Goooooin To The Storage Unit, And We're...

Okay, here’s a fun story to share with you all. Well…perhaps the actual story isn’t fun, but know I’m listening to Beyonce while typing this, so I’m having fun. AAANYway, this summer I was walking to Chelsea Piers (for all the people that actually live outside of NYC, it’s the Mall of America of sports complexes) for some driving range action. Yes, driving range…I couldn’t believe it myself. Well, right as I was about to enter, I saw this ad:

Again, for those who are sane and don’t live in NYC, Manhattan Mini Storage is a popular storage company in the city where people can, well, store things. Got it? Amazballs…

The copy for the ad boldly reads, "If you don't like gay marriage, don't get gay married." Damn. Amen. Preach MMS. (that’s right, we’re on a abbreviation basis.)  

So, when I first read this, my initial reaction was, “Wow, what a great thing to say in an ad! Good for you MMS!” (Actually my first thought was that Whoopie Goldburg says this all the time on The View...) Then I thought, “Wait, what does gay marriage have anything to do with storage?” Finally, it got to, “Wow, way to just put something out there just to get the gay dollar.” So, all in all, I was confused.

For me, just looking at this ad it’s not very clear on what MMS was trying to do. I always feel that an ad should sell the product cause, I mean, that’s what they are made to do. I just don’t really see the connection with the gay marriage line and the actual product. MMS has always put out somewhat “controversial” copy in their ads and a few that deal with current issues, which I think is amazing, but the other ads bring it back to the product. Here are some samples below: 

However, they have also created other politically charged ads that don't talk about the product at all. Below is one about Michele Bachmann: 

After looking a little more into the gay marriage ad, I found this blurb on MMS’s website. The ad is part of a much larger marketing campaign that included MMS workers taking pictures and congratulating newlyweds at City Hall the day gay marriage became legal, handing out free storage to the couples (which is obviously on every gay couples registry), and posting videos and updates on both Facebook and Twitter throughout the day. Here are the videos that were posted:

So here’s what I have to say. Based on the ad alone, which is probably the only thing most people will see, does it sound like MMS is just making a bold statement to get the gay dollar? Yes. Put it with the whole campaign of “What Is Love” and their past support for the gay community does it seem like they’re only going for the gay dollar? No. Listen, anyone that puts an ad geared towards the LGBT community is putting it out there to get money. That’s what ads are for. But there are companies that do go above and beyond the advertising to show their support for the community, and I think that’s what MMS is doing. I think the ad would’ve been better if the tagline connected with the product more, or it made it a little clearer on MMS’s intention. But, I also think it’s just MMS’s way of putting it out there that they simply support gay marriage as a company, period.

So, let’s open it up. Do you think this ad is MMS’s way of ONLY getting the gay dollar or do you think it’s a bold political statement that more companies should be showing their support for?

Source, Source, aaaand Source