These ads for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority are aimed at the LGBT niche. As agency R&R Partners explains in their post on Ads of The World, "For too long, brands have told us they’re 'gay-friendly,' shown us a gratuitous same-sex couple, slapped a rainbow logo on it and called it a day."
Instead, this campaign turns the situation around, claiming that Vegas is a destination "owned" by gay people.
If you really wanted to, you could complain that this campaign is guilty of "reverse-discrimination" with its stereotypes of awkward straight couples adrift in a sea of chic homosexuals. But I'm one of those awkward straights, and it doesn't bother me at all. When people have been put down for so long, they get a couple of free shots. (Or in this case, four.)
The Wagon Queen Family Truckster, however, is a low blow.
The reverse discrimination does not bother me either. I find it mildly amusing, but that's only because I'm gay friendly. The agency, however, cannot assume that all straight people, looking at these ads, will find it funny. Also, I shared these ads with some gay friends (gay men), and they found them insulting! Apparently, a lot of gay men hate it when their culture is being portrayed as a culture of physical perfection, glamor, and sex. Don't you think that all these things are present in these images? With regard to sex, it's only being alluded to. And last, but not least, the retouch is absolutely terrible. When it comes to good advertising, the execution is just as important as the idea. Whoever did the Photoshop work here needs to be fired.
ReplyDeleteI thought the same thing as Vinnie. Like most straight people I know, most gay people I know aren't under 30 with cut muscles, perfect hair, <5% body fat, lots of plastic surgery, and expensive cars. I don't believe in being offended, but I wonder if they're missing their mark (e.g. middle-aged gay couples who actually have the money to travel).
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