This is so wrong. Perpetuating stereotype to sell, of all things, coffee? Sigh. Wonder who is advising these people on branding. Are they trying to sell these coffee to gay people? Do they expect us to buy it? I think chances are they will sell heaps to straight people who are buying these coffee as novelty.
Probably to show to their friends and have a bit of fun at our expense. I could think of half a dozen ideas right now to sell this coffee to the gay market without resorting to this. Gosh maybe I had a longer day than I thought. Sigh.
Anyway this is what is on the homepage of gay coffee.
"Gay Coffee is fabulous, 100% fair trade, organic coffees roasted by hand
Gay Coffee is gay owned and operated and donates a percentage of profits to the National Gay Lesbian Task Force
Gay Coffee is the fusion of camp and queer culture – we take common themes and even some stereotypes, we own them and have some fun with them, while complimenting each theme with a piece of LGBTQ cultural and civil rights history
Gay Coffee is starting conversations all over the the world! Drink Gay Every day at a Nice Price."
I don't know about you but this is one coffee I will not have in my pantry. It's a bloody turn off. And it is not funny.
What do you guys think?
They are stereo-types, yes, but not just any stereotypes. The back label text places them in the context of gay rights history. This makes a difference to me. I think this would get people talking in a good way. To me there is something fundamentally honest about Gay Coffee. These Gay Tea people, maybe less: http://bit.ly/zekggr
ReplyDeleteThanks for dropping by. Just checked out your link. I do miss the days when tea is just tea and coffee is just coffee. Sigh I am being dragged into the 21st century kicking and screaming......
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