# Ford targets rich gay market for Jaguar cars **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 18, 2002, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ford-targets-rich-gay-market-for-jaguar-cars/143592 "2002-12-18T17:10:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![KimKatt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ac91a4/32.png) [@KimKatt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KimKatt)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2002, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ford-targets-rich-gay-market-for-jaguar-cars/143592/1 "2002-12-18T17:10:21Z")
I’m quite curious as to what the Straight Dope population thinks of this particular advertising campaign. [Ford targets rich gay market for Jaguar cars](http://biz.yahoo.com/rc/021217/autos_ford_advertising_2.html) ---
**Author:** ![jk1245](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/49beb7/32.png) [@jk1245](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jk1245)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2002, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ford-targets-rich-gay-market-for-jaguar-cars/143592/2 "2002-12-18T17:16:06Z")
I pray to God there is a mix up and this ends up in _Soldier of Fortune_ or some such magazine. As far as the ad campaign, I am surprised it has taken this long for advertisers to actively seek out gay consumers. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2002, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ford-targets-rich-gay-market-for-jaguar-cars/143592/3 "2002-12-18T18:13:25Z")
Lame, too little - too late, not at all gay-specific. Not impressed at all. Ikea at least had two men, obviously together, in their tv ads a few years back. Absolut Vodka has been doing gay specific ads for a long time. In other words - non-American advertisers have been on this Gay market bandwagon a long time - with great success and with product support. American advertisers are, for the most part, gutless, spineless and skittish. Watch what happens when one irate housewife from Buttfork, Wyoming complains - Ford will pull that ad so fast the ink will blur. ---
**Author:** ![auntie\_em](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5e9695/32.png) [@auntie\_em](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/auntie_em)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2002, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ford-targets-rich-gay-market-for-jaguar-cars/143592/4 "2002-12-18T18:22:41Z")
Hmm, sounds like they finally got hold of the November 2001 issue of _American Demographics_. (Cover story: “The Hidden Market: Why Business Knows So Little About Gay Customers.”–comes complete with sidebar stats titled, “A Glimpse Inside”, “We Are Family”, “Out in Force”, and “Straight Up”.) It’s kind of weird, because the ad copy in the article seems to assume that all (or most) gay people are a) single, and b) looking for a romantic partner > [@](#): > > The first print ad Ford is set to run as part of its campaign, created by Prime Access Inc. of New York, features images of winding country roads and the words “Life is full of twists and turns.” > > Inset, alongside the question “Care for a partner?” is a picture of a lone young man and a separate image of a gleaming Jaguar X-Type sedan. > > “The ideal companion takes many forms,” the ad says. And if you ask me, the use of the word “partner” seems kind of cheesy and conspicuous, like they’re saying, “Lookie at us! We speak your gay lingo!” But still, it seems to me like a step in the right direction, I mean commercialism and conspicuous consumption should be equal opportunity, right? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2002, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ford-targets-rich-gay-market-for-jaguar-cars/143592/5 "2002-12-18T18:39:34Z")
The thread at the other end of the spectrum should be GOP targets poor straight market for adoption programs, but _I’m_ not going to start it! ---
**Author:** ![Dumbguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/2bfe46/32.png) [@Dumbguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dumbguy)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2002, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ford-targets-rich-gay-market-for-jaguar-cars/143592/6 "2002-12-18T19:13:16Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by auntie em \* > \*\* …if you ask me, the use of the word “partner” seems kind of cheesy and conspicuous_\* Well it is _advertising_. This might be new for Ford, but I’ve seen gay themed billboards in West Hollywood for Kaiser Permanente and Bally’s Health Clubs and dozens of other companies for years. ---
**Author:** ![KimKatt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ac91a4/32.png) [@KimKatt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KimKatt)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2002, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ford-targets-rich-gay-market-for-jaguar-cars/143592/7 "2002-12-19T15:07:20Z")
The first thing I wondered when I saw this was, how many homophobic straight males are going to think, “Holy @#$%! I have to sell my Jag!”