GM Reaches Out

Our friend Joe LaMuraglia at gaywheels.com alerted us to a recent post on his site about a new effort by General Motors’ Chevrolet brand to reach out to LGBT drivers. Just one week after my Earth Gay post, this program is an excellent example of the blending of gay and lesbian outreach with “real” environmental marketing.

As Joe explains it, the effort is an attempt to find LGBT drivers to volunteer for a three-month test of Chevy’s new hydrogen fuel cell vehicles as part of the company’s “Project Driveway” program. The program will provide testers in New York, LA, and DC with the opportunity to test drive a Chevy Equinox Fuel Cell electric vehicle. 

GM LGBT media relations manager Travis Parman told gaywheels.com: “Our goal is to get Equinox Fuel Cell test drivers that are as diverse as America. And since the LGBT community tends to have a lot of early adopters, we wanted to reach out and encourage LGBT residents to apply.”

Hallelujah. This is a great example of what we’ve been talking about on this blog and in our other outreach for years. As a community, we’re often first adopters, we tend to like technology, and we comprise many influential consumers who can - and do - help promote new products. It’s not a tough concept to grasp, but it's one that has eluded many carmakers until recently. 

The fact that GM is now slowly starting to build on the advertising they run targeted to our community with actual engagement and outreach in our community is a good sign. And the fact that they’re seeing the connection between concern for the environment and gay and lesbian consumers is further evidence of the growing “green gay” trend we’ve been writing about lately.

So, what do you think? Are you interested in test-driving one of GM’s new hydrogen fuel cell vehicles? Let us know if you apply and what your experience is like if you’re accepted – we’ll offer anyone who participates in the program the opportunity to draft a guest post on their experiences that we’ll post on this site to share with our readers.