Adfreak cites research by Harris that shows people seem just as likely to be influenced by out gay sports celebrity spokespeople as by any sports spokespeople. That being queer shouldn't exclude you from being on the Wheaties box.
Rumors of his being queer is what kept Olympian Carl Lewis from his breakfast moment. But it does not seem to be getting in the way of John Amaechi, who is appearing in advertising. Of course, let's keep it real. Here's what the NY Times reported that the CEO of HeadBlade, which is using Amaechi, had to say:
Mr. Amaechi ''is the perfect storm,'' said Todd Greene, chief executive at the HeadBlade Company in Culver City, Calif., which specializes in products for bald men, because ''he's African-American, a basketball player and gay, and those are all huge demographics for us.''''And he uses the product,'' Mr. Greene said, adding that he learned Mr. Amaechi was a ''HeadBlader,'' as Mr. Greene calls his customers, while deciding whether Mr. Amaechi would make an effective spokesman.
In other words, the target market is gay. Nice that the Harris poll shows opinion trends moving in a good direction. But I don't see Amaechi on the Wheaties box yet. I did see him at the GLAAD Media Awards the other night though, and he is really larger than life is many ways (get your head out of the gutter). Sure, he's big. But he is clearly big-hearted, and like another former basketball player I admire, Bill Bradley, smart in a way that gets attention. Maybe he should do what Bill did and run for office someday. It's better than being on a cereal box any day.
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