Allstate "Safe in My Hands" LGBT Video Goes Viral

Allstate Insurance - long known as a champion of LGBT causes and believing everyone deserves to be in good hands - has created a breathtaking film in celebration of Pride. The video features the song "Safe in My Hands" by singer/songwriter Eli Lieb, who's perhaps best known for his 2013 hit "Young Love." The film and song are going viral for good reason - they're both outstanding. They celebrate the true meaning of pride - not feeling different, vulnerable or ashamed because of who you are - but accepting who you are and living your life openly. To download the song and participate in Allstate's #OutHoldingHands effort, check out their LGBT site: http://lgbt.allstateonline.com/

GLAAD Names New President

GLAAD has named Sarah Kate Ellis its new CEO and President. Sarah Kate is an established media executive known for growing magazines like Real Simple, Vogue, and InStyle. She most recently was a VP of global marketing at Martini Media. In 2011, Ellis co-authored a memoir with her wife, Kristen Ellis-Henderson, titled “Times Two, Two Women in Love and the Happy Family They Made," released by Simon & Schuster. The autobiography chronicled their simultaneous pregnancies and road to motherhood.

"While our community has made great strides in recent years, our movement has an important and critical journey ahead," said Sarah Kate Ellis. "Together with our dedicated staff, I will push for a culture where everyone in the LGBT community is fully welcomed and respected by our neighbors. I look forward to leading GLAAD and creating a world where LGBT people and our families have the freedom to joyously-- and openly-- live a life they love."

Ad Spotlight: Betty Crocker's "The Families Project"

Really nice and unexpected effort by Betty Crocker with "The Families Project," which seeks to understand and showcase the diversity of families in America. Here's a video they put together of their presence at pride parades this year:

As Gay Culture Goes Mainstream, So Must Advertising to Gays

"If brands are not inclusive in their marketing, they could be unwittingly communicating that they are exclusive." Check out Doug Ray's full AdAge article here. 

Virgin America's New Technology for Flirting in Flight

Takes awhile to get to the point, but brilliant idea.


Related: KLM uses social media to let passengers choose their seat mates:

Trending: Gay Men Will Marry Your Girlfriends

The Muppets vs. Chick-fil-A

Chick-fil-A does so many things right – great food, outstanding service, iconic advertising... I hate that we have to boycott them. But it's an obligation to boycott any company that funds groups working to deny us our equal rights.

Recently, Chick-fil-A president Dan Cathy upset many when he told the Baptist Press his company was "Guilty as charged" in supporting the "biblical definition of the family." "We are married to our first wives," he said. Apparently only men work there?

His comments didn't sit well with Lisa Henson, CEO of the Jim Henson company, who makes toys in Chick-fil-A kids meals. Last week, The Jim Henson Company posted the following Facebook message:

“The Jim Henson Company has celebrated and embraced diversity and inclusiveness for over fifty years and we have notified Chick-Fil-A that we do not wish to partner with them on any future endeavors. Lisa Henson, our CEO is personally a strong supporter of gay marriage and has directed us to donate the payment we received from Chick-Fil-A to GLAAD."

 Within days, the post generated over 6,000 comments and over 14,000 likes. To add fuel to the fire, it appears that executives at Chick-fil-A created a fake Facebook profile to advocate on the company's behalf.

The aftermath? International press coverage, cities around the country blocking the restaurant from entering their communities, and the complete loss of control of Chick-fil-A's Facebook page, which has become the central target for activism against the establishment.

To be fair, Cathy had every right to make his comments and the company can advocate for whatever definitions of marriage and family it believes in. But when it simultaneously funds groups working to legally restrict other definitions of marriage and family, it goes beyond just expressing an opinion. This is the future of human rights in this country that they're playing around with here, and that's why people are upset. Hopefully its a lesson learned: Don't attach your brand to the minority side of a hot button cultural/political issue – just stick with chicken.

As for the Jim Henson Company? They've suddenly emerged as a relevant brand. Who knows, maybe Kermit and Miss Piggy might just be the new faces of the LGBT rights movement.

Related:

Allstate Launches Groundbreaking LGBT Campaign

Today is a very special day. Over the past 18 months at Leo Burnett, I’ve been working hard with some colleagues to build a dedicated LGBT advertising capability within our company. Our biggest and best work yet launched today: an online/social media campaign for Allstate called “Equality Is.” The campaign gives a platform for people to speak out for or share their vision of what LGBT equality looks like. Within a few hours of going live, we’re already seeing amazing content coming in from all sorts of people all over the country. Anyone can submit content by going to Allstate.com/EqualityIs to share a quote, a photo, or a video clip. You can also find your local LGBT-friendly Allstate agent through the site. And there’s a special incentive for California residents: Allstate will donate $10 to the San Francisco LGBT Center or the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center for every person who calls up and gets a free quote. 

Beyond Better: A Manifesto for Queer Youth

Here's an outstanding video that was made by the students of Margaret Himley's Queer Writing class at Syracuse University last year. The course is part of Syracuse's LGBT Studies minor (which I proudly hold), the first of its kind in the United States.

Chicago Cubs: It Gets Better

DraftFCB Employees: It Gets Better

A good friend and mentor at DraftFCB just sent this my way. Awesome. A reminder to all that even the advertising industry has a heart. 

Google Interviews Lady Gaga

After watching just the first few minutes of this, I can tell that it will be a very interesting case study on the Lady Gaga brand. Enjoy:

Macy's to Test "Spring Break" Promotion in Chicago This Weekend

In an effort to depart from the outdated traditional department store image, Macy's will test what looks like a pretty interesting promotion targeting college students this weekend in Chicago. The event will happen on Saturday from 2-5pm at their State Street store. It's slated to include sales, giveaways, drinks and live music. They've promoted it across an array of social media and will even be sending vans to all area college campuses on Saturday to bus students to and from the store. In recent months, I've noticed a noticeable change in their men's inventory and now get all my Diesel stuff there when they have sales. I even opened up a Macy's charge... I'm becoming more and more like my mother. Anyways, read more about the promotion here. 

Social Networking Site for Gay Soldiers Launches

Just a few weeks after President Obama signed the bill repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," a social networking site for gay soldiers has popped up on the Internet. According to John McKinnon, the site's creator, many people have joined the network after seeing an ad on Facebook.

AdAge Names "It Gets Better" Campaign Among Top 10

AdAge has named the "It Gets Better" campaign among the top ten social media campaigns of the year:

After a spate of teen suicides in September that were all related to homophobic bullying or insecurities about being gay, Dan Savage, an openly gay relationship columnist, made a YouTube video with his partner directed at vulnerable young people with the message that "It Gets Better." From this, the It Gets Better Project was born -- a website that allows mostly gay adults to share their stories with potentially suicidal young gay people about how life "gets better." So far, more than 5,000 user-created videos have been uploaded.

Ad Spotlight: Progressive

Progressive Insurance has gone all out with their "Works in Progress" campaign. It seamlessly bridges online and offline media with events and content-driven calls to action. On their dedicated Facebook page, over 3,000 people have generated content to be submitted to the site. You can actually upload a photo of yourself and turn it into a work of art for others to see. Progressive scores a perfect 100 on HRC's Corporate Equality Index.

Next Big Thing: Facebook Places

The world of mobile check-in is about to change in a major way. For those of us previously limited to Yelp, Gowalla, Foursquare and the like; say hello to Facebook Places. While many might say this utility from Facebook is far overdue, my guess is they've been waiting to really get this right on both their mobile site and app. I predict a real game changer for businesses, brands, and dare I say it - human behavior in the way we make social decisions about who and where.

dot429

I wanted to share my latest discovery, dot429. Think of it as an LGBT LinkedIn that's cooler and pinker. Here's how they describe it:

dot429 ushers in the next generation of business networking. Specifically targeted to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender professionals, dot429 provides a unique on and offline platform for the LGBT business community and its supporters to connect and expand their business network, further their careers and stay current with the business world.

Online members communicate through profile pages, updates, messaging and online introductions. Articles written by industry-leaders keep dot429 members on the leading edge. Job postings and an executive mentoring program create career growth.

Along with this powerful online networking, dot429 will also host monthly live social events across the country and internationally. dot429 already has more than 10,000 members from San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago and New York’s LGBT business leaders. By Q4 2010 dot429 is expected to reach over 100,000 members nationally.

Social media usage skyrockets among LGBT Americans

A recent national survey by Harris Interactive revealed that 54 percent of gay and lesbian Americans read blogs, compared with just 40 percent of heterosexual Americans. That 54 percent is up considerably from just 32 percent in November 2006.

Harris also found that 36 percent of gay and lesbian respondents read blogs focused on news and current issues, versus 25 percent for heterosexuals. The figures for other types of blogs are 25 percent and 16 percent, respectively, for pop culture; 22 percent and 14 percent for politics; and 16 percent and 8 percent for travel.

As far as blogs that feature gay and lesbian news and interests, 35 percent of gay and lesbian respondents said they read those blogs, with 53 percent of those readers saying they visit the blogs weekly and 19 percent saying they do so daily.

When it comes to social-networking sites, Harris found that 73 percent of gay and lesbian respondents were members of Facebook, compared with 65 percent of heterosexual respondents. The figures for other social-networking sites: 32 percent and 22 percent, respectively, for MySpace; 22 percent and 16 percent for LinkedIn; and 29 percent and 15 percent for Twitter.

As for visiting those social-networking sites, 55 percent of gay and lesbian respondents said they do so daily, and 30 percent said they visit several times daily, versus 41 percent and 17 percent, respectively, for heterosexual respondents.

Are you the next GayTravel Guru? Am I?

One of my favorite gay travel websites, GayTravel.com, is holding a contest that may be too good to pass up. They're looking somebody to be their next GayTravel Guru. This person will do nothing for six months but travel all over North America, sharing every experience socially through blogs, YouTube videos, and updates via other online sites. GayTravel picks up the tab for all the accommodations and throws in a $30,000 salary. Not bad for six months of partying like a rockstar and hooking the LGBT world up with insider info on all the latest and greatest travel destinations. Check out the official video here on how it works:

I just made a profile on their site and got a little carried away uploading some of my favorite pics from my own trips. Check it out here. 

The deadline has just been extended until June 26^th to apply, so all you fashionably late queens have an excuse this time.