Venez comme vous êtes…

Tickle me rainbow when McDonalds launched a commercial earlier this month that was void of mass commercialism and appeal to the largest possible demographic catering instead to the LGBT community and their supporters. The campaign aptly titled “Come as you are” has stirred great controversy Stateside but not in the country it continues to air in, France. The peak of the media blitz surrounding its release occurred when the ever-so-charming Bill O’Reilly cracked an off-the-cuff joke exclaiming “Do they have an Al-Qaeda ad?” It even drew the ire of the klassy-with-a-capital-K Elisabeth Hasselbeck on The View because “it didn’t feature McDonalds products so what’s the point?” Seriously, did anyone question which restaurant was being featured? Really.

I’ve kept this commercial in the back of my mind for the past two weeks as it continues to provoke a new thought in my head (you know, as opposed to outside of it) every day. I’m not pronouncing it to be the greatest innovation since Channel No. 5 but I do think it has a.) exemplified that the LGBT is a viable demographic which deserves it’s own marketing mindset b.) markets, cultures all around the world are extraordinarily different c.) homophobia has become the new “uncool.” McDonalds wasn’t reinventing the wheel on this commercial, but for a corporation the size of McDonalds to put consumerism behind them and let one of their core values be placed at the forefront, its something worthy of a second thought.

Ultimately, companies should advertise to reach the largest number of customers for their products. Sexual orientation should just be another demographic in the mix, and just as with all the other groups, advertising should be done well. McDonalds was clearly making a point to highlight their core value of being an inclusive company and I laud them for taking a moment from pushing their latest cholesterol-raising, yet ever-so-delicious masterpiece to make poignant commentary that has opened the flood gates for future debate.

In the word’s of Bravo’s Andy Cohen: Mazel!

Toyota Bringin’ the “Swagger” in new Sienna Campaign

Actor Brian Huskey of Sonic commercial fame lends his exquisitely awkward comedic timing to a series of commercials for the Toyota Sienna.

Minivan, and to some extent SUV commercials often flaunt safety features and a roomy interior as selling points when pushing the latest glorified Soccer Mom mobiles. Minus the hilarious Hyundai “Keeping Up With The Joneses” starring Andy Richter, these commercials rarely display the tongue-in-cheek humor featured in these Toyota spots which essentially market the car to an entirely new audience base.

After speaking with a strategist who worked on the campaign, they admitted that at first the task at hand was less than desirable because how was a young, trend-seeking pop culture enthusiast with no children supposed to create something sexy with a minivan? Well, their answer wasn’t to create something that wasn’t there but rather to market the vehicle to consumers whose tastes run the gamut.

Critics might point to the fact that Huskey brings the same creative stylings from his Sonic spots, but quite honestly, this sort of humor is relatively new in the realm of motorized vehicle advertisements and I laud Toyota and the creative minds at Saatchi & Saatchi LA for breaking the mold of tried-and-true auto commercials that are turn-the-channel-carpal-tunnel-inducing guides to parenthood that are void of anything fun, enjoyable, and overall sexy.