The same week that controversy erupted over Chick-fil-A’s opposition to same-sex marriage, Amtrak unveiled a marketing campaign aimed at its gay and lesbian clientele.
The “Ride With Pride” program promotes “extremely gay-friendly” destinations, including California wine country and Martha’s Vineyard.
“It makes good business sense to target a population that is a friend of the rails, a friend of rail travel,” said Amtrak spokesman Cliff Cole, who was unsure how many tickets were sold through the promotion.
The initiative was rolled out around the same time restaurant chain Chick-fil-A made national headlines after president Dan Cathy said the company is "guilty as charged" of opposing same-sex marriage.
Fallout for Chick-fil-A continues to be mixed, but even as Cathy stands behind his polarizing remarks, other companies are making a concerted effort to court gay and lesbian customers.
Kraft Foods posted a photo of a rainbow-hued Oreo cookie to its Facebook page in June -- earning 2,000 comments and the threat of a boycott.
Even formerly conservative companies are opening their marketing camapaigns to gay and lesbian customers, whose buying power is expected to reach $790 billion this year, marketing firm Witeck Communications told the Los Angeles Times.
Hotel mega-chain Marriott International, which once had Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney as a corporate board member, this spring launched a massive campaign targeting gay travelers. The "Be You, With Us," is widely promoted on the corporate website, which also declares “We’re proud to say Marriott was one of the first hotel companies to offer equal benefits to same-sex couples nationwide.”
So far, Amtrak said it hasn’t seen any backlash to the “Ride With Pride” campaign.
“Our policy is to welcome all segments of the population,” Cole said.
[email protected]
