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VIDEO: Chevrolet targets gay demographic with new Camaro marketing effort
Wasn't it just a couple of years ago that the American Family Association was boycotting Ford for marketing in gay-centric publications? Fast forward to today and see just how much things have changed. Last month, Chevrolet sponsored an event in Los Angeles called Gay Day at the Movies to promote the release of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Michael Bay's latest opus, of course, features a bunch of General Motors vehicles, not the least of which is the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro that plays the leading role of Bumblebee.
A video was produced to promote Gay Day at the Movies featuring a pair of "Bumblebee Boys" in Camaro-branded briefs washing the Bowtie brand's pony car revival. The cheeky (pardon the pun) video is clearly targeted at the gay community and uses beefcake car washers to that effect in a not-so-subtle way.
Will Chevy or GM see a backlash from being associated with this video? Who knows, but the video isn't exactly being shown in primetime on NBC. For the moment, it lives solely on YouTube with a gajillion other vids – and one would have to actively search to find it.
Follow the jump to watch the video for yourself, and please remember to be respectful in the comments.
UPDATE: The video has been removed from YouTube by the user. We're searching to find it again on the interwebs.
Gallery: First Drive: 2010 Chevy Camaro
[Source: USA Today via Huffington Post]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 7)
ddorsey 5:03PM (7/08/2009)
Good for them, as the homosexual demographic gets larger, more powerful and less discriminated against, they will become a target group for advertisements just as Beer commercials target us manly, straight autoblog viewers.
Reply
nrb 5:15PM (7/08/2009)
Because gay people don't drink beer.
Imagine the outcry if Chevy openly targeted straight people.
DarinD 5:19PM (7/08/2009)
They pretty much do, they have straight families with kids in their ads. If they were to have a gay couple it would be all kinds of controversial.
No one said gay people didn't drink beer, beer companies generally don't target them because their main consumer is the man who sits down on sunday with a 6 pack and watches football with his buds.
scott 5:29PM (7/08/2009)
You might be surprised to learn that a lot of car enthusiasts are gay and gasp, manly.
dsharp23 5:30PM (7/08/2009)
reminds me of the commercial that farley and sandler did on snl years ago...its was like schmidts gay beer or something...good stuff.
DarinD 5:31PM (7/08/2009)
You're right scott, but not enough to make an ad demographic.
Rob Roland 5:35PM (7/08/2009)
Wow, dude, the beer companies target the gay community all the time!
Coors, for example, advertises in The Advocate and Out magazines.
zamafir 5:36PM (7/08/2009)
"You're right scott, but not enough to make an ad demographic"
BWAAHHAHAHAHAHA. Care to back that up? I'd love to read something from ANY relevant marketing agency or program arguing against marketing to alpha consumer demographics, especially the LGBT audience. I'll forward it along to a couple of collogues with PHDs in Marketing, I'm sure they'll get a kick out of it. Willfully ignoring an $800,000,000,000+ buying power audience (packaging facts). That's entertaining as hell.
DarinD 5:42PM (7/08/2009)
How many ads have you seen targeted at gay auto enthusiasts?
None, because universal auto ads targeted at men will cover both demographics. I have however seen ads targeted at straight men. Now it's not put out there, but it's obvious that's who they're looking for.
However I'm a huge gay rights/equality advocate and if it does become a demographic then I will be glad to see that. I just don't understand why advertisers can't target them without this publicity.
titoliro 6:01PM (7/08/2009)
i´m gay and drink lots of beer, ain´t nothing shocking about it.
zamafir 6:54PM (7/08/2009)
@DarinD - my apologies, I didn't read carefully enough. There is a huge potential to market to LGBT folks, but I'll agree the car enthusiasts are most likely (as we see with the non-LGBT population) in the minority of their demographic (which is, another minority of the greater US demographic of consumers).
Tdogg 8:37PM (7/08/2009)
That awesome car doesn't deserve this...
sparrk 4:27AM (7/09/2009)
all muscle cars are gay in nature, why not the Camaro ?
AJ 4:30AM (7/09/2009)
Not to be stereotypical, but I'm gay, have a typically high income based on the usual gay demographics, and I f'ing love cars. Straight people should rejoice, because there's at least one huge market segment that isn't reduced to minivan all the time and buys accordingly. Let's all unite for more having better cars :-)
David 7:49AM (7/09/2009)
Um... There already are a lot of beer ads towards the GLBT demographic.
I checked out SF's Pride this year and it was decked out in Bud Light rainbow beads and their logo everywhere.
sunz 5:04PM (7/08/2009)
damn they removed that fast lol
-sun
Reply
CBXweb 5:05PM (7/08/2009)
"wut the hell?! gay people drive Cah-meros?!"
Yes Hillbilly Vince, gays drive cars too, even Camaros.
Reply
zamafir 5:08PM (7/08/2009)
lmao. I've driven two so far, both owned by friends, both friends are gay, both v8s with all the options, both stick. last i checked, there's few other demographics with as much average disposable income and purchasing power, which is why most in marketing will advertise to them through typical channels. It makes a lot of sense to advertise to alpha customers
JLevy 9:43PM (7/08/2009)
ESPECIALLY Camaros
the4thheat 1:54AM (7/09/2009)
@zamafir
I think it goes without saying that they drive stick.
/me loves gay people but can't resist the terrible joke.