Subaru Case Study - The Arthur Page Society
Subaru Case Study - The Arthur Page Society
Subaru Case Study - The Arthur Page Society
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Source: HRC 186<br />
In 2003, Ford was named the top company for overall diversity by Diversity, Inc. and the<br />
second best company for LGBT employees. <strong>The</strong> company also received the GLAAD Fairness<br />
Award in 2003, 187 honoring Ford’s commitment to employee equality. In reference to the<br />
Fairness Award, Jim Padilla, Ford’s COO, stated: “This rating acknowledges Ford’s deep<br />
commitment to building and nurturing an inclusive and respectful culture in which all employees<br />
feel encouraged and able to contribute to their fullest potential. Not only is this the right thing to<br />
do, it is essential to the future of our business.” 188<br />
JAGUAR, VOLVO, AND LAND ROVER BEGIN ADVERTISING IN GAY MEDIA<br />
Cindy Clardy of GLOBE cautioned Ford about reaching out to the gay and lesbian<br />
communities: “We told Ford not to consider direct marketing to gay and lesbian consumers until<br />
they had their internal policies in place.” 189 Presumably heeding Clardy’s advice, after<br />
implementing gay-friendly policies in the mid-1990s, Ford hired Witeck-Combs (a Washington<br />
DC-based PR firm that specializes in reaching the gay and lesbian communities) to execute a<br />
survey of LGBT attitudes toward automotive companies. 190 Results were shared with all Ford<br />
Motor Co. brands, including Aston Martin, Ford, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lincoln, Mazda, Mercury,<br />
and Volvo, but only three brands moved forward with ad creation and focus group testing. 191<br />
In 1999, Jaguar sponsored GLAAD’s Annual Media Awards for the first time 192 and<br />
Land Rover followed a couple years later. 193 In 2003, Jaguar followed <strong>Subaru</strong>’s lead and<br />
developed gay- and lesbian-specific creative executions 194 for <strong>The</strong> Advocate, Out, and<br />
Metrosource. 195 During the campaign, Jaguar began offering $1,000 donations to the HRC for<br />
every car purchased or leased; in 2004, Jaguar shifted donations from HRC to GLAAD. 196<br />
Referring to the Jaguar campaign, Jan Valentic, Ford’s VP of Global Marketing, asserted, “We<br />
believe in messaging that connects with the consumer. <strong>The</strong> point of our doing this<br />
is…reciprocity. So when they buy one of our products, they know that we are giving back to
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