<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Commercial Closet: Avis Puts Domestic Partners in the Driver's Seat
September 8, 2003
Mike Wilke

As the debate over gay marriage intensifies, 10 years ago Avis Rent A Car resolved to recognize same-sex partner rental customers.

The new ad campaign for Avis, which began this summer, features a gay male couple and emphasizes a point other rental agencies cannot: "Domestic partners are automatically included as additional drivers. No extra fees charged. No questions asked."

Like its well-known slogan, Avis is trying harder -- to win the gay market. As the latest sign of increased advertiser interest in gays, the brand is in middle of a multi-year blitz with customized ads for the market. It is the most any car rental company has spent on gay consumers, and last year Avis began a campaign in the UK as well.

"This is our biggest investment in a vertical (niche) marketing effort," notes Scott Deaver, executive VP of marketing for Cendant Car Rental Group, which owns Avis and Budget Rent a Car. "We made a big bet on this one, we think this is very important."

The campaign appears in national gay magazines and in program books for gay film festivals in 10 cities. Impax Marketing, Philadelphia, developed the effort, which includes a special link to their Web site that offers a $1 donation to the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation per rental when using a special code. Avis also was a sponsor of the GLAAD Media Awards.

Driver Spouses vs. Partners

A few competing car rentals companies have made efforts to attract the gay market, but none remain, and none have yet worked to create as large a presence as Avis has. Further, most still do not treat same-sex partner drivers equal to spouses, instead charging additional fees for non-married additional drivers.

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Backlash Against Campaign, Little Support

The Avis campaign has been high profile enough that the company has garnered over 100 protest letters for its campaign so far, according to Deaver.

"Right wing groups are reading OUT and The Advocate, and publish to their constituencies about who's advertising," he says. "It's been more than I thought it would be, and I've been shocked and disappointed by the mean-spiritedness of it."

By contrast, Deaver says that the company has not received any letters from the gay community in support of the campaign.

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