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If there’s one thing I like as a consumer and erstwhile marketing professional, it’s a responsive company. I posted yesterday about a survey sponsored by TD Bank that explored how parents teach their kids financial literacy, but clearly focused only on opposite-sex parents. This morning, I received the following e-mail from Jimmy Hernandez, a media relations officer at TD Bank. I repost it here with his permission:
New IKEA Ad Features Gay Couple
For your weekend pleasure: please enjoy this very cool ad from IKEA, for its new Italian store in Catania, Sicily, featuring two men holding hands and the tag line, “Siamo aperti a tutte le famiglie,” or “We are open to all families.” The usual outrage has ensued from the usual parties. I say they should get a [...]
Target in Mother’s Sights
Target Corporation has come under fire this week for a $150,000 donation to a Minnesota PAC that supports Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer—who has in turn expressed support for a ministry/rock band that says Muslim countries that kill gay people are moral. Michael Jones at Change.org has the details, and a petition you can sign; [...]
Curveball Pitches and Sexy Moms
Like many bloggers, I get a lot of PR pitches. Here are a few of the more amusing ones I’ve received lately. Some are bad pitches; others are decent pitches for dubious products. Product/company names removed to protect the clueless. “Keep these Holiday offerings in mind for that special guy in your life . . [...]
Getting Married? Consider This Proposal
It should be a happy time for LGBT folks in New Hampshire, with a marriage equality victory making the springtime a little brighter. For the LGBTQ youth organization Seacoast Outright, however, things are looking bleak. The organization, which provides educational, social service and advocacy for gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans, and questioning youth in the greater [...]
Gay Dads Get a Lift at IKEA
One more reason I love IKEA. Actual photo from the IKEA in Stoughton, Mass. (And yes, there was another elevator next to it with a “man” and a “woman” and a child—or a butch and a femme, depending on your perspective. One of the figures was in a dress. Interpret it as you will. That [...]
Honda Commercial with Gay Dads
Honda must have noticed that Subaru’s marketing to the LGBT community was paying off. In this recent commercial, two men and a young boy get out of a car, ready to head to the beach. Sure, they could be a dad and an uncle, but I’d prefer to think they’re both dads, especially with the [...]
LGBT Families on Public Television: the Time Has Come
(Originally published in Bay Windows, February 5, 2009.) Amidst all the talk of potential progress for LGBT rights under President Obama, one opportunity has made few headlines: the prospect of more LGBT inclusive children’s programming on public television. Talk with almost any LGBT parent, and she or he will bemoan the dearth of LGBT families [...]
Kiddie Consumers
Thanks to Nina at Queercents for pointing out an article from Best Life magazine about kids and consumerism, subtitled: “How to thwart the $17 billion marketing effort to steal your kids’ dreams, hijack their imaginations, make them obese, and drive a wedge into their relationship with you.” Yikes. It’s enough to make one move to [...]
Lesbian Mom Could Be Only Out CEO of Major Firm
Susan Arnold, who just stepped down as vice chair and president of global business units at Proctor & Gamble, could become the only out CEO of a FORTUNE 500 firm, and the 16th woman in such a role. She would also be the first lesbian mom. She and her partner have two teenage children. Not [...]
Are You a Subaru Lezzie or a Truck-Driving Dyke?
LGBT car-shopper site Gaywheels.com is conducting a major survey of LGBT auto owners. Publisher Joe LaMuraglia told me they’re looking for more women to participate, however: “We want to make sure that the Lesbian voice is counted. We’ll be presenting this data to all the major car companies and they are really interested. We need [...]
Bank Ad Shows Transgender Inclusiveness
This isn’t exactly parenting related, but I found it too touching not to blog. Argentina’s Banco Provincia has released an ad featuring a transgender woman. Her neighbor sees how well the bank has treated her, comes to realize his bigotry, and apologizes for his past behavior. It’s tremendously moving, and groundbreaking for an ad that [...]
Proof that Homosexuality Harms Kids
A few weeks ago, I wrote about the attacks on Campbell’s Soup by the American Family Association, after the soup company produced a series of ads featuring two lesbian moms and ran them in the Advocate. Now, the AFA is urging its supporters to see if their children’s schools participate in Campbell’s 30-year-old “Labels for [...]
Google, YouTube, and Sperm Donation
What do Google, YouTube, and sperm donation have in common? The founders of the blockbuster Internet companies, along with Sherron Mills, the founder of Pacific Reproductive Services, a lesbian fertility clinic and sperm bank, were recently named top San Francisco innovators by 7×7 magazine. Read more about it at 365gay.com. (You can also read my [...]
Working Mother L-Moms Breakfast in New York
I’ve been graciously invited by Working Mother magazine to give the keynote speech at their first-ever L-Moms & Allies Breakfast on January 21 in New York City. If you live in the greater New York City area, you are more than welcome to attend. I’d love to meet you there. The only catch is that [...]
Worst PR Pitches of the Year
I get a lot of e-mail from PR firms wanting me to blog about their products. I usually give them a glance, having once myself managed public relations for a dotcom. I figure it’s good karma. Still, some of them are so clearly off target it makes me laugh. Here are a few gems I’ve [...]
Lesbian Moms, Mmm, Mmm Good
Campbell Soup is the latest company to realize the value of marketing to the $650 billion LGBT market—and specifically, to lesbian moms. They have run a two-page spread for Swanson’s broth in the Advocate, featuring two lesbian moms and their young son. The women, Lea Forant and Carolyn Montgomory, are owners of Café Forant in [...]
Take the LGBT Consumer Index Survey
The folks at Community Marketing have launched a survey for their second Gay and Lesbian Consumer Index. I’d like to encourage all of you to take it and contribute your perspectives as parents (or prospective parents) in our community. All information is confidential and will not be sold to third parties or used for marketing [...]
We’re Not Snickering
Yet another reason to go to the candy-free checkout lane in the grocery store: Mars, Inc./Masterfoods has decided that homophobia sells Snickers bars. In a new clip from AMV BBDO London, an effeminate speedwalker is chased by Mr. T, who shoots Snickers bars at him with a Gatling gun, shouts “It’s time to run like [...]
Is Wal-Mart the New FDA?
Is the mega-retailer playing doctor with all of us? Bil Browning of Bilerico fowarded me an interesting article from Forbes that asks this question in relation to Wal-Mart’s announcement that it will stop selling baby bottles containing the chemical bisphenol-A (BPA). BPA has been linked in some studies to cancer and other medical problems. If [...]
The American Family Association is calling for a boycott of McDonald’s restaurants, claiming that the company is giving “the full weight of their corporation to promoting the homosexual agenda, including homosexual marriage,” according to Box Turtle Bulletin. Normally I’d be more than happy to urge people to support a company that supports the LGBT community, [...]
Mayo Ad Viewers Can’t Take a Yolk
LGBT advocates in the U.K. are urging supporters to boycott Heinz products after the company pulled an ad that showed two men kissing. The TV spot for Heinz Deli Mayo, “Mayo with a New York Deli Flavor,” shows two siblings getting ready for school and asking their mum for their lunches. Thing is, their “mum” [...]
TiVo Responds to LGBT Families
TiVo has responded to pressure from the LGBT community and allies and taken steps to distance itself from ultra-conservative group Focus on the Family (FOF), according to the Family Equality Council (FEC). (See my earlier post on the subject.) In an e-mail to supporters, FEC executive director Jennifer Chrisler reports:
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