:37PM (12/18/2005)
Now, I don't plan to see that "Brokeback Mountain" movie, no matter how good the write-ups, because I think it's probably just another chic-flic.
However, I'd sure hope someone tells me what kinds of pick-up trucks they've got those two gay caballeros driving in the movie!
Reply
eric 10:37PM (12/18/2005)
I work with a bunch of guys that are like me - car guys. We love cars. We like to know lots about cars. We like to read about cars. So, I told these guys about Autoblog.
They now think that I'm trying to tell them that I'm secretly gay.
Seriously, you guys need to drop this whole topic and move on to car stuff before you lose those of us who are actually interested in cars.
Reply
Ryan 10:37PM (12/18/2005)
I love the people that are fed up with these posts, but then take the time to:
1.) Click on the post
2.) Write a comment about the post they state should not be there
3.) Wait for the e-mail to arrive
4.) Click the link
Wow, could you not have just scrolled down?
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Scott Eaton 10:37PM (12/18/2005)
Be secure in your manhood, man. Autoblog has a high number of gay readers, so this is relevant to a large %readership here - sorry if it doesn't apply to you.
Like with TV, you can change the channel. Skip to the next article or ignore a post. You aren't paying for this anyway and the site owners wouldn't post it if they weren't interested in it.
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Just Crusin' 10:37PM (12/18/2005)
Stick a fork in it already! Please!
Reply
Getback2work 10:37PM (12/18/2005)
Get
back
to
work.
Reply
Marcello Mastroianni 10:37PM (12/18/2005)
from #6: "you guys need to drop this whole topic and move on to car stuff before you lose those of us who are actually interested in cars."
I'm plenty interested in cars, but I'm also interested in whether or not my friends who work for Ford are going to have a steady paycheck. Whenever an interest group proposes a boycott of one of the Big 3, it can have serious consequences for those of us who live in the Detroit area.
So if there's any new developments in this story, I'd like to know.
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s 10:37PM (12/18/2005)
To: Eric post #6
Eric, if they think you're gay it's not because of autoblog! Think about it.
And also just because you & friends keep up with cars doesn't make you str8
Reply
Croak 10:37PM (12/18/2005)
Not taking sides here at all, just keep in mind that while AFA registered membership may only be 3 million, there are doubtless a few multiples of that number who aren't card-carrying members but lean the same way.
The numbers between the two fueding interest groups may be closer to parity than some would think.
And I agree with #5 and #6, this topic has been getting WAY too much coverage..those of us not in either the AFA or LGBT camps could care less, and those of us not interested in much of anything from Ford are even more fatigued by the coverage.
Let the other 99.9% of the blogosphere, which thrives on political debates, cover this issue in more depth..Some of us read car blogs to escape the endless polarized topics elsewhere.
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Chris 10:37PM (12/18/2005)
DCX DOES directly advertise to the GLBT community. Do your homework.
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GORT 10:37PM (12/18/2005)
It might be time for ME to return and punish you silly Earthlings for making a big fuss over nothing.
Where I come from we are tolerant and we also have sex with each other without regard to anything and nobody cares.
Behave yourselves, Earthlings, or I WILL return and destroy you!
Reply
Richard Warren 10:37PM (12/18/2005)
It's simple really,
NOT INTERESTED? DON'T READ THE ARTICLE!
Gort, Klatu brada nickto!
Reply
Peter W. 10:37PM (12/18/2005)
I like the coverage. The information is good, and I agree that automobile business decisions are an important part of the automobile industry.
What I don't get is why people feel the need to bitch publicly rather than just use their scroll buttons like the times they see other topics they aren't interested in. It's obviously important to someone... so why make a big deal? Are you trying to say that just because you don't care nobody else get's to read it? It's not like these topics are sneaky and forcing you to read them...
Otherwise, I agree with Erin. I think it was a much bigger reaction than needed that probably validated some peoples fears of LGBT being an overactive group pushing an agenda. In fact I was kind of appalled how much infighting I saw between "Stop being DRAMA QUEENS!" vs. "Ford has ALIGNED THEMSELVES WITH TEH ENEMY and they LIED! *gnash*".
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eric 10:37PM (12/18/2005)
Marcello:
I have family members who work for Ford and family members who work for GM / Delphi. I don't think this topic will effect their paycheck. Other, more serious ongoing issues will and deserve more coverage than this.
s:
What exactly is your point?
Look, the bottom line is that this blog is close to becoming a politcal commentary, not an automotive news source. That sucks.
Reply
Doogs 10:37PM (12/18/2005)
Well said, Erin.
My guess was that Ford was reviewing its media plan for 2006 and found its LR and Jag advertising in LGBT wasn't up to snuff. Not enough impressions, poor return on investment. Maybe Land Rovers and Jags just aren't that popular with the LGBT community and don't merit the specialized advertising.
Advertising budgets are tricky things, and depending on the client every dollar spent can be questioned and prodded and analyzed. Maybe they figured the money was better spent online, or in more mainstream outlets (gay people read USA Today and Business Week, too).
Whatever the case, I have no problem seeing scenarios where they would decide to pull dollars from niche publications.
So the AFA jumps all over it, claims credit, and generally makes Ford look like a bunch of gay-haters.
Bill Ford gets pissed. Doesn't want Ford portrayed as anti-gay, and orders the ad dollars reinstated.
At this point the original analysis that lead to the decision to pull advertising from LGBT publications doesn't matter. Those dollars have gone from being an advertising concern to a PR concern. They are, as you said so well, Erin, Ford's saying that it was not the AFA that forced their hand, that no one forced their hand, and that they are not anti-gay.
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