Anheuser-Busch InBev, Chick Magnet
Employing the tried-and-true method of attracting other singles, a handsome, rugged man has brought his puppy to a park. Positioning himself near several hot women who are stretching, he aims the dog at the women.
"Okay little buddy, you see that?" he says to his golden Lab pup. "Work your magic."
The magic works immediately -- attracting two men running by. "Oh my gosh! That is the cutest little puppy!" Exclaims one, speaking with a lengthy S. "He is the most precious thing," says his more effeminate counterpart (Alec Mapa from the CBS show "Some of my Best Friends"). "I want a dog just like him!"
The men, with their butts sticking out as they've bent over, are now completely blocking the man's view of the women and his face falls as the men chatter on.
"Oh you should dress him up, put him in some cute little outfit." "Like a little cowboy outfit!" chimes in the other, as they giggle in agreement.
Writing off the masculine man they barely seemed to notice, the women walk away, "the good ones are always taken." The closing screen shot carries the campaign theme of true stories, saying simply, "True."
Likely inspired by the Miller Lite beer ad featuring women who end up flirting with a gay couple, this ad is a neutral handling of two somewhat stereotypically effeminate men, as the straight guy doesn't visibly get upset at them.
The commercial got very close to airing in the U.S. but in the last minute, the company backed out. When asked why, it declined comment. It may have aired in Canada.
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I understand those who call for less sterotypical depictions of gay men. However, it should be noted that the women in this commercial assumed that the rugged straight guy was gay as well. A good example of the inverse is in the other beer commercial when two hot straight girls thought that the handsome rugged couple of guys in a bar were straight and sent them a beer, only to find out they really were a gay "couple". So as you see people, it goes boths ways. More and more gay people are portrayed as mainstream and non-distinguishable from straights. This is something to celebrate. So therefore, we should not be too upset when sterotypical portrayals are used if they are accepted and treated with respect by the straight characters in the advertisment. Sometimes sterotypical portrayals are needed to clarify who's straight and who's gay. That being said, It would be refreshing to see depictions of people who we would assume to be gay actually turn out to be straight. We've seen those people too, like Niles on Fraiser.