Not your father's GM

Things have definitely changed since the 1950s when the automaker thought nothing of using female hotties to plug their latest models. "They were aiming at male buyers and figured cheesecake would work," writes Chris Woodyard in USA Today. These days, GM's Chevrolet division appears to be going after gay customers through an online video that features the "Bumble Bee Boys in Briefs" -- a couple of buff "go go boys" wearing only Speedo-type swimsuits with the letters CAMARO stitched across the behind.

The video was produced to promote Chevrolet Gay Days at the Movies in Los Angeles, part of an ongoing outreach program to minority groups and the Gay-Lesbian-Bisexual-Transgender community. The movie was a screening of the new Transformers movie, chock full of GM vehicles including Bumblebee, a Camaro. Dave Barthmuss, a General Motors spokesman, said the promotion might surprise some "because you don't see it in the mainstream." The video was deemed to "make sense for this particular audience." GM also using tailored marketing to reach other groups, such as African-American and Asian-American buyers. A recent Asian-oriented event featured a meet-up around a catering truck dishing out gourmet specialities.

**What's interesting is that in the few hours since the USA Today item appeared, the video has been taken down from YouTube. What's up with that?