What makes a MotorQueer Brand? part 2

Being, Loving and Being Loved by MotorQueers. That's the theory I proposed a few days ago in the first post of this series. It is a simple way to assess the success of a brand towards MotorQueers.

Last time I discussed the first criterion - Being MotorQueer. Today i'll address the second - Loving MotorQueers. I cast a wide net with the term "loving" and in this context it is an active verb. A company has to actually DO things to be considered as loving us.

Let's start with the most obvious, targeting the queer consumer.
Some companies offer products and services that are specifically tailored to the queer market; Gaywheels for example. Motor companies generally haven't tried this approach yet, but they have tried advertising specifically to the queer community. Take the series of commercials that Subaru custom-designed for Viacom's 24-hour gay channel, LOGO.

I would suggest that companies can (even inadvertently) appeal to the MotorQueer without obviously targeting them as a market. Using gay subtext in a film is one way (i.e. The Fast and The Furious). Appealing to a certain MotorQueer esthetic or sense of cool is another (see the photography of David Perry for example). This may be a bit vague, but think about the appeal of good "retro" or "camp" to the queer consumer.

The other aspect of Loving MotorQueers is actually supporting them. Whether it is through the implementation of gay-friendly employment policies (DaimlerChrysler, Ford, GM & Volkswagen rate highly on the HRC's Corporate Equality Index), recruiting gay MBAs like Toyota at last year's Reaching Out conference or providing support to queer community causes (e.g. Ford donating a quarter million dollars to the construction of a new Affirmations Lesbian and Gay Community Center in Ferndale, Michigan.)

Whatever shape it takes, Loving MotorQueers is the way a company takes action to reach out to MotorQueers. However, this alone isn't quite enough to consider a brand to be a MotorQueer Brand. I would suggest that for that, a brand must meet at least one of the other two criteria, Being or Being Loved...