In honor of Gay Pride Month, several companies have launched campaigns to show their support for gay rights. To every company who has ran a campaign this month, or in months past, I would like to say this: thank you for publicly taking a stand.
When companies declare their advocacy for the gay community, I am more likely to purchase their products. I was delighted to learn that Oreo was the latest brand to publicly proclaim their support for gay rights. However, I was surprised the photo Oreo posted on their Facebook page would spark a national conversation (and stir up a bit of controversy).
On June 25th, Oreo posted an image of an Oreo cookie stacked with six layers of colored creme filling, deliberately arranged to look like the symbolic gay pride rainbow flag, to its Facebook page. The photo had the subtitle “June 25 Pride” and the caption read: “Proudly support love!”
Most of the Facebook comments were supportive of Oreo’s declaration, yet some remarks were repugnant. Take this one, for example:
“This is absolutely disgusting. Your attempt to ‘normalize’ the behaviour of homosexuals has cost you a customer.”
To the executives at Kraft Foods and Oreo, I can assure you of this: your bold move has given you a lifelong customer in me, my husband, and my family.
I’d like to turn this discussion over to you. How do you feel when companies publicly announce their support for gay rights? Are you more likely to become a brand loyalist?
Personally I’d love to see this poll REVERSED, IE: Would you support companies that negativley target and even KILL gay people (such as in Africa?) using their support /dollars?
Need an example?
Chick Fil A.
Info Here: http://www.care2.com/causes/equality-matters-tracks-chick-fil-as-anti-gay-donations-history.html
Balls in your court to decide how you feel about it.
I remember asking the question are you more likely to buy products or services from companies that are advertized as women or minority owned? Companies very rarely add supporter of gay rights in their advertizing. To be honest the answer is no because I couldn’t tell you which companies supported gay rights and which didn’t. If I knew a company supported gay rights, it would depend. Does the competing company support men’s rights such as father’s rights? Do they give paternity leave? Do they contribute to prostate cancer research? All other things being equal, the answer would be yes.
I’m also more interested in products and services made/managed in the USA
As J-I-Aim said, keep politics out of it. I guess it’s one thing to openly support, as in campaign, an issue, it’s another to support it behind the walls of the company. A bigger issue with me is when a product/service encourages anti-male/father through its advertizing. Like Oscar Meyer’s recent commercial that depicts the “dad” being child like and dangerous with his kids and mom being the all-knowing caring level headed parent
Only if I’m in the market for their product.
I’m more likely to completely avoid a product if it’s clearly anti-gay. As those companies tend to donate to anti-gay causes, and therefore I am funding my own discrimination.
No, but I’m more aware when a company doesn’t support equal rights and make a mental note of it. That’s when I decide to not to enable their bigoted behavior by finding an alternative. Why support anyone or any company that would discriminate against me?
For the moment, I am probably more likely to buy from an admittedly pro-gay-rights company, because it still seems sincere in most cases and not so much a cynical gimmick. However, I predict that at one point the rainbow symbol will become a commonly-exploited advertising symbol that ultimately loses most of its meaning, just like what has happened with the fashion for “green” products, or what has happened with the ad mania for breast cancer research. Now you can just slap a green leaf or pink ribbon on your package and be guaranteed a little boost in revenue, just like… Read more »
Yes and no.
I won’t specifically seek out a brand that publicly supports gay rights, However, if I am comparing two similar products/services, social responsibility will often be the deciding factor.
On the flip side, if a company/brand publicly denounces gay rights, I will avoid them completely.
I don’t buy products for their “messages”, I buy them for their quality and price, I could care less wtf their political views are. And if i can find a cheaper or higher quality version of a product that is otherwise being put fourth by a brand with an agenda, I usually buy 2, just to screw the other company <_<
Anything that promotes people getting along with one another is great. Advertising has a powerful impact, and too often promotes the wrong ideals. Love is better than hate, and I’d rather people love each other (regardless of whether they are male or female) than beat each other up. There’s a lack of empathy inherent in our society that could probably be corrected (somewhat) by peer pressure (which is all advertising is.)
here’s a thought, just make and sell the damn product and keep all politics and personal beliefs out of it.
Because there is no disputing this one, it’s all about “Show me the Money” bottom line and case closed!!!
Oh yea by the way “Have a Great Day” 🙂
I am thrilled to see that companies are taking a stand and supporting gay rights, which I am all for. But as a consumer, I have to be honest in saying that I don’t base my purchases on whether or not a company supports gay rights. I will say, though, that I would be less likely to buy products from companies that openly attack gay rights.
I second this- though I try to buy from more gay-rights supporting companies, it is not the only thug I consider when making purchases. Oreos is a good example, since I don’t really eat them and probably wouldn’t buy any just because I don’t. Though their support of equal rights is something I whole-heartedly support. On the flip side though, there are companies I absolutely refuse to support because of their anti-gay policies or support. Chick-fila comes to mind.
Agreed. I don’t buy alot of packaged products because I don’t find them healthy. So, even though some support LGBTQ rights, I’m not going to buy them if I won’t eat them. That said, I will go out of my way to not support a company that doesn’t support LGBTQ rights. Case-in-point: General MIlls pulling ad funding from the show Pretty Little Liars last year after it depicted a lesbian kiss (add in FFA pressure, an outright denial by GM and some documentation making it all look suspect and it’s quite the little drama itself). Of the few packaged items… Read more »
Nope. The pretty numbers after the $, or the convenience of the product, are pretty much the only ways to sell me something.
Not consciously. Not in a “they support LGBT rights, I will buy their products” way.
But I may very well carry with me a positive impression of companies that successfully brand themselves and cool and part of the 21st century (or even 20th century). Humour and class helps a lot here. I thought the Oreo add was clever. IKEA has (at least in Europe) done well in this respect as well. A company just declaring their support is unlikely to make much of an impression.