One of Ford's veepees', Al Giombetti, said in a e-mail last week to dealerships that when customers confront them about the manufacturer's advertisements in gay publications, to "listen to every customer, correct any misinformation, and ask them to support Ford." The e-mail is considered an acknowledgment that the struggling automaker has been monitoring the boycott launched back in March by the American Family Association and other conservative Christian groups.
The boycott's impact is unknown. Ford Motor Co. donated over $77 million last year, the bulk ($39 million) to educational causes and groups while the rest supporting Asian, blacks, and Hispanics organizations, as well as the gay segment.
Phil Long Ford, a dealership in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where several prominent conservative Christian organizations are based, states it has received about a dozen calls and two dozen e-mails regarding the issue. Says manager Tom White, "The first half-a-dozen calls we got... we said, 'Fine, do what you got to do.' Then we finally started responding back to them, and they came in and [bought] cars or they don't call us anymore."
Related:
Ford shareholders reject proposals to drop protections for LGBT workers
Efforts continue in boycott against Ford for its support of gay market
[Source: GFN]
The boycott's impact is unknown. Ford Motor Co. donated over $77 million last year, the bulk ($39 million) to educational causes and groups while the rest supporting Asian, blacks, and Hispanics organizations, as well as the gay segment.
Phil Long Ford, a dealership in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where several prominent conservative Christian organizations are based, states it has received about a dozen calls and two dozen e-mails regarding the issue. Says manager Tom White, "The first half-a-dozen calls we got... we said, 'Fine, do what you got to do.' Then we finally started responding back to them, and they came in and [bought] cars or they don't call us anymore."
Related:
Ford shareholders reject proposals to drop protections for LGBT workers
Efforts continue in boycott against Ford for its support of gay market
[Source: GFN]
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