The Ad Council is launching a national effort to address LGBTQ+ discrimination across the country. The new initiative is part of its Emmy-winning “Love Has No Labels” campaign and comes at a pivotal time: Nearly a decade after marriage equality passed nationally, LGBTQ+ hate and violence are on the rise, and more than half of states still do not offer critical protections for LGBTQ+ people across fundamental areas such as housing and public services.
Created pro bono by R/GA and directed by filmmaker Luke Gilford via production company Golden LA, the “American Dreams” PSAs seek to bring together people from all walks of life to not only raise awareness of LGBTQ+ discrimination but share real-life experiences that drive people to take action to break down the barriers many LGBTQ+ people continue to face every day.
This PSA, “A Place To Call Home,” shows the housing discrimination LGBTQ+ folks face, in effect denying the American Dream of having a home to call your own.
“No one should face discrimination because of who they are,” said Ad Council president and CEO Lisa Sherman. “There is more that unites us than divides us, and this new campaign was designed to empower individuals across the country to see the inequities impacting so many and take actions that help ensure that LGBTQ+ people also have the opportunity to pursue their dreams.”
Today, 28 U.S. states lack laws that protect LGBTQ+ people from being denied housing, public accommodations and other services based solely on their gender identity and sexual orientation. This means that in more than half of U.S. states, LGBTQ+ people could be denied housing just because of who they are. Concerningly, 50% of LGBTQ+ Americans have been harassed, fired or denied a promotion at work because of who they are.
The new “American Dreams” effort highlights the barriers that exist in achieving equality and protection against discrimination and threats of violence. It then directs audiences to the LoveHasNoLabels website. On the site, people are encouraged to learn about the legal protections that do (or do not exist) in their state, read stories from LGBTQ+ people about their experiences with discrimination, and access resources to help foster more accepting communities.
“The Ad Council’s Love Has No Labels ‘American Dreams’ campaign is more than just a message–it’s a call to action,” said Robin Forbes, global CEO at R/GA. “It’s an urgent reminder that we must all take steps to ensure LGBTQ+ individuals are treated with the respect and equality they deserve. Campaigns like this are a critical tool in the toolkit we can use to highlight our shared humanity and emphasize that discrimination has no place in our society. R/GA is proud to partner with The Ad Council to tackle these issues head-on, reinforcing that we’re all human before anything else.”
CreditsClient Ad Council Agency R/GA Tiffany Rolfe, global chairman and chief creative officer; Ari Halper, global executive creative director & head of creative excellence; JJ Lim, group creative director; Rowan Mansfield, Corey Thorn, Pawel Rokicki, creative directors; Artiana Wynder, Julian Soto, associate creative directors; Elizabeth Kenney, sr. designer; Raven Faux, copywriter; Jesse Sarfan, strategy director; Sunny Lee, Alexis DeBrunner, associate strategy directors; Laura Ries, group director, media & connections; Kortney Brand, director, media & connections; Michael Dewberry, community manager; Jeff Skutnik, VP, executive production director; Ozzy Uzcategui, executive producer; Shakil Uddin, director, content production; Danielle Small, sr. content producer. Production Company Golden LA Luke Gifford, director; Matthew Marquis, managing director; Dahlia Stone, exec producer; Jake Agger, producer; Tori Storosh, production manager; Eric Yue, DP; Kelly McGehee, production designer; Meg Parsons, stylist; Zaheer Sukhnandan, makeup & hair. Editorial Cartel Adam Robinson, Nate Katz, editors; Andrea Norby, Nick Bruce, assistant editors; Ashton Evans, Julie Zivic, post producers; Evyn Bruce, exec producer. VFX/Post Transformer Mark Youngren, Justin Blaustein, Flame artists; Ted Stanley, Flame assistant; Chrissy Bruzek, finishing producer; Emily Stave, exec producer. Color Grade Color Collective Alex Bickel, colorist; Claudia Guevara, exec producer. Music & Sound Barking Owl Emile Mosseri, composer. Track name: “A Forest”; Greedy Heart Records, music label; Universal Music Publishing Classics & Screens U.S. on behalf of Warm Water Publishing, music publisher. Sound Design & Mix Barking Owl Elizabeth McClanahan, sound designer & mixer; Ashley Benton, exec producer; Jenna Pangilinan, jr. producer; Johanna Cranitch, creative director; Carol Dunn, managing director.
NHS England, M&C Saatchi UK, Director Tom Tagholm Team On PSA Highlighting The Overlooked Signs Of A Stroke
National Health Service (NHS) England has unveiled a multichannel campaign, “Act FAST,” to raise awareness of the individual signs of a stroke and get people to call 999 as soon as they suspect they may be experiencing any one symptom. The push, which is part of the ongoing “Help Us, Help You” campaign, was developed in partnership with M&C Saatchi UK.
The campaign depicts everyday situations where everything might seem relatively normal, but where there’s the sign of someone experiencing a stroke.
A key component of the campaign is this :30--directed by Tom Tagholm of Various Films--which sets up the idea that initially, a stroke might not seem like much, highlighting key symptoms: from struggling to use a paint roller, to not being able to smile when watching TV, to slurring your speech when reading a story to your grandchild. The PSA emphasizes that time is critical, ending with the line: “Face or arm or speech, at the first sign, it’s time to call 999.”
Jo Bacon, Group CEO, M&C Saatchi UK, said, “We want to ensure people take action on the first symptom, rather than waiting for more conclusive signs. To help them understand that even when everything seems normal, something serious might be happening.”
Matt Lee, executive creative director, M&C Saatchi UK, commented: “This is important work. We wanted to explore that precise moment when your world shifts, quietly yet powerfully, off its axis during a stroke. We highlight how a tiny external moment can actually be seismic—an extraordinary gear change, framed in a really ordinary way.”
Director Tagholm shared, “My Dad suffered a stroke a few years ago and was saved from the worst by acting quickly, and by the work of the NHS. So there’s... Read More