Orbitz Commercial LGBTQ Friendly

Recently I saw a Orbitz commercial that was catered to the gay community. The components of the commercial that made it gay friendly were subtle and almost non-existent but were still present. It was discussed last week in class, how the use of gay advertisements effects consumers. Although Fejes is primarily talking about gay advertisements for clothing and accessories, not all gay advertisements are limited to just that. The commercial for Orbitz is a prime example of how other consumer products can and are being advertised in a way the gay community feels accepted and involved. The commercial has a handful of subtle gay symbols. If we evaluate the commercial closely the equality symbol (3 yellow stripes) is shown on the shirt of one of the men playing golf. We then see the towel dangling on one of the golf bags is a rainbow. Lastly, the third symbolically gay aspect of this commercial is the wording of the "Orbitz" man who directs his comment towards two of the men implying they shared a room. It is becoming normal for advertisements to reach out to the LGBTQ community. The advertising industry is beginning to realize that in order to sell to a large demographic they need to advertise to a diverse and large demographic. This commercial, I believe, has not got very much recognition as a "gay" commercial because the semiotics are so subtle. Each symbol that is represented as gay is flashed only for a second or presented in a manner no one evaluates it. Orbitz is reflecting the belief that being gay is accepted, especially when you use the Orbitz product. This means the Orbitz company is friendly and accepting of anyones beliefs, culture, and sexual orientation. By having this commercial the Ortbitz market is expanded exponentially.