Gay Miller Lite

[Rod Hagen]

Did we all catch the Gay Miller Lite Ad on Ally McBeal five minutes ago? That was kind of a shocker.

 

We've seen the ads in print, Advocate Out etc, but now they're doing it on TV. COOOL.

 

-Hagen

 

http://www.rodhagen.com

[NY Observer]

Hey Rod,

Yes, that was good to see. They showed what I'm assuming is the same ad on Will and Grace a few weeks ago, I was pretty surprised myself. There were a couple of other ads in the episode (of Will and Grace) which were at least gay-friendly.

 

Finally!

 

Maybe Mom will realize one of these years that not all gays are the way they portray us at Gay Pride parades (unfortunately when I mentioned Will and Grace in a casual conversation, she said "who"?) Oh well.

[Bilbo]

A bit of excitement here in Texas about a radio ad for Denny's where what sounds to some like two men reminisce about their first date. However, some other people are saying that it is probably the actress who was on the Jeffersons as she and her erstwhile screen husband are doing their TV ads and she does have a rather husky voice. Haven't heard the radio ad myself yet.

[Guest SeaGuy]

If the one you talking about is where a girl sends a beer over to a hot looking guy and he turns out to be there with his boyfriend its a hoot. Now I'm waiting for you, Rod, to make a TV ad, that would really be something. It's a good thing you don't live in my hometown, or I'd be in the poorhouse.:9

[Guest ChicagoCorey]

I thought that ad was pretty funny too. Hopefully, though, someday gay couples will be represented comercially in a way that's more than just being the punchline. But somedays any step forward seems like a good one...

 

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chicagocorey@yahoo.com

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[Rod Hagen]

I read on the web that there was a boycott in an election year and Jesse Helms was up for reelection. Philip Morris who owned Miller beer and Marlboro cigarettes were major campaign contributors to the gay hating Helms.

 

In light of the earlier boycott, this Miller ad campaign is less surpristing. I think we can refer to this aspect of Miller's overall advertising strategy as the "American Airlines tactic".

 

Remember in the early 80s when nobody new exactly how Aids was spread? Daytime soap operas featured actors who would only kiss close-mouthed. Concurrently, many people became even more terrified of homosexuals because gays may 'give it to them'. In fact I rmemeber Eddie Murphy's routine, which I thought was very funny at the time because I was a young and stupid farm kid, in which he'd describe wives delivering AIDS to their husbands after giving their gay friends a peck on the lips. Whatever, asshole. Anyway, in the midst of all this GayPanic, American Airlines was openly hostile to Gays. They wanted to keep their airline safe for their straight (and therefore not possibly AIDS infected) passengers.

 

In the late 90s it became ok, even cool, to court gay people and our supposedly fat wallets, and guess who became our best friends? American Airlines. They sponsor the Aids rides, they advertise in The Advocate, they want us to forget about their past homophobia. Nope, not going to happen.

 

And from what I've read Miller-whether or not they are still under COORS-also would like us to forget. If I drank beer I think I'd just quit, it's gotten too political :-)

 

http://www.rodhagen.com

[Bilbo]

I remember when I was about your age, Corey, and saw an ad on TV which convinced me that Blacks were finally on the road to equality. There they were, plainly front and center, and not doing anything intelligent. They were doing the same silly things a white actor would do. They didn't have to protect their dignity by only doing serious things. They were that sure of their own dignity that they could walk in their socks on carpeting and coo about how wonderful it felt to their feet. ;-)