I have to say that this seems like a victory for us. I'd love to see the statement from the American Family Association after this. After meeting with a large coalition of gay and lesbian groups on Monday, Ford sent out this press release today.

Ford said that it WILL continue to advertise in GLBT publications, whereas they were going to pull Land Rover and Jaguar ads - they will now be advertising all 8 of their brands in GLBT publications.

They will in fact target their ads to gay and lesbians. Ford said the following in its statement:

"You asked us to comment on reports that we had placed creative restrictions on the way our brands could speak to gay and lesbian audiences. We expect our brands to create advertising that supports their brand image and is appropriate and effective in connecting with the intended audience. That is unchanged. But we do not have to deal with this topic in the abstract. The best answer to your question will be in the ads themselves. I would ask you to judge our intent by what you see."

Read it here.

In a joint statement from the GLBT groups...

LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL AND TRANSGENDER ORGANIZATIONS COMMEND FORD MOTOR
Hail "Reaffirmation of Commitment to Our Community and American Values"

Coalition Statement

"We welcome today's statement from Ford Motor Company and commend their firm stance in support of inclusion. It is an unequivocal reaffirmation of Ford's historic commitment to our community and the core American values of fairness and equality. Moreover, it is conclusive proof of what Ford leaders have repeatedly assured us -- that there never was any deal with anti-LGBT organizations concerning Ford's support for our community.

We are proud to be back in gear with Ford and look forward to working with them in the years ahead."

You all can draw your own conclusions.

Posted by Bryan Harding

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 14, 2005 at 2:04 PM. Want to discuss? Leave a comment below.