I had no idea Subaru actively courted lesbian car buyers with targeted ad campaigns in the early 90s; here’s a 2016 Planet Money episode about it: When Subaru Came Out.
Advertise here with Carbon Ads
This site is made possible by member support. 💞
Big thanks to Arcustech for hosting the site and offering amazing tech support.
When you buy through links on kottke.org, I may earn an affiliate commission. Thanks for supporting the site!
kottke.org. home of fine hypertext products since 1998.
Beloved by 86.47% of the web.
Comments 4
My lesbian mom had a series of Subarus. She became so friendly with the dealer that they hooked her up with an ad agency that shot a Subaru commercial on her farm.
Yep, those of us in the San Francisco Bay Area know this well. Hence, my Crosstrek is informally known as a "Lesbaru."
I know that straight people also buy Subarus, but here in Vermont I have never seen an orange Subaru Crosstrek that wasn’t driven by a lesbian (complimentary).
Yes, not only do I remember this planet money episode, I remember the original campaign running as a baby gay.
There was also an Ikea ad from the same vintage with two guys stressing over a dining table: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCGv1hN6S9E
Thinking... maybe I can come out, too. Not that I thought as a teen that they were particularly courageous, I knew they wanted my money.
Hello! In order to comment or fave, you need to be a current kottke.org member. If you'd like to sign up for a membership to support the site and join the conversation, you can explore your options here.
Existing members can sign in here. If you're a former member, you can renew your membership.
Note: If you are a member and tried to log in, it didn't work, and now you're stuck in a neverending login loop of death, try disabling any ad blockers or extensions. Or try logging out and then back in. Still having trouble? Email me!
In order to comment or fave, you need to be a current kottke.org member. Check out your options for renewal.
If you feel like this comment goes against the grain of the community guidelines or is otherwise inappropriate, please let me know and I will take a look at it.
This thread is closed for new comments & replies. Thanks to everyone for participating!