GM's 'Gay' Chevrolet Volt Ad Goes Viral

MSN Auto ^ | July 18, 2012 | Joshua Condon

[rightwingintelligentsia]

Last month, General Motors ran a print ad for the Chevy Volt in Between the Lines, a newspaper for gays and lesbians in the Michigan area, for a reported total cost of $750. The ad was created specifically for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community around the Detroit Gay Pride 2012 festival in June, with a rainbow icon running beneath the image and a tagline of an anthropomorphized Volt saying, "Mom, Dad, I'm electric" to a pair of Chevy models -- a Tahoe and Cruze -- looking on from the sides. The ad also included text that said, in part: "So, whatever revs your engine, we support you 100%" and "Happy Motor City Pride from the entire Chevrolet family."

A major car company engaging in niche marketing is hardly new, or newsworthy. What is newsworthy is that this ad racked up more than 11 million views on social media, according to the Detroit Free Press. Especially noteworthy is that during the scrutiny that came with the ad's sudden viral popularity, GM has seemingly survived any suggestion of "gay-washing," or the practice of cynically adding LGBT themes or characters to an advertising campaign without the companywide inclusive bona fides. Indeed, according to Between the Lines' PrideSource, GM "achieved the top rating of 100 percent in the Human Rights Campaign's 2011 Corporate Equality Index and was included on the foundation's 'Best Places to Work for LGBT Equality' list," as well as created "its own 'It Gets Better' video for the Trevor Project."

[libertymaker]

Now everybody who is straight would not be caught driving one of these homobiles.

[publius911]

I remember quite a few years ago, Subaru tried that.
Normal people simply wouldn't buy one.

I wonder how that worked out for them?

Ditto Thunderbird.