Managing the Tide
Marketing to Controversial Demographics
Overview
Recently, our business culture has seen increasing
controversy between the economic viability of the
gay market versus the push for moral values and a
strict definition of marriage.
Proctor & Gamble has been thrust to the forefront
of this marketing movement by the American
Family Association’s concerns of decaying
American family values due to increased gay
advocacy by corporate America.
The Players
VS
Background of P&G
Founded in 1837 P&G has built its business on its brands
and family oriented reputation.
Focusing on high quality consumer products P&G has
produced multiple million dollar brands including Tide
and Pantene.
The company is also well known as a division leader in
many product categories.
P&G lists Leadership, Integrity, Trust, Ownership and
Passion for Winning as its core values.
The P&G community consists of nearly 98,000 people
working in almost 80 countries worldwide.
Background of P&G
On its website P&G states:
“We Show Respect for All Individuals
*We believe that all individuals can and want to
contribute to their fullest potential.
*We value differences.
*We inspire and enable people to achieve high
expectations, standards, and challenging goals.
*We are honest with people about their performance.”
P&G Products
Background of AFA
A non-profit organization founded by Don
Wildmon, a former Methodist pastor, in 1977.
AFA claims 2,317,120 members.
Claiming to stand for traditional American values,
it closely monitors the actions of the media,
particularly the entertainment industry, and
blames the media's influence on decreasing
American values.
AFA provides its members mailing, e-mail alerts
to hot button issues and links to legislative
websites and petition forms.
Background of AFA
AFA’s website states:
“We believe in holding accountable the companies which
sponsor programs attacking traditional family values. We
also believe in commending those companies which act
responsibly regarding programs they support.”
“Disney/ABC cancels the pro-homosexual show Ellen, for
"lack of ratings." AFA led the campaign to encourage
responsible advertisers to drop from the show.”
“Does AFA Hate Homosexuals?
Absolutely Not! The same Holy Bible that calls us to reject
sin, calls us to love our neighbor. It is that love that
motivates us to expose the misrepresentation of the radical
homosexual agenda and stop its spread though our
culture.”
P&G Letter to Cincinnati Employees
P&G supported the repeal of Article 12,
which prevents gays and lesbians from
seeking protection from discrimination
based on sexual orientation.
P&G sent a statement to employees in
Cincinnati explaining its reasoning for
supporting the repeal.
The Ad in Question
About the Ad
It ran in 2000 in Xtra, a Toronto gay
newspaper.
It never ran in any other countries
including the United States.
It was targeted by AFA as being an
intentional advocate for homosexuality in
September 2004.
Response from AFA
After September 2004, AFA announced a
campaign to boycott the three major P&G
products: Tide, Crest, and Pampers.
Petitions for the boycott were sent to several
Christian organizations and is included on
their website’s home page.
Response from P&G
P&G spokesman Doug Shelton stated that the
company would not change its position on the
repeal of Article 12, (Crary, 2004).
However, Shelton said that P&G believes the
ad in Xtra was a mistake and “even if the ad
had featured heterosexuals, it never should
have run – it was in violation of our advertising
guidelines,” (Crary, 2004).
Why is This an Issue?
Both AFA and P&G target family-oriented
consumers with traditional values.
A part of P&G’s target market is middle to upper
class consumers who desire quality products. The gay
and lesbian market falls into this target audience.
So how does P&G balance its commitment to
diversity and inclusion with the interests of its more
conservative consumers?
