Pictured Jan ValenticSome people may not think of Ford Motor Company when asked about businesses that are actively helping the GLBT movement. However, those people would be wrong. The things Ford has done range from offering same-sex domestic-partner benefits to reaching out with Volvo and Jaguar ads to hosting meetings like the Out and Equal Leadership Summit.
Windy City Times recently spoke with Jan Valentic, who has been Vice President of Global Marketing at Ford since 2001. She filled me in on what Ford has done, what the establishment will do, and what the company's recent GLAAD award means to her and the business.
Windy City Times: The Gay and Lesbian Association Against Defamation (GLAAD) honored Ford Motor Company for its commitment to the GLBT community. What was the ceremony like and what did the honor mean to you and the company?
Jan Valentic: We went to the W Hotel in New York City. For us as a company, it meant a lot because Ford is not the first brand you think of when it comes to embracing the GLBT community. However, when you look at our history, we have been inclusive of all individuals since the start. We define diversity very broadly.
To me, it gave me a great sense of pride for our employee resource group, who has been a fantastic resource for me and the brand regarding how to understand the GLBT market and how to [function] as a marketing organization. If you look at our policies regarding same-sex benefits, we've always been [progressive] regarding employees' procedures. The award showed that our operations not only have value at Ford but to the external audience as well.
[Executive Director of GLAAD] Joan Garry was an absolutely phenomenal speaker. She was very persuasive about the issues facing the GLBT market and how important equality is. The presentation was very motivating. Also, each of the honored companies had its day in the sun. I felt that [the ceremony] was a celebration of the best things of humanity. It was about being inclusive, celebrating the human spirit, and overlooking differences and finding common ground.
WCT: You touched upon the benefits and policies at Ford. Could you give me a more detailed list about what your company has to offer GLBT employees?
JV: We were one of the first companies to adopt a nondiscrimination policy inclusive of lesbians and gays as well as one of the first to offer same-sex domestic-partner benefits. Ford was the first automotive company to recognize a GLBT employee resource group. In fact, we were the first major automotive manufacturer that had a workforce organization that represented the needs of GLBT employees.
WCT: And that [organization] would be Ford GLOBE [Gay, Lesbian, or Bisexual Employees]?
JV: Yes. The group is very, very active. It was just involved (very aggressively) in an AIDS walk. The entire group sought sponsors. They raised about $25,000; they delivered it in a one-day effort.
Ford GLOBE, as I said, is a great resource for us. They look at what we do in terms of advertising. Ford Motor is a sponsor of the HRC [Human Rights Campaign] and we involve GLOBE employees in HRC functions.
We also wanted to make sure that our dealers treat [minority] customers with the respect they deserve. So, we embarked on a dealer education program. We taught dealers about GLBT, Hispanic, African-American, and female issues. Essentially the message was that you can't operate by the golden rule—treat others the way you want to be treated—anymore. You need to associate yourself with the platinum rule, which is to treat others the way they want to be treated. So, regarding each of those cultural groups, we talked about their needs and how to treat them when they walk into a showroom.
Sometimes, our dealers are not aware of the market around them. So, educating them about the potential opportunities out there and their own hiring practices, raised a lot of positive awareness.
WCT: Could you discuss the marketing strategies involving the GLBT community?
JV: We did a communications effort with Jaguar and Volvo and we ended [2003] with an effort with Land Rover. (In fact, Land Rover was the major brand at the last HRC dinner.) The really innovative thing we did involved the Volvo campaign. Everything about Volvo is about the modern family. Of course, there's a lot of growth in gay families regarding adoption or natural birth. What Volvo did was reach out to families. What we were able to do was get some fantastic stories on gay and lesbian families and how Volvo fits into their lives. We're using these stories to educate our own employees about the evolution of the definition of the modern family. The response that we've gotten for this campaign has been overwhelming.
The other element is that, whenever someone buys or leases a Volvo or Jaguar, we donate $500 to the HRC. It's a great way for us to see the efficacy of the program but it's also a way of giving back to the community. Everything about Ford Motor Company really revolves around reciprocity.
WCT: How so?
JV: Well, we believe that—and this goes back to our roots with Henry Ford—we need to recognize that our workforce should reflect our customer base. It's a way of reinvesting in the community that these people live. To me, it's like an economic ecosystem where—when you buy a Ford vehicle—you are giving back through us to your community of interest. It's a reciprocity of giving that we think is part of Ford Motor Company's ethos.
WCT: Now you've explained how you've marketed to GLBT families. However, there are also plenty of GLBT singles with disposable income. Without getting too specific, how do you market to them?
JV: Volvo is about families. Jaguar, on the other hand, is not necessarily tied to the notion of family as a brand. It's a performance product that has great styling. Actually, the advertisement we developed had the headline, 'Life is full of twists and turns. Care for a partner?' It's about the agility of the vehicle but it's also reflective of the challenges that the GLBT customer faces daily. (By the way, we have a pretty attractive guy in the ad.)
I'll tell you one thing that's pretty frustrating. It's finding great art of the GLBT customer with diversity in it.
WCT: OK ... so that's the most frustrating part of this whole campaign. What's the most rewarding part?
JV: The most rewarding part is actually connecting with the customer. We embarked on a huge research study for the brands and one of the most exciting moments for me was talking with gay men about Jaguar. They talked about their perceptions about the brand and they said things like '[the typical driver] is an old, white, stodgy guy.' Then we explained what the product does: '[i]t's all-wheel drive, it has this horsepower, the entry level is at this price point ... .' Then we talked about the performance characteristics and showed some images. The gay men then had this 'a-ha' moment when they realized that they did to our brand what people do to them: pre-judge and [foster] stereotypes.
One man suggested that, in order to connect with gay men, we should market that beauty is more than skin deep. A huge light bulb went off for me regarding how to connect with people and how to let them see themselves in a piece of communication.
WCT: What would you like to say in conclusion?
JV: We couldn't have done all of this without a couple of great partners, namely [public relations and marketing communications firm] Witeck Combs. Wes Combs and Bob Witeck were very involved in helping us to handle internal challenges. They were fantastic in sharing their own case studies and how they've handled past issues. They built a lot of confidence among everyone at Ford that [the campaign] was the right thing to do. You would love these guys. They're high-energy and have great imagination. They show companies the possibilities of talking to the GLBT market in a way that absolutely delivers bottom-line results.
The other people who helped us were PrimeAccess; they actually were the creative force. Also, Harris Interactive did a lot of the research with us.
I'm at westelm406@yahoo.com .
