Religious right drops Ford boycott, claiming victory 2 years after they lost

The religious right activist group, American Family Association, usually claims "victory" when they need to finish a boycott that they already lost. You'll recall that two years ago we beat the AFA when they pressured Ford to back away from its support for equal rights. It took about 2 weeks. Since that time, AFA continued its boycott, issuing press releases claiming credit for the downturn in the US auto industry, etc. And now they finally had to save face and end the boycott somehow, so they're trying to say that Ford has backed away from advertising in the gay media. Uh, no. Ford said that it's had to cut back on all of its advertising and charitable giving because of the company's financial situation. Note how AP, of course, gives no mention of the fact that the boycott was a total failure two years ago. (Background on the Ford battle. Joe.My.God. also has more.) Read More......

Ford reports record loss of $12.7 billion

Maybe it's time to put Ford (and GM) in a position to be successful for the future. Allowing them to stay in the dark ages and avoiding the realities of working in a global market which is demanding more environmentally friendly products, will not benefit anyone in the long run. Foot dragging and coddling by politicians - Democrats and Republicans - will only benefit the competition who already understands this.

Maybe hybrids are the future but maybe some other technology is even more advanced and environmentally friendly but we will not know if Washington stays the course on the environment. Pelosi is correct in her efforts to make this an important issue. Read More......

Rockin' editorial in the Detroit Free Press accuses American Family Association of "bigotry"

Nice. and this is Ford's hometown paper. Very nice. Sends a great message to the rest fo the auto industry. And while the editorial rocks across the board, one line is particularly brilliant:

boycotts based on bigotry rarely succeed, partly because they prompt protests from those who believe in equality

I've said for a while now that the reason we win these battles is because each of these battles start as "culture wars" and end as "civil rights." And in the end, companies must side in favor of civil rights or they get destroyed by public opinion and the bottom line. AFA will always be on the side of the bigots, and nature abhors a bigot.

Here's a snippet of the editorial

Ford Motor Co. protected its integrity, and bottom line, by telling the American Family Association where to get off this month.

Other companies facing boycotts over which groups they market their products to should learn to keep the bedroom and boardroom separate. It's bad business, and just wrong, to shun customers because of their sexual orientation, race, creed, gender or culture.

That's a lesson the American Family Association has yet to learn....

The group, which touts itself as being pro-family but spends much of its energy venting against homosexuals, has threatened another boycott. But boycotts based on bigotry rarely succeed, partly because they prompt protests from those who believe in equality.

Ford did the right, and smart, thing by not allowing consumers to believe it was bullied into shunning loyal customers to satisfy an organization's prejudices. It set the right example for corporations, customers and citizens.

Read More......

NYT on Ford: Actually, Ford is increasing its advertising in a sense

Interesting, I was wondering about this...

In a letter Wednesday to gay advocacy groups, Ford said that in addition to its current advertising campaigns in gay media, it would expand the ads to encompass all eight Ford brands. Previously, only Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo ran ads in gay publications. Now, the company has said it will advertise its Ford, Lincoln, Mercury, Mazda and Aston Martin brands in the gay press.

I'm still waiting for fundie-land to erupt. Will be interesting to see just how hateful they're willing to be right before Christmas. Read More......

Great Ford article in the Washington Post

The American Family Association is still making "no comment" - this has been going on for two weeks now. What gives?

Anyway, the Post article is excellent, frames the issue as a clear win for the forces of good inside and outside of Ford. Read More......

Business Week: "Ford Affirms Gay Publication Support. No Victory For AFA"

Well, that headline pretty much sums it up.

Actually, very interesting tidbit in the story:

But the AFA created the perception that Ford had given them what they wanted, which angered several Ford executives--notably CEO Bill Ford.

If that's true, then kudos to Mr. Ford. Good for him. Read More......

AP story on Ford: We won

UPDATE: Reuters story is good too.

THIS is proof that we won. That all of AMERICA won. The Associated Press story says it all. What matters most isn't just whether we won or lost - though it does matter - it also matters whether the media and the public and corporate America thinks we won or lost. Why? Because we don't need extremist gay-hating bullies being perceived as winners by all of their future victims. And now America knows, when it's a choice between the gay-haters and the gays, choose the gays.

From AP:

Ford will again advertise in gay publications
Jaguar and Land Rover ads resume after criticism

Wednesday, December 14, 2005

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Ford Motor Co. said Wednesday it would reinstate and expand the scope of its advertising in gay publications after criticism from gay rights groups.

Ford said in a letter it would restore advertising for its luxury Jaguar and Land Rover brands in gay publications and run corporate ads marketing all eight of its vehicle brands in the publications.

Every paper in the country will run the AP story, and now it's a fact that we won.

One final point. Any company that the AFA is currently threatening, from Wells Fargo to I understand they're now going after some insurance company, needs to be made aware of what happened today. The AFA lied about their influence and they got slaughtered by us. In the future, American business will think twice before listening to, or even meeting, these bigots.

And I didn't even get to post my latest research about AFA's history of anti-Semitism. Oh well, next boycott. Read More......

We Won

UPDATE: You can thank Ford via this online form.

FURTHER UPDATE: Great AP story on our victory.

Regarding that Ford thing? We just won.



The Ford Motor Company today released the following letter (below) clarifying that whatever did or did not happen behind closed doors with the American Family Association (AFA) two weeks ago, the company is NOT backing off of its support for the gay community or gay advertising (in contrast to what was reported over the past two weeks).

According to the AFA and media reports over the past two weeks, in order to avoid a boycott from the extremist gay-hating organization, Ford allegedly agreed to:

1. No longer run ads promoting Jaguar or Land Rover in the gay press.
2. No longer support gay events or organizations.
3. Continue running Volvo ads in the gay press, but no longer tailor those ads to the gay community (i.e., in the future such ads would be the same ads that are run in the mainstream media, rather than the crafting the ads to appeal to a gay readership).

Ford addressed and resolved each of our three concerns regarding the above:

1. Ford announced that it will continue to support gay organizations and gay events in the coming year and beyond.

2. Ford is going to run advertisements in the gay media NOT ONLY promoting the Jaguar and Land Rover brands, but the ads will promote ALL of Fords brands, by name, including Jaguar and Land Rover.

3. Ford states unequivocally that it will continue to tailor its ads for the specific audience it is trying to reach, and then goes one step further. Ford challenges us to keep an eye out on their upcoming ads in order to verify that they will in fact be tailored.

There is no other way to read this than that Ford did the right thing. Whether or not an agreement was reached with the American Family Association - and the AFA has a record of crowing about such "victories" when no such victory occurred (sounds a lot like our president) - Ford has rectified the real or perceived problem, and the AFA has been shown to have no clothes (other than a very rusty chastity belt).

The thanks for this goes out to all of you. YOU did this. WE did this, together. And the we doesn't just include everyone who writes on and reads this blog. It includes the entire blogosphere who helped on this issue. It includes - yes, I'm serious - the gay civil rights groups who did the right thing here, stepped up to the plate, coordinated as they never have before, and stood firm against a bully. And finally, part of the credit goes to Ford and its brands (and I strongly suspect its employees as well). They could have told us to go to hell. They could have decided it was smarter to embrace intolerance and bigotry, but they didn't. Ford chose to embrace fairness and equality, Ford chose to embrace the values that doesn't just make American corporations great, they're the values that make America great.

Today, we all won.

Here is the text of Ford's letter:

December 14, 2005

Matt Foreman, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
Joe Solmonese, Human Rights Campaign
Neil Giuliano, Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation
Craig Bowman, National Youth Advocacy Coalition
Jody Huckaby, Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays
Alexander Robinson, National Black Justice Coalition
Jeff Montgomery, Triangle Foundation

Dear Friends:

Thank you again for taking the time to speak with us on Monday. In my view, it was the start of a valuable and healthy dialogue, and I was pleased to be there on behalf of Bill Ford, Chairman and CEO of Ford Motor Company.

My intention was to be as direct and forthright. You deserve no less. I appreciate your candor in return. I'd like to take this opportunity to review the information we shared face-to-face and to tell you how our thinking has evolved.

You asked us specifically to reaffirm our principles of nondiscrimination and inclusiveness. We agreed, without any reservations, and issued a statement immediately after the meeting in which Bill Ford did so personally. We pointed out that Ford Motor Company and its brands value diversity among all of our constituents and pride ourselves on strong and clear values - respect for our customers, communities, employees, suppliers and dealers; acceptance of our differences; inclusion of different people with different perspectives; and integrity. That commitment is unchanged and we believe it is reflected in our policies, practices and marketing.

You asked us to comment on reports that we had placed creative restrictions on the way our brands could speak to gay and lesbian audiences. We expect our brands to create advertising that supports their brand image and is appropriate and effective in connecting with the intended audience. That is unchanged. But we do not have to deal with this topic in the abstract. The best answer to your question will be in the ads themselves. I would ask you to judge our intent by what you see.

You asked directly whether Ford Motor Company will continue to support nonprofit groups and events in the GLBT community. While we will still support certain events, I know you understand that the business situation will limit the extent of our support in all communities in 2006. We will continue all of our workplace policies and practices in support of Ford GLOBE members and supporters. That is unchanged.

You asked directly for us to have Jaguar and Land Rover reverse its plans and advertise in gay and lesbian targeted publications in 2006. As we said, Jaguar and Land Rover made a business decision about their media plans and it would be inconsistent with the way we manage our business to direct them to do otherwise. It is clear there is a misperception about our intent. As a result, we have decided to run corporate ads in these targeted publications that will include not only
Jaguar/Land Rover but all eight of Ford's vehicle brands. As we have said, the content will be appropriate and effective in connecting with the intended audience. It is my hope that this will remove any ambiguity about Ford's desire to advertise to all important audiences and put this particular issue behind us.

Finally, you expressed your strong objections to our having even met with one of your harshest critics. We meet every day with people and organizations on many issues, and, as a business, do not wish be drawn into those that detract from our effectiveness in the marketplace. That said, we expect to be measured not by the meetings we conduct but by our conduct itself. Our record on tolerance and inclusion speaks for itself and I am proud to be judged on that record at any time.

In closing, thank you again for your candor and professionalism. We listened and learned, and hope that you continue to understand the values and commitments of Ford Motor Company. I look forward to hearing from you at any time.

Sincerely,

Joe Laymon

Read More......

"Under Pressure From KKK, Ford Pulls Ads From Black Media"

Oh. My. God.

That's the headline of a story in one of the TOP corporate communications publications in the country that EVERY public relations agency reads. They eviscerate Ford.

At this point, the damage to Ford now goes FAR BEYOND any threatened damage from the extremist gay-hating groups. Ford better wake up fast and compare the publicity they got when the AFA threatened a boycott this past May with the publicity they're getting now that they caved to the AFA. There is no comparison. We have already damaged their brand - THEY have already damaged their brand - far beyond anything the AFA could have hoped for even had it launched a boycott.

All this, and we haven't even launched a formal campaign against Ford - yet.

Here's an excerpt, but be sure to read the entire thing (and don't miss the final paragraph, in bold below):

Under Pressure From KKK, Ford Pulls Ads From Black Media

Okay, so that’s not quite the story, although the KKK should probably give it a try, because if Ford’s craven response to pressure from the American Family Association is any indication, the company would buckle under at the first sign of trouble....

Ford spokesman Mike Moran told Washington, D.C.’s Metro Weekly: “Some months ago we began a constructive dialogue with them, just as we do with other customers and interest groups. While we don’t agree on all issues, we expect the dialogue to continue so that we understand each other better.” When asked whether the advertising was being discontinued because of the threatened boycott, Moran admitted that “ceasing advertising is an outgrowth of those meetings.”

But later in the week, as human rights advocates began to attack the company’s decision, Ford was telling reporters from the mainstream media that the decision to discontinue advertising was based on cost-cutting considerations. “As [the Jaguar and Land Rover brands] begin planning their marketing for next year,” said Moran, “they’ve streamlined their budgets.”

Assuming the earlier quotes are a reflection of the company’s true motives—and given the timing of the announcement, and the fact that the AFA had an official statement on its website before Ford did, that’s a reasonable assumption—there are two possible explanations for the company’s actions.

The first is that Ford management sat down to discuss the whole issue of homosexuality in America and came to the conclusion that the AFA was right: that the “gay and lesbian agenda” had been pushed too far, that the growing acceptance of homosexuals among the general public was undermining the fabric of our society. The company felt it needed to make a principled stand against the campaign for equal rights, to draw a line in the sand, and to make it clear that homosexuality is so repellent that Ford no longer wants the business of the gay community.

The second is that Ford management sat down to discuss not the principles at stake but the cost in time and energy and financial resources of fighting the AFA versus the cost of capitulation. And it decided that the easiest course, the path of least resistance, would be to give in the AFA’s demands and hope the group would go find some other company—one more concerned with integrity than expediency—to threaten with a boycott.

Neither explanation is particularly palatable....

Forty years ago, at the height of the civil rights struggle, the KKK had about the same economic influence, popular support and moral authority the American Family Association enjoys today. It’s hard to imagine that Ford then would have negotiated with the Klan, far less given it an excuse to claim victory. The company’s surrender to the AFA tells you all you need to know about the quality of leadership at Ford today.

Read More......

We've got a new t-shirt shop that is WAY cool

We've now got a second t-shirt shop that is way way way cool. Not only are they letting us sell anti-Ford t-shirts, but the functionality of the shop is astounding. You pick the design, then you pick the color of the design, then the style of your tshirt, then the color of your tshirt, then you can start switching them all around on the page in front of you. You can even make the design larger and smaller, move it around on the shirt, AND INCLUDE YOUR OWN PERSONAL TEXT ON THE SHIRT. I.e., come up with your own slogans about anything.



(Note: We're still waiting for an official response from Ford to the gay groups' meeting with them on Monday. That response is expected Wednesday. So if you buy the Ford shirt, just be aware they might (or might not) do the right thing on Wednesday.)

I'm serious, I am really impressed with the functionality here. It might take you a few minutes to get the hang of it - there are a LOT of options at your fingertips. Play around with the controls, you'll see what I mean. It's cool.

We only have a few of our best-selling designs up so far. We'll have even more up tomorrow and in the days ahead. But I was excited that the shop is live and figured I'd let you check it out, and order already if you want.

One last thing, if you click around you'll see that are a lot of generic images you can use as well for the shirts, again allowing you to insert your own text - might make some unique Christmas gifts, or whatever gifts, or even your own unique anti-Ford shirt.

You can visit the shop here. Read More......

Jon Stewart just blasted Ford on Daily Show

UPDATE: Crooks and Liars now has the video.

It was good. And only exacerbates the problem for Ford. When you're starting to be made fun of on the nightly comedy shows, you're in serious trouble. Read More......

Dan Savage's weekly column savages Ford

Dan's column is in big free weeklies across the country. Hopefully Ford will resolve this soon, before the damage is too deep to undo.

As only Dan can write it:

Straight Rights Update: After alleged secret meetings with the right-wing American Family Association (AFA), Ford Motor Company agreed to pull its advertising from gay publications and cease sponsoring gay events in order to avoid a threatened boycott. What does this have to do with straight rights? The AFA fucks intimidating Ford on the gay issue are the same fucks intimidating retailers like Target into denying women access to morning-after pills. They're the same assholes trying to stop the feds from approving a vaccine for two strains of HPV. (The HPV vaccine—already tested and 100 percent effective—could save thousands of women's lives every year.) When the AFA successfully attacks gay rights, it only emboldens its attacks on straight rights. So gay or straight, the AFA is your enemy.

What can you do? Call Ford dealers in your area and let them know that you won't be buying a Ford after this. (A list of Ford dealers broken down by state can be found on Americablog: americablog.blogspot.com.) And while you've got 'em on the phone, ask them what Ford is so afraid of. The AFA's boycott of Disney was called off after nine years because it wasn't working. When the AFA threatened Kraft, the execs at Kraft told the haters from the AFA to go fuck themselves. But what did Ford do when the AFA threatened them? The "Built Ford Tough" boys collapsed into a puddle. "Ford Puff" needs to hear from people who won't buy cars from companies that cave in to right-wing hatemongers. And when your local Ford dealer tells you that he didn't make this decision, tell him he had better yell at Ford HQ and get this decision reversed. Microsoft caved to right-wing Christian bullies and then reversed itself. Ford can too.

Read More......

Henry Ford unveils new line of anti-Semitic autos

So sayeth "Our Dumb Century: The Onion Presents 100 Years of Headlines from America's Finest News Source":

Read More......

Does Ford agree with the AFA that...

Let's look at some choice quotes from the extremist American Family Association (AFA) and its publications and see just how comfortable Ford Motor Company is with the hateful ideology its new buddy is pushing (note: AgapePress is the AFA's online "news" service):

Does a "Jewish upbringing" lead to a life of crime?

In the March issue of American Family Association Journal, a publication of Donald E. Wildmon's right-wing evangelical activist group, the American Family Association (AFA), author Randall Murphree suggested that a Jewish upbringing leads to hatred of Christians, and by extension, a criminal lifestyle.

Were gays the real evil behind the Holocaust?

Scott Lively, California chapter director of the AFA, is co-author of a book titled, The Pink Swastika: Homosexuality and the Nazi Party, in which he claims that “homosexuals [are] the true inventors of Nazism and the guiding force behind many Nazi atrocities.” Lively makes explicit links between his claims about the Nazi party and the modern gay equal rights movement, claiming that “From the ashes of Nazi Germany, the homo-fascist phoenix has arisen again, this time in the United States.”

Is Europe "infested" with Muslims who breed "faster than we do"?

"The problem we have with Europe is that [it] is infested with the Muslim population. The reason why is because they multiply at a much faster rate than we do," she says. "When we Christians get married, we have two, three, maybe four children -- after they're born, we start thinking about what college we're going to send them to, what education we're going to give them. The Muslims, on the other hand, are allowed to marry up to four wives at a time," she says, noting that terrorist Osama bin Laden had 27 children.

Is AIDS a "gay plague"?

Some time ago, you see, Thacker called AIDS "the gay plague," which everyone knows but no one will admit, particularly homosexuals and their friends in the Bush Administration.

Are gays responsible for the "end of times"?

The president of one pro-family group feels the battle in Massachusetts over legalizing homosexual marriage is a clear example of the struggle between good and evil as the end times approach.

Are Muslim-Americans trying to "take over our cities"?

Muslim newcomers are engaging in what area realtors call "block busting." In other words, he says, "They came in, paid outrageously high prices for some of our homes that you wouldn't give $20,000 for, paying 60 and 70 thousand, which then entrenched a number of [Muslim families] on every block." Golen believes this is part of a "concerted effort" on the part of Muslims to use their financial power take over the city, and he says, "they're doing a heck of a job because nobody's standing up to them."

Are gays "deviants"?

"...an immoral, deviant lifestyle."

Are gays a "public health" threat?

As a family physician, I’ve seen first-hand the devastation that homosexuality brings into the lives of patients that have chosen to live this way.... To promote homosexuality and even consider the sanctioning of it through “marriage” is irresponsible and is a danger to the public health of the entire country, spiritually and physically.

Do Jews control Hollywood?

The AFA Journal has long served as a platform for anti-Semitic theories and innuendo. For instance, Wildmon warned of Jewish control over popular culture, an old anti-Semitic canard, in a January 1989 article, "What Hollywood Believes and Wants." "The television elite are highly secular," Wildmon wrote. "The majority (59 percent) in the Jewish faith." In a separate article in the same issue, titled "Anti-Semitism Called a Serious Problem," Wildmon, a longtime opponent of gay rights, pointedly remarked that "Jews favor homosexual rights more than other Americans."

Are gays diseased perverts who die early? - I'm not even going to quote this crap from AFA, read it for yourself and then tell me how Ford Motor Company met with these bigots. Read More......

Results of the Ford meeting with gay groups

FURTHER UPDATE: The Human Rights Campaign's (the largest gay civil rights lobbying group) press release is out now:

“Any effort to appease a handful of vocal extremists backfired and offended millions of fair-minded consumers instead.

We have asked that Ford repudiate its relationship with this extremist group, reinstate its advertising of Jaguar and Land Rover, and continue investing in organizations working for equality.

At a time when corporate America leads on fairness, we hope Ford will shift back into drive.”

UPDATE: The AP story on Ford is up:

Gay and lesbian organizations asked Ford Motor Co. on Monday to reinstate advertising for its luxury Jaguar and Land Rover brands in gay publications and distance itself from a group which had boycotted the automaker's vehicles....

Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign, said Ford was asked to "make a very strong statement" disassociating itself from the AFA while reinstating the Jaguar and Land Rover advertising in the gay press.

I just received off-the-record word of what transpired at the Ford meeting with the gay groups. I understand that HRC supposedly has a press release out already detailing this, and that the press release apparently confirms the reports out there of what transpired at the meeting, but I haven't seen the release yet - if anyone has, please post it in the comments.

Anyway, the bottom line, I hear, is that the groups told Ford what they want, and Ford said they'd get back to the groups in the next 24-48 hours. I don't want to break any confidences here, but suffice it to say I'm satisfied with what I hear the groups supposedly said at the meeting and am awaiting Ford's response.

We'll continue to report on this story over the next day or two, and when we get Ford's response we'll react accordingly.

One final point: Ford really needs to get back to the community by COB Tuesday, or early Wednesday at the latest. Anything longer than that will be perceived as stalling and will necessitate moving ahead with phase 2 of the campaign. I think two days is ample time, especially considering that we're offering to hold back on launching the next phase of this campaign pending Ford's response.

In the meantime, rest assured that we're still making plans for protests and more, and designing those t-shirts. :-) Read More......

I want a picture of your kitty

Here are the best suggestions, I think, for anti-Ford t-shirts, per your suggestions in the thread below.

I'm curious if any of you graphic design gurus want to try your hands at whipping up some cool images to go with these slogans? I.e., I don't just want words on a shirt, but think an image would be cool too. As always, there are a few conditions:

1. You agree to donate the image to AMERICAblog for free.
2. I will give you credit for the image on the shirt, if you like - a small line at the bottom of the image, "Created by xxxxxxx"
3. There is no guarantee I'll use the image you submit.
4. Do NOT send me images or other creative work that you do not have the rights to.

I WANT YOUR KITTY

And in that regard, I need a high quality digital photo from someone out there. I want to do a "Every time you buy a Ford, God kills a kitten" t-shirt, but I need a high quality adorable image of a kitten (the low-quality version I mocked up is here, to give you a sense). Preferably you'd take the picture with a toy gun pointing at the kitten, but, also send me some photos of the kitten alone - I'm thinking straight on shots look at the head or entire body, or any other adorable shot of the kitten. Again, these need to be your photos. And I'm happy to also credit whoever sends me their kitten photo and/or credit kitty at the bottom of the image.

So here at the best of what folks' suggested:

"Every time you buy a Ford, God kills a kitten" (need picture of kitten, or if someone can graphically draw a cute kitten with a gun to its head) Alternate language: "When you buy a Ford, God kills a kitten."

Ford: Inequality is Job One

Ford: Bigotry is Job #1

FRAUD MOTOR COMPANY

Ford Hates Me

Fight Off Right-wing Discrimination.

Ford: Bigotry is Job #1

putting this image on something small :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Ford.jpg

Built Fundie Tough

Ford: Have you marginalized a minority lately?

"Have you boycotted Ford lately?"

FORD (with the "O" replaced with a swastika.

They should read "FUCT" in that stylized FORD script and blue oval that is so ford famous, or FUKT

"Real men don't let their boyfriends drive a Ford."

Read More......

Ford must agree to the following demands at today's meeting with select gay leaders

Ford needs to meet the following demands to call off our War on Ford.

1. Ford must immediately admit the details of, and recant, the secret deal it reached with the American Family Association (AFA). For an example of how to do this the right way, Ford should look to Microsoft's statement earlier this year.

2. Ford must issue a statement, akin to the statement issued by Kraft, reaffirming its commitment to glbt civil rights, and civil rights across the board.

3. Ford must immediately run Jaguar and Land Rover ads in the gay press (Ford pulled its advertising for Jaguar and Land Rover in the gay press as a capitulation to the AFA).

4. Ford must immediately run Volvo ads in the gay press that are specifically tailored to the gay community. (Ford's agreement with the extremist gay-hating organization included a promise to no longer run Volvo ads in the gay press that were specifically targeted to the gay community, but rather Volvo would only run the same ads it runs in the "straight" press.)

5. In 2006, Ford must show the same level of, or more, support for "gay events" as it did in 2005. That means spending the same amount of, or more, money on such events in 2006 as it spent in 2005, and lending Ford's name to the same events or more in 2006 as it did in 2005.

6. Ford must immediately fire former Bush White House officials Ziad Ojakli and David Leitch, the two senior Ford officials who negotiated the secret deal with the American Family Association. Read More......

Help me plan phase 2 of the War on Ford

Click here, read what I wrote, respond to it :-) Thanks, JOHN Read More......

I'd like your help planning the next phase of our campaign against Ford

While the gay groups meet with Ford on Monday, I want to meet with you.

At this point, I've not been invited to the meeting with Ford. I asked to attend, and have yet to hear back. Until I hear otherwise, I'm continuing to prepare Phase 2 of the campaign against Ford, which I'd like to launch shortly. To do that, I need your help and collective brainpower.

As we already know, Phase 1 of the campaign has been a success. In less than a week, Ford's renewed foray into bigotry has exploded in its face. The print and on-air media have covered the story of how Ford is pulling its gay advertising and ceasing its support for gay events, because of pressure from an extremist gay-hating organization that uses the "research" of known hate groups to demonize gays in a way that even the Southern Poverty Law Center has said "echoes Nazi Germany." The gay community and our allies are aware of this betrayal, and they're angrier than they've been in years.

Phase 1 has been a success. We got our message out there, got the media interested, shocked Ford will the magnitude of our anger (and our reach), and now they're doing damage control, big time.

For Phase 2 I want to up the ante.

I'm thinking of what Colin Powell said about the Iraqi Army during the first Gulf War: "First we're going to cut it off, then we're going to kill it." Our goal is quite simply to inflict maximum pain on Ford in as short a time period as possible in order to force their quick capitulation. Unlike our illustrious president, I do not believe in declaring war by slowly increasing the level of pain over a period of months or years. I, like Colin Powell, believe in attacking the enemy with overwhelming force from the beginning, and never letting go until we've won. In other words, they won't know what hit them, and by the time they do, it will be too late.

That's not to say I'm opposed to a long drawn out campaign - remember it took a year for us to take down Dr. Laura, and we did. All I'm saying is that you don't dribble your strategies out slowly, you give 'em all you've got from day one.

With that in mind, I'd like your advice as to what comes next.

I had a long meeting today with "Joe in DC" and "Rob in Baltimore." We also conferenced in one of our StopDrLaura.com co-founders, grassroots goddess extraordinaire Robin Tyler. Robin is the one who with virtually no budget (we're talking perhaps a few thousand bucks, max) coordinated simultaneous StopDrLaura.com protests in 34 US and Canadian cities, yes, all on the same day. We've prepared a detailed outline of multiple simultaneous attacks that can be launched quickly and devastatingly. But I wanted a chance to get more ideas from you guys to fill in the strategy.

Overall, we think there are at least three sides to Phase 2 of the campaign:

1. Paid Media
2. Grassroots
3. Viral

1. Paid Media

Paid media means buying ads. My questions for you would include where to buy the ads, what publications and what cities, what the message of the ads that will most influence Ford (or our other audiences), and what the goal(s) of the ads is/are. Who is the target audience for the ads, and why? Is it a gay audience, a straight audience, Ford's financiers in New York City, Washington politicos who are being asked to bail Ford out, Ford's competitors, Europeans and Australians, all of the above? Are the ads timed with any specific event like, oh, say the 2006 International Auto Show in Detroit come mid-January? Should we run ads abroad?

2. Grassroots

Meaning, protests, leafleting, etc. Where, what and when. Again, who's the target audience and what's the goal of the protests? Can you come up with some original protest ideas that would wow the media and help guarantee coverage of our story while at the same time inflicting maximal damage on Ford? What unique kind of protest actions can we come up - for example, the Salvation Army protests drop a piece of paper in their buckets saying you would have donated if they weren't such bigots. Is there any clever idea like that we could do with Ford? Do we protest at the auto show, if so when and how, in what manner, with what messages? What about getting a group of folks together who recently bought Fords and holding a press event where you try to return them to Ford? The Superbowl is at Ford Field in Detroit on February 5, is there any way to take advantage of that? The Academy Awards are coming up on March 5, should we use our friends there to send a message to one billion people watching around the world (we've done it before)?

3. Viral

Viral means, well, coming up with ideas that will sail across the Internet for free. Examples: Creating our own video spoofs of Ford's ads; creating a Michael Moore style video of someone trying to return their Ford car. Imagine following him with a hand-held camera for his trip to demand they take the Jag back.

And finally, what else? What other ideas are we missing? For example, targeting Ford's Board of Directors? How should we do that? Targeting Hollywood - someone suggested we ask our friends in Hollywood to never again feature a Ford car in any of their films. College recruiting - have people protest Ford whenever their recruiters appear on college campuses. What other unique ways can we get media attention and put pressure on Ford at the same time?

The sky is really the limit here. We've got a regular reader base of around 100,000 people a day on this blog, and add to that my database of gay activists around the country and world, our StopDrLaura.com contacts around the US, Canada, Europe, Australia and beyond, the readers of the other top blogs who would surely help us out on this campaign, and that doesn't even factor in the assistance the top gay groups could offer as a part of this campaign.

The only thing we're missing is your genius input.

Let's make Ford suffer even more than Paramount when they hired Dr. Laura, even more than Microsoft when it stopped supporting gay civil rights, and even more than America Online when it outed a gay sailor. In each and every case our opponent never knew what hit them, and we won.

Let's make this campaign one of our best ever.

PS I'll be posting again about this in the morning, and linking to this post, so don't worry about people not seeing it in the morning. Read More......

Possible do-it-yourself anti-Ford protests

From a DailyKos diary - not sure if they were thinking of Ford when they wrote this, but reader Mitch wrote me that this is an interesting way to protest Ford. From DKos:

According to weekend estimates so far, Brokeback Mountain is in the all-time top ten in per-theater sales, and is #1 for a non-animated film.... 13,000 people standing in line at each theater waiting to get tickets ... seems like a perfect opportunity to hand out literature.

Interesting idea. Do you think is taking unfair advantage of Brokeback Mountain, or a great idea for piggy-backing nicely on a message the film is already trying to send? Read More......