Many of you saw the most recent issue of either OUT or The Advocate. If not, you missed a hot, two-page advertisement for the all-new BMW Z4 M Roadster—arguably one of the sexiest ragtops on American pavement. Or perhaps you caught a similar flash ad, featuring the relatively sedate non-M Z4 Roadster, on Gay.com—a site whose owners, not coincidentally, recently acquired OUT and The Advocate.
Why, you might ask, are we pointing this out? Car companies like Subaru and Volvo advertise in the gay press all the time. What is the big deal about BMW jumping on the bandwagon? Unfortunately, BMW is not just another car company whose executives recognize the buying power of GLBT automotive buyers—one of the most affluent, loyal, and influential segments of the consumer-universe. No, there is more to the story.
In the ads, the Z4 makes us yearn for some hard-driving, top-down motoring. But look beyond the gloss and you realize that the ads' placement in GLBT-media outlets is hypocritical. We are not talking about the fact that the ad—which lacks both GLBT-specific text and photography—does not speak loudly and proudly to its target audience. The issue is that BMW advertises its products in the gay press, yet it is not a gay-friendly company. In other words, the executives at BMW North America do not spend money to offer domestic-partner benefits to their GLBT employees, yet, at the same time, they buy ads to target the deep pockets of GLBT consumers.
This hypocrisy is apparent not only to the editors of Gaywheels.com. 87% of respondents to a recent Gaywheels.com survey felt the same when asked how they would feel if a non-gay-friendly company advertised to them in the GLBT media. Among the many comments we received about this issue, ones like this were representative: “I’ve boycotted companies for this sort of thing".
http://www.gaywheels.com/what_is_the_german_word_for_hy.htm
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