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Eug · May 13, 2008, 11:55 PM

Not sure if this can go here in the Lounge, or if it must go in the Poliwarts Lounge, but I'll try here in the general Lounge first.

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According to a PlanetOut survey, Apple is one of the top three most gay-friendly brands out there, along with Bravo and Levi's.

Gay-focused advertising agency Prime Access and PlanetOut, Inc., parent company of The Advocate, released results from the survey, showing that Bravo, Apple Computer and Levi's are considered the gay-friendliest brands.

"The study reveals that gays and lesbians are fiercely loyal customers to brands they perceive as reaching out to them," Buford said in a statement. "A marketing communications program directed at the gay and lesbian audience can be a significant opportunity for brands to build business."

More than 2,000 adults aged 18-64 participated in the study, which was broken down by general population with 1,502 respondents and 757 gay and lesbian respondents.

"Apple Computer" no longer exists, BTW.

Captain Obvious · May 14, 2008, 12:12 AM

I was more surprised that Levi was on the list.

I thought gay people were supposed to have good taste.

Railroader · May 14, 2008, 12:55 AM

Where's Subaru?

turtle777 · May 14, 2008, 01:22 AM

What's Bravo ?

-t

TheWOAT · May 14, 2008, 01:32 AM

Where are the New England Patriots

hyteckit · May 14, 2008, 01:38 AM

Originally Posted by turtle777

What's Bravo ?

-t

Bravo is a channel that shows artsy films, cooking shows, dance shows, and fashion shows.

Damn, I watch Bravo, wear Levi's, and use a Mac.

I must be gay without realizing it. Must release my inner gay.

Kerrigan · May 14, 2008, 01:40 AM

If only gays were as loyal to each other as to corporate brands, their world might be a different place.

design219 · May 14, 2008, 01:59 AM

Originally Posted by Kerrigan

If only gays were as loyal to each other as to corporate brands, their world might be a different place.

What do you mean?

Andrew Stephens · May 14, 2008, 03:54 AM

Originally Posted by Eug

"The study reveals that gays and lesbians are fiercely loyal customers to brands they perceive as reaching out to them,"

Does any of Apples advertsing do this? I can't see any focussed on the gay community so why so popular? Or is it just part of the whole gay/fashion/design/interiors thing?

red rocket · May 14, 2008, 06:11 AM

Exactly. In a world full of aggressively hostile Apple-phobes and homophobes, gays and Apple-users form a natural alliance against the cruel and tasteless majority of straight squares.

turtle777 · May 14, 2008, 07:47 AM

Can't wait until this thread turns gay

-t

analogika · May 14, 2008, 08:11 AM

Originally Posted by Andrew Stephens

Does any of Apples advertsing do this? I can't see any focussed on the gay community so why so popular? Or is it just part of the whole gay/fashion/design/interiors thing?

First rule of statistical analysis: Correlation does not imply causality.

Apple doesn't cater specifically to the "gay community", but they apparently have a common interest that makes the machines appealing: I'd guess it's probably a certain emphasis on not looking and handling like ****, i.e. "taste" (that's pretty rare in the industry).

Dakar the Fourth · May 14, 2008, 08:41 AM

Originally Posted by design219

What do you mean?

Seconded. That was a curveball for the thread.

ghporter · May 14, 2008, 08:45 AM

Originally Posted by analogika

First rule of statistical analysis: Correlation does not imply causality.

Apple doesn't cater specifically to the "gay community", but they apparently have a common interest that makes the machines appealing: I'd guess it's probably a certain emphasis on not looking and handling like ****, i.e. "taste" (that's pretty rare in the industry).

I'd say that Apple's advertising is quite neutral in this area. There aren't ads with "well known gay personalities" shilling for iPods and MacBooks, but there are also no ads with people who could be called "anti-gay" either. They don't use particular fashions in the ads, just the styling that makes Apple hardware look really good. And you don't have to be gay to understand hardware that looks good. No really, you don't.

Dakar the Fourth · May 14, 2008, 08:51 AM

Originally Posted by Railroader

Where's Subaru?

Don't you mean GM?

Ha! Burn.

Helmling · May 14, 2008, 09:10 AM

Originally Posted by hyteckit

Bravo is a channel that shows artsy films, cooking shows, dance shows, and fashion shows.

Damn, I watch Bravo, wear Levi's, and use a Mac.

I must be gay without realizing it. Must release my inner gay.

Thank God I don't watch Bravo...whew, dodged a bullet there.

Eug · May 14, 2008, 10:26 AM

Originally Posted by analogika

First rule of statistical analysis: Correlation does not imply causality.

Apple doesn't cater specifically to the "gay community", but they apparently have a common interest that makes the machines appealing: I'd guess it's probably a certain emphasis on not looking and handling like ****, i.e. "taste" (that's pretty rare in the industry).

analogika · May 14, 2008, 12:14 PM

Originally Posted by Eug

Err, duh: I'm pretty sure I saw those guys in the last Macworld Keynote broadcast, so point taken.

Heck, I remember the day when owning at least one pair of chaps and making sure never to read manuals were the rule among Mac users!

Eug · May 14, 2008, 12:18 PM

peeb · May 14, 2008, 12:27 PM

Dakar the Fourth · May 14, 2008, 12:28 PM

There's a subtle photochop.

analogue SPRINKLES · May 14, 2008, 01:22 PM

Well I guess that clearly explains why I have been bashing Samsung and Wal-mart on these forums and in the real world for years.

analogue SPRINKLES · May 14, 2008, 01:23 PM

Originally Posted by Kerrigan

If only gays were as loyal to each other as to corporate brands, their world might be a different place.

How? Less divorce and more children?

peeb · May 14, 2008, 01:26 PM

I think he's going through a messy breakup...

zro · May 15, 2008, 02:58 AM

What are you guys, a buncha newbs?

hyteckit · May 15, 2008, 03:50 AM

Originally Posted by zro

What are you guys, a buncha newbs?

That's such a fruity logo.

It is teh ghey.

MarkLT1 · May 15, 2008, 09:39 AM

But my question is-

What do the environmentalists who are gay think?

Kerrigan · 12:20 PM

Originally Posted by analogue SPRINKLES

How? Less divorce and more children?

I was thinking that more loyalty to one another would reduce those instances where gays discriminate against one another on the basis of race, age, appearance, etc. Of course, I'm not talking about racism or superficiality in the conventional sense, but the problems that result when gays subdivide themselves into these various mutually exclusive groups.

design219 · May 15, 2008, 12:48 PM

Hmmm. That sound like what no-gay people do.

peeb · May 15, 2008, 12:52 PM

Ah, the narcissism of minor difference.

zro · May 15, 2008, 08:57 PM

Originally Posted by design219

Hmmm. That sound like what no-gay people do.

Me think you on to something, Tarzan.

design219 · 07:45 AM

Me thank you big big!

Me Tonto. Who Tarzan?

Kerrigan · May 15, 2008, 09:48 PM

How many putatively open-minded people do you know who would explicitly state that they would not date or socialize with, say, black or Asian people? It's a bit of a problem in the gay community, and your apparent ignorance of it suggests, as would be expected, that you have not spent much time in the gay scene. Not your fault, though.

Rumor · May 15, 2008, 09:52 PM

Twinks, bears, circuit boys, butches, fruits, queens, princesses, average joe, and I am sure there are many, many other subcategories that I am missing.

- - e r i k - - · May 15, 2008, 10:04 PM

Originally Posted by Kerrigan

If only gays were as loyal to each other as to corporate brands, their world might be a different place.

Somebody got their heart broken.

Salty · May 16, 2008, 02:03 AM

Hmm don't wear Levi's... and I tend ti find Bravo kinda boring... maybe I'm not really as gay as I thought...

kmkkid · May 16, 2008, 12:40 PM

Originally Posted by Rumor

Twinks, bears, circuit boys, butches, fruits, queens, princesses, average joe, and I am sure there are many, many other subcategories that I am missing.

leather, S&M, skanks, whores, sluts, druggies etc.

Oh wait, the straight side has all those too

Eug · May 16, 2008, 12:45 PM

Originally Posted by Salty

Hmm don't wear Levi's... and I tend ti find Bravo kinda boring... maybe I'm not really as gay as I thought...

OTOH, your wanting to make a pilgrimage from Winterpeg to Toronto for the Apple Store opening more than makes up for it.

ironknee · May 16, 2008, 07:33 PM

I don't want to start another fire but here's a simple question:

Is the image of Apple that of a conservative, liberal or middle of the road (neutral) company?

peeb · May 16, 2008, 07:57 PM

A corporation doesn't really have party affiliation. By law it must act in the interests of its shareholders as shareholders. Whichever party panders to that will get its support.

Laminar · May 16, 2008, 08:05 PM

Originally Posted by peeb

A corporation doesn't really have party affiliation. By law it must act in the interests of its shareholders as shareholders. Whichever party panders to that will get its support.

That has nothing to do with the image portrayed by a company.

Salty · May 16, 2008, 08:10 PM

I think Apple's portrayed as more liberal simply cause it doesn't give a damn about the enterprise.

turtle777 · May 16, 2008, 08:50 PM

Originally Posted by peeb

A corporation doesn't really have party affiliation. By law it must act in the interests of its shareholders as shareholders. Whichever party panders to that will get its support.

No, no, nevar.

Companies like Haliburton are *completely* free of any party affiliation

-t

ghporter · May 16, 2008, 09:32 PM

Originally Posted by turtle777

No, no, nevar.

Companies like Haliburton are *completely* free of any party affiliation

-t

The company itself is. But the shareholders elected a board that is extremely partisan, and so the board (through the shareholders) is very partisan.

turtle777 · May 16, 2008, 09:34 PM

Your separation of the company and its board and shareholders is purely academic.

In reality, a company is the sum of it's employees, management, board and shareholders, and all the values they instill.

-t

ironknee · May 16, 2008, 09:37 PM

Originally Posted by peeb

A corporation doesn't really have party affiliation. By law it must act in the interests of its shareholders as shareholders. Whichever party panders to that will get its support.

what about Ben and Jerry?

Hg2491 · May 17, 2008, 02:48 AM

Look at the picture on: Apple - Find Out How - Retail. It pretty much says men, women, etc. Well, that's part of being an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer, right?