by Joe LaMuraglia
Tuesday, March 11, 2008 – The Detroit News, AutoBlog and LGBT blogs like Joe.My.God. are all talking about the American “Family” Association ending their boycott of Ford Motor Company. I resisted giving the right-wing conservative group any more attention but after being contacted for a few interviews, I decided it was time to pipe in.
AFA’s claim that they were responsible for Ford’s sales decline is so laughable that I don’t know what to say. It is akin to me taking responsibility for all of Saturn’s sales growth because they sponsored us at a Gay Pride event. Their boycott may not have helped Ford but it was by no means the primary reason they’ve fallen on hard times.
The fact of the matter is that the items the AFA pointed out in the press release are mostly true. Ford has reduced their advertising spend in GLBT media, the ads that do appear now are general-market ads and to my knowledge, Ford isn’t giving any cash donations to “homosexual organizations” based on the purchase of a vehicle. Did the AFA force Ford to do any of the above? Ford says No and sent the following email to Joe.My.God.
The AFA has made its decision and is ready to move on. Our principles have not changed. We are committed to treating everyone fairly and with respect, including our dealers, customers and employees. Ford will continue to market its products widely to attract as many customers as possible and make charitable contributions to strengthen communities to the extent business conditions allow. Difficult business conditions in recent years have reduced our overall spending across the board.
Jim Cain
Director, Product Communications
Ford, Lincoln and Mercury
If Ford is guilty of anything, it is not responding strongly enough to the AFA when they launched the boycott back in 2005. They waited too long to make any statements and most likely lost some loyal GLBT consumers as a result. Some might also argue that the ads that caught the attention of the AFA in the first place were too politicized. Ford was donating money to HRC for every Volvo, Jaguar or Land Rover that was sold as a result of the ad campaign (there was a tracking code that you had to provide when you purchased the vehicle). As a gay man, I thought the idea was great. They were clearly supporting our community. As a marketing professional, I thought it was risky move that clearly hit the nerve of the AFA. All they saw was that Ford supported HRC and HRC = gay marriage. Can you say controversial topic?
Ford wasn’t the first to advertise in GLBT media and they won’t be the last. They have the right, and obligation to their shareholders, to advertise in media that will help them achieve their business objectives. And business goals are important for all corporations when it comes to being as successful as possible. Setting them out, and following them in a clear and organized fashion will help them to stay on the right track, and as a result, they may decide about whether they should use work with OKRs and spreadsheets, as OKR software has been known to help organizations achieve their business goals with an effective method. It’s what sets them apart from the rest of their competitors in the long run.