Ian Johnson, Out Now
December 12, 2007
For information and help with understanding gay advertising imagery issues as well as how to reach gay market consumers with gay marketing communications strategies -- and how to most effectively understand and meet the consumer needs of the lesbian and gay market, rely on the gay market experts, Out Now. Leading in the gay market since 1992.TOPICS: David Beckham. Victoria Beckham. Spice Girls. Posh Spice. David and Victoria Beckham and the British tabloid media. Advertising. Gay imagery in advertising. David Beckham causes UK tabloids to froth over his gay erotic imagery in new advertising campaign for Armani mens underwear.
So here's the thing. David Beckham is flat on his back. Flat on his back flogging Armani. David Beckham sells Armani underwear in a new advertising campaign and gets called a gay "tart" for his trouble. What gives?
I am not English, but I have spent enough time in England to appreciate how the tabloid newspapers love to work themselves up into a frenzy over a good tabloid story. It happens all the time and is quite often harmless media fun, but one paper is especially fazed today over a new advertising campaign by serial celebrity and former England football captain, David Beckham.
Beckham is well-known for pushing tabloid media buttons. It is just part of the stock in trade for him and his celebrity Posh Spice Girl wife, Victoria Beckham.
David Beckham over the years has posed for pictures in a sarong, with his nails painted, and a few years back was the high profile cover feature story of UK gay mens magazine Attitude.
Now David Beckham -- in his latest incarnation of the melange of celebrity, success, marketing and media that typifies almost everything he and wife Victoria do -- is at it again.
This time Beckham has set the red-tops alight in the world of tabloid newspapers with his new advertising spread for Armani underwear.
Beckham, like any man, posing in a glossy magazine advertisement for mens underwear is likely to appear highly eroticised. Just ask the Italian mens soccer team about their strongly gay-erotic imagery in last year's D&G Dolce and Gabbana mens underwear advertising campaign.
The difference this time though, we at Gay Market News would suggest, is that the advertising imagery utilized by David Beckham suggests a passive gay erotic role; as compared to the equally homo-erotic advertising imagery utilized by the Italian mens soccer team -- but where the Italian football players appear in universally macho or active mode.
It seems to Gay Market News that the heterosexual male unconscious mind is not always happy when confronted with the concept of a male that could be passive in a sexual context, even if only in the faux world of glossy coffee table magazine advertising.
I suggest that if Beckham were pictured in the advertisement standing, glaring in a sexual manner at the camera in his Armani Y fronts, there would be a much smaller teacup for the British media to conduct their media storm in.
But no, Becks lies there contentedly -- passively supine, advertising his British crown jewels in his jocks for all to contemplate, and admire.
Comments in the British tabloid media include this in The Sun newspaper's editorial (an editorial on the topic -- I kid you not!) saying that:
"You've got money, status, respect and fame - then someone says: 'Armani want you to do a picture wearing tight white pants with your legs as wide open as the hole in England's defence'. Why would you say yes?"
One newspaper never prone to disappoint in a good bollocks-ing though has to be The Daily Mail, well known for being able to strongly disagree with most things.
The Daily Mail fumes over the current Beckham homo-erotic UK gay crisis, stating emphatically that Beckham's new Armani advertising poster is "gay erotica", and goes on to describe David Beckham as being "the male equivalent of a Page Three tart".
I am sure Mr Beckham will cope with the tabloid criticism of his new underwear advertising campaign quite well, by laughing all the way to the bank.
David Beckham would appear to be somewhat more mature about such things than many of his critics.
He seems sure to take it all like a man.
-------------------
Access market research and gay marketing at the leading edge -- gay marketing expert strategic advice from Out Now -- the experienced global strategic gay marketing, research and communications agency, specialized in targeting the lesbian and gay consumer market.
Want to receive Gay Market News by email? It's easy--click here.
To contact Out Now, send us an email. Helping brands marketing & advertising to gays and lesbians. Out Now Consulting and Gay Market News will keep you updated on all the latest gay marketing, GLBT community market research, LGBT travel and gay tourism, gay and lesbian communications, gay PR and gay advertising developments. Gay market insight is Out Now: Gay Marketing. Solved. OutNowConsulting.com GayMarketing101.com. All content on all Out Now websites (C) 2007 - Out Now. If you find any material you believe is subject to other copyrights here, other than allowed fair use for copyright purposes, please contact Out Now with details. Out Now Gay Market News -- Gay Marketing 101 gay market updates site. LGBT communications. Gay PR. Global gay PR marketing, gay public relations strategy, GLBT PR, LGBT issues training, gay advertising, LGBT market, lesbian and gay market research leaders, GLBT marketing. Gay Market News is Gay Marketing 101 - Out Now Gay Marketing, Advertising, Gay PR, Market Research. Travel Market. Training.
gay market gay advertising gay marketing gay tourism gay travel pink dollar pink pound gay agency advertising marketing travel tourism gay lesbian gay and lesbian market research glbt lgbt communications community pink euro
0 comments:
Post a Comment