Advertisers Come Out Of The Closet, Openly Courtg Gay Consumers : NPR

Contents:

• VW UNVEILS GAY-THEMED AD CAMPAIGN
• ADVERTISERS COME OUT OF THE CLOSET, OPENLY COURTG GAY CONSUMERS
• GAY MOSW MOSW CY GUI

VW UNVEILS GAY-THEMED AD CAMPAIGN

BOSTON Volkswagen has unveiled s first gay-themed ad mpaign an effort to better target what has long been a key ctomer base for the brand. Photographer John Arsenlt shot the ads, veloped by Boston-based Arnold, the gay-iendly lotns of Provcetown, Mass., Palm Sprgs, Calif., and Los executn picts a Provcetown beach at sunset. " Of urse, 's not entirely new for mastream brands to participate gay pri paras or advertise LGBT media.

But as Gay Pri Month to an end, ads like this drive home the fact the last year has seen a sharp uptick gay reprentatn mastream ad mpaigns.

And the new ads, like Chevy's "The New Us, " don't rely on the d msag of earlier gay-oriented ads.

ADVERTISERS COME OUT OF THE CLOSET, OPENLY COURTG GAY CONSUMERS

The history of gay people advertisg isn't that long. It was "maly spir brands marketg directly to gay men at the time, " Ferraro says. "You saw imag nng gay magaz or at gay events that featured a lot of shirtls whe guys on beach, or drag queens, and played up on stereotyp of the muny.

Robert Klara, a staff wrer for Adweek, par to a two-way mirror: The ads ntaed msag that straight dienc would miss, but gay dienc would pick up on. "If you were a member of the gay muny and you saw an ad you would say, 'They're talkg to me, ' " Klara says.

GAY MOSW MOSW CY GUI

"Heterosexuals who saw those two jt assumed they were iends or roommat, whereas the gay muny assumed they were boyiends.

" Klara says d targetg worked at a time when brands would be aaid to adm they were targetg gays and lbians. And Ferraro says there's more to be gaed by marketg to gay people than by not marketg to them.