Gay Ads Update: Ford Targets Pubs

Thanks to the crack Web surfing of IU doctoral student Angelini, I can update the gay ads posting. Reuters reports that Ford Motor Company has reversed itself and will place ads in gay and lesbian publications. Among the Ford lines advertised will be Jaguar and Land Rover, premium dollar vehicles that Ford surely hopes will appeal to this high discretionary income market.

Cognitively, this move remains on the safe side. There is likely little cross-over readership (do you read the Advocate?), so other than this initial announcement, the conservative voter is not likely to be aware of ads portrayed in gay and lesbian publications. This is an important step by Ford, however, our society remains far from commonplace portrayals of homosexual models in mainstream media -- the type of ads we are currently studying.