(Anti) Gay Advertisement #12: RDCA Karate

Sometimes I wonder about marketers’ thought processes when launching incredibly ill-conceived ad campaigns.  Such is the case with Florida-based RDCA Karate’s recent print ad endeavor which goes beyond poor taste – it’s downright offensive.  See below and judge for yourself.

Why don’t the advertisers just come out and say “Don’t let your son grow up to be a sissified queer – enroll him in karate lessons!”  Who in their right mind okayed these ads to go to print?  Did no one foresee the tidal wave of backlash these ads would cause?  RDCA Karate isn’t large enough for GLAAD to get involved, but news reports denouncing the ads have flooded the internet.  Oh to be a fly on the wall the day the marketing minds at RDCA and their ad agency conceived this brilliant idea.

Gay Advertisement #5: Pepsi in the UK

Here’s a funny Pepsi ad from the UK that you might have seen before (I guess this makes up for Brits’ lack of humor surrounding this Heinz ad).  The commercial incorporates an unexpected twist that really makes the ad work.  Furthermore, I think it is a great example of a “gay” commercial that would also appeal to a straight audience.  I don’t know how much play this ad actually got on British television, but I could see it being very effective for Pepsi.

Sports Fans Drawn to Manhunt

Apparently, a slew of Manhunt.com banner ads have recently appeared on the Sports Illustrated website SI.com (as reported on OutSports.com).  Manhunt representative Michael McDonald says these ads were not a direct buy, but were part of a larger buy with ad network Dedicated Media.  If you’ve ever made a large buy with any online ad network, you know why this is interesting.

For those of you who haven’t, here’s how it works:  When you make the buy you are guaranteed a certain number of impressions for your ads.  Initially, your ads will likely show up on hundreds or even thousands of websites depending on how targeted you want to get (the less targeted, the more impressions you are guaranteed).  All of the media networks have algorithmic systems that optimize your ads to ensure you get the highest click-thru rate possible for your ad campaign.  This means that over time your ads will only show up on websites where the click-thru rate is the highest.  So if Manhunt ads are regularly appearing on SI.com, apparently there are a lot of sports fans clicking through to Manhunt.com.

I can’t say I’m all that surprised.  I’ve always felt that of all the gay subcultures the gay male sports fan is one of the most underestimated and under-targeted.  Furthermore, websites like Manhunt.com is a virtual cyber playground for “bi-curious” and closeted “straight” guys – the kind who would never dare set foot in a gay bar and have to resort to online sex sites to satisfy their homosexual urges.  Not that I’m knocking it- we’ve all gotta get it where we can!  Happy hunting sports fans!

Gay Advertisement #4: Heinz Pulls Ad Featuring Two Men Kissing

At OGM, I usually like to focus on American ads, but I couldn’t resist this one.  Back in 2008, Heinz yanked this ad from British television after a furor erupted over the films ending- a kiss between two men.  Over 200 people complained to the Advertising Standards Authority that the commercial was inappropriate and offensive.  The only thing I find offensive in this whole scenario is the British sense of humor or lack thereof.  Judge for yourself.