Well, that was fun. According to the Associated Press, Ford Motor
Company has announced its intention to resume advertising in gay/lesbian publications after undergoing intense
scrutiny in the media from liberal and conservative interest groups alike. The two-week long fracas appears to have
come full circle quickly enough that Ford might not even miss plying its wares in a single issue.
Interestingly, Ford’s announcement does not specifically order the reinstatement of Land Rover and Jaguar
ads (the Ford-owned nameplates that sparked the debacle), rather, the company intends to employ full-line ads that
feature everything from its PAG brands (Jag, Volvo, Aston-Martin, and Land Rover) to its ‘bread and butter’ marques –
Ford, Mazda, and everywhere in between (Mercury, Lincoln). The entire Blue Oval Family, if you will.
Whether Ford’s initial decision to pull gay advertising stemmed from its caving under threat of boycott from
the American Family Association, or whether the move came simply as a result of fiscal belt-tightening may never be
known.
Then again, to presume this matter is closed would be to make a dangerous assumption.
[Source: Ford and CNN.com]