Love is blind. Sadly, people see all sorts of issues with it. The Ad Council is a US organisation that identifies and talks about issues in society to stimulate change.

Earlier this year it began a campaign called, Love Has No Labels, through advertising agency, R/GA. The campaign that will run throughout the year is designed to make people aware that even though they may consider themselves open-minded, unconscious prejudices still govern how many people view others.

Coca-Cola Company, PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble, Unilever, Allstate and State Farm have put their rivalries aside to help.

While the Ad Council has a long history, it has always worked on one issue in the past, with one organization. For Love Has No Labels it has brought together eight non-profit organisations, each representing a class that is subjected to discrimination. They are: the Anti-Defamation League, Southern Poverty Law Center, National Women’s Law Center, Human Rights Campaign, American Association of People with Disabilities, American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, Muslim Advocates and the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP).

A campaign whose time is now? Surely, yes.

The campaign’s most recent launch is a three minute spot that was filmed (aptly) on Valentine’s Day in Santa Monica in California. The idea was to trigger people’s prejudices and bring them up to the surface of their brains for scrutiny. R/GA set up a giant X-ray screen behind which real twosomes of different genders, abilities and sexual orientations showed their affection for one another in various ways.

The surprise part was engineered by Persuade Content, part of Psyop. It’s so much better seen, than read, so watch the audience reactions…develop. And pay attention to your own:

The film was uploaded to Upworthy’s Facebook page on Valentine’s Day. By March 4, it had had 24,006,082 views 303,716 likes and 826,603 shares.

The campaign is being seeded on social media platforms by the brands and non-profit partners involved. Each has been asked to replace its profile image (temporarily) with the official campaign logo designed by Nick Law, global chief creative officer, R/GA. it is also running in donated spots on TV.

“I think what we have here is one of those moments in time where we have a great idea. There’s a huge heart in the culture right now for these causes,” noted Lisa Sherman, Ad Council president and cief executive officer.

Credits:
Client: Ad Council
Campaign: Love Has No Labels
Agency: R/GA
Production Company: Persuade Content