How Subarus Came to Be Seen as Cars for Lesbians

Summary:

Subaru of America was having a difficult time fighting other car companies for the demographic of white 18-35 year olds, so they decided to change their target buyers. They identified five groups of people: educators, health-care professionals, IT professionals, outdoorsy types, and lesbians. Each group has their own respective reasons for preferring a Subaru. For the lesbian niche, they felt as though the car perfectly fit their needs and was not too flashy. Subaru really embraced their lesbian stereotype and it was a great success for the company as well as a step in the right direction for the LGBTQ+ movement. However, this was not an easy process, as there was still great hesitation for companies to endorse the idea of being gay. Subaru knew that if they wanted to market to the gay community, they would also have to support their gay and lesbian employees by giving them domestic partnership benefits. By 1996, the ads were appearing in both mainstream media and gay publications. There was some black lash and people threatening to boycott. However, these people were never customers in the first place. Subaru figured out that their gay audience preferred more subdued marketing towards the LGBTQ+ community. This is known as “gay vague.” These new gay friendly advertisement turned into great success for the company and it grew at a very rapid pace. Subaru not only marketed towards the LGBTQ+ niche, but also supported causes that they care about, such as HIV/AIDS research. This urged other companies to put in place more gay-friendly policies for their employees.

Personal example:

I had to brainstorm to think about brands that have a specific target audience, but I think that just about every company does, even if you don’t notice it. I chose this Clif Bar commercial. Clearly, Clif Bar is trying to market to an outdoorsy audience. However, I am always very skeptical of commercials like these because I know that eating a Clif Bar is not going to make me a better hiker or immediately transport me to a mountain.

Connection to Reading:

It is obvious from the first couple of video clips that we see in this commercial that Clif Bar is marketing to the outdoorsy type. They are also trying to create the image of a health-conscious brand that supports athletes and adrenaline junkies on their adventures. They have identified their target audience and give those people what they want to see and what they want to hear. I searched their website and they claim to “strive for a healthier, more sustainable world.” This also seems to cater to the “hippie/granola” type, who want to leave a smaller carbon footprint. According to an online source, Clif Bar has grown 18% in the past 10 years so it would seem that their marketing tactics are successful.