Ford Bends Over for Conservative Group
Oct. 27 2008, Published 7:07 a.m. ET
NO MORE A prideful Jaguar ad Ford Motors has bent over and grabbed its ankles for a conservative group. The car company has capitulated to the homophobic demands of the American Family Association after a two-year boycott. The AFN began boycotting the automaker in March of 2006 over its totally gay advertising practices. On Tuesday, the AFN announced that Ford had met its demands and the boycott would cease. The demands included four conditions: Ford will cease advertising on gay websites; it will stop promotions with gay organizations; it will no longer make corporate donations to groups supporting gay marriage; and it won't make cash or vehicle donations to gay social activities, like gay pride parades or other such bastions of sacrilege. Ford will still be allowed to spend $100,000 advertising Volvo (which Ford acquired in 1999) in gay outlets, provided that the ads are for a general audience and not specific to the gay community (aka Volvo owners). Presumably, Volvo ads like this one will be out.