Homosexual-Focused Ad For Chevy Volt Viewed 11 Million Times
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Last month, General Motors ran a gay-themed advertisement for the Chevy Volt in Detroit. With the trademark gay rainbow colors across the print ad, the text reads, “Whatever revs your engine, we support you 100%.” Adding some tongue-in-cheek flair is a caption above the Volt that proclaims, “Mom, Dad: I’m electric.” The ad was first published for $750 in the Motor City Pride edition of Between the Lines, a Michigan gay and lesbian newspaper. It then went on to be viewed 11 million times on social media channels.
“This was a good omen,” said Jan Stevenson, co-publisher of Between the Lines, in referring to the Volt ad. “They put their toe in the water, and it worked out really, really well. If anyone’s really paying attention to it, they would say, ‘Wow, this is an untapped market’.”
Gay and lesbian consumers prefer fuel-efficient cars and, unbeknownst to many, account for 5 percent of new car purchases; they also have an average household income in the six figures, which is higher than that of heterosexual households, according to a recent survey.
Automakers usually advertise to the gay community using niche methods, but the gradual acceptance of the community and the success of the Volt ad could signal more marketing is on the way — especially if the goal is to attract wealthy, educated, younger customers.
“The Volt ad “told us that this was something worth undertaking when the opportunities present themselves,” said GM spokesman Tom Henderson.
Perhaps more significant is the fact that the popularity of the Volt ad could signal a gradual return of gay-themed automotive advertising, something that was nearly abandoned since the 2009 financial crisis. Yet even if gay-focused advertising does make a comeback, customers still must purchase their vehicles at the final frontier — the dealer.
To the dismay of many, a recent Maritz Research survey found that nearly 8.3 percent of gay and lesbian car buyers were not satisfied with their experience at the car dealership, compared to 6 percent of heterosexual car buyers, signifying that advertising alone won’t lead to increased sales; instead, it’s about improving the entire sales process.
Did you see the Volt ad in question? If so, what did you think about it?
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It could lead to an expansion of LGBT-themed advertising from OEMs. The time’s been ripe for a while, though.
boycott GM
The mom and dad are a cruze and Tahoe?! Traverse would have worked better.
I have nothing against any sexuality, but I don’t see, nor do I want to see this catch on. It’s clever once in a while, but it should not become a major theme. For starters, it kind of reminds me of a scam used by a politician to get more homosexual votes, or in this case car sales.
I strongly strongly dislike gays, and I really really hope this gay advertising stops immediately.
Why?
I won’t speak for Stanto27 (above), but my guess as to why Stanto27 “strongly, strongly dislikes gays” is because he or she is completely shut off from meeting or getting to know anyone from the LGBT Community. Our community is very diverse and if Stanto27 would unclench their ass and let the stick fall out, they might realize how silly and sad their views toward fellow human beings has been.
Manoli….Alex really got something started wiht this post! Glad Gm is doing what it should do to be the global player…good job
Leave the gays be and get a life..this is a car site after all
I think that the declining sales over the last year are the result of having products which are not competitive. I read somewhere that GM spends 3 billion a year on design and 13 billion on marketing and advertising. They need to reverse those figures. No one believes advertising. The power of traditional advertising has been declining as people are influenced by many new sources of information such as online peer ratings and reviews by product owners. Supermodels don’t swarm around you if you drive a Chevy Malibu. Gm are losing sales to Toyota and other companies because the other companies know that the experience of owning a car is a lot more than advertising and heavy handed styling. People care about reliability and maintenance requirements, about the engine life, about the cost of gas and many other things. GM are living in the past as a company. Soon they are going to need to deal with a flood of Chinese imports. Small sedans like the Chinese Cherry re selling in China and Tata in India for 2 to 3 thousand dollars. Tata own the Jaguar and Rover Brands. GM need to have products which people value like BMW to stay in business. The companies that were making mediocre products in the UK like Austin and Morris dies a long time ago.
I think someone else is living in the past, and its not GM.
I give all of you permission to slap me silly if you EVER see me in a BMW! If I am driving one, kill me. Wait, no, I will likely die of embarrassment before that happens.
great,Now my Brand I Love so Much (except the nationalization part-gvtmtrs) is now GayMotors 🙁
”Dad,Im a disappointment cause’ im a stupid Electric car.”
Disgusting.
Afaik LGBT oriented adverts can only be found in LGBT publications. Those adverts rarely “come out” into the rest of the world.
it still uses gas unlike the all electric leaf
”
Babersher
July 31, 2012 at 3:26 am
Reply
I think someone else is living in the past, and its not GM.”
Why are their sales declining? Firing the Marketing VP because their sales are falling is sticking their head in the sand. Next they will fire their advertising Director.They just can not make products as good as their competitors. As long as this continues their sales will continue to decline. Their solution is to reuse a design that was successful fifty years ago because they can’t think of something today.
Detroit is a wasteland they have to get their act together before it is too late. Who remembers these brands they were also living in the past. Which brands do you think will survive in the US?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Defunct_motor_vehicle_manufacturers_of_the_United_Kingdom
“great,Now my Brand I Love so Much (except the nationalization part-gvtmtrs) is now GayMotors 🙁 ”Dad,Im a disappointment cause’ im a stupid Electric car.”
Disgusting.”
You will be the last guy looking into an empty wallet in the gas station when everyone else is driving an electric car. They don’t have exhausts, oil, water, fan belts, and 50 other things that you need to keep fixing. The price of batteries will come down and then it will be possible to make electric cars much cheaper than gas cars.
Way to go GM. So glad you can acknowledge all your customers without fear of bigoted, bible thumping hippocrates. America. the only place where people want freedom for all but ONLY if you fall into their little, pathetic self loathing group.. Go ahead you so called christians teach your children to hate. Your Jesus gets the final word!!
Well said Randy . . . I couldn’t agree more!
Time to recharge leaf 20 hours. Time to gas up the Volt three minutes. That’s assuming you can find a gas station without a swarm of supermodels. AKA bowtie groupies.
Hey Randy, I am with you. I think gay people have the right to drive a GM car just as much as a Marlboro Man. Their money is as good at anyone else’s to keep a family employed in a factory in Detroit. In the mid west many people are afraid of gays as we know even one of our presidential candidates but in the coastal cities people are more tolerant and change with the times they are accepted. Even GM needs to change and get sales where they can to stay in business.
The Marlboro man was gay.
Can’t we leave politics and person sexual preferences out out this and talk cars for once????
Who cares if they are gay or not, just sell more Volts!
Chevrolet needs to “amp up” the Volt family.
How about a Volt Equinox? Ohm for one doubt they’ll have any resistance to that body style. Wattever GM does, the price has to come down!
I am just a hetero guy living in California but like tens of millions of other hetero and gay men here I don’t like the Marlboro Men cars GM keep coming up with.
I want to move on from 1968, have MP3 player, decent seats, a motor that lasts 350 thousand miles and something generally more sophisticated. I don’t want a truck. I will buy and electric car when the range and battery costs adjust which they will in time.
Wow, there’s only two reasons for anyone to express a dislike for a certain group of people: insecurity with your self or ignorance (fear of the unknown).
I don’t know of a single man secure with his sexuality who is worried about gays – especially since there are always heterosexuals making gay babies.
Also, the gays are better educated and have a higher disposable income. Any progressive business would be unwise not to court such a great demographic.
Start evolving straight men!
GM should make electric Corvettes
Wayne wrote: “The Marlboro man was gay.”
The mustache gave him away. Maybe there are more gay GM owners already than people suspect. Gay men in Michigan don’t always admit they are gay in case a Presidential candidate wants to hold them down and cut off their hair.