Above is the Ford Media site's post on Ford's response to LGBT groups.
Ford has agreed to renew advertisements in LGBT media and reaffirmed their commitment to diversity.
Now, just to be clear on my stand. I don't think Ford was wrong to stop the ads (assuming that it was a financial decision) the mistake was referring people to the AFA, when seeking comments.
Ford, like any company has to spend advertising dollars where they feel the best results will be obtained. In a way, this anouncement is not much better than the situation that got all the buzz started in the first place. Now Ford has anounced that they will place ads in LGBT media, reversing their earlier decision. Ford let it apear that they had given into pressure from one group and now gives in to another. The ads are actually a good idea, to reaffirm a relationship with a consumer base who felt marginalized.
But the answer in the very begining was to cancel the advertising, and then when asked why, state that it was a business decision not related to any pressure from outside groups. The sin, in this case, was not cancelling advertisements, it was allowing the perception that Ford could be dictated to by a special interest group. So by doing this, hasn't Ford just done the same thing? I mean by promissing to place ads in the LBGT media, hasn't Ford responded once again to special interest pressure?
I guess it's a catch 22 situation, where they're dammed if they do or if they don't. This could have all been avoided, by just not reffering to the AFA for comment. Ford should have ignored them or better yet told them off. It worked for Disney, Proctor & Gamble and Wells Fargo.
So which idiot group will be the next to try and dictate to a major corporation? Will the treehuggers be next? Maybe I'm being unfair to Ford, it's easy to make these calls from the sidelines. I guess that I'm just happy that all of this is over. Now back to what it's all about, the cars (and trucks,) that's what I really like to bitch about.
2 comments:
I think it was a misunderstanding from the beginning. The psychos at the AFA wanted to take the credit for Ford's business decision and now Ford is slapping them back. Good for Ford! Also, the story about "Ford caving into the AFA" was everywhere, but this story is barely being covered. Why does the US media hate domestic auto manufacturers so much? I just don't get it.
I'm hoping that this is the end of the subject, but I read on one blog tonight that the AFA may renew it's boycott. Not that it's a real threat, their boycotts have never gone anywhere in the past. But the buzz over this one may have set the AFA up a notch in the eyes of the nuts.
You have an excellenct point about the media's treatment of the domestic brands. The way most journalists worship at the altar of Honda and BMW. I think that's one reason guys like you and I blog, to try and give the domestics a break. I guess my post may have been a knee jerk reaction to something I read.
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