I’ve been enjoying a lot of the coverage and beauty of the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia. When I was growing up, we lived in Portland, Oregon for many years and would visit Vancouver quite often on family vacations. I always imagined that’s where I would live when I was on my own. It was of course gorgeous, clean, and a lot of fun with suspension bridges, totem poles and the charm of English ancestry throughout the city. What I didn’t realize is that Canada is far more liberal than the United States.
With a much smaller population than the United States and a more laid back society (they even have legalized same sex marriage), running homosexual-themed automotive ads would be unthinkable in our country but not in Canada. It’s refreshing seeing the latest ad from Hyundai where two women find a common bond with a car in a very flirtatious, subtle way.
The lesbian-themed ad played on daytime TV, not the middle of the night. It shows a more open society, something we will likely not see here in the States for many more years even decades.One thing I do wonder is how accepting would a gay male ad be, even in Canada? Apparently, Hyundai tested those waters in Sweden back in the 1980s with this hilarious ad. Maybe we'll see an updated male version for the Canadian market next?
Thanks to Auto North for a good article about the ad and other gay-themed advertisements.
