Backed by Coca-Cola, Google, PepsiCo, P&G, Unilever, and more, it is the first time a PSA and the Ad Council have snagged the title.
The diversity and inclusion campaign, Love Has No Labels, created by the Ad Council, R/GA, and Mindride, has secured the 2016 Emmy Award for ‘Outstanding Commercial’ which was delivered at the Creative Arts Emmys ceremony held on 10 September at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.
Backed by multiple brand partners such as Bank of America, Coca-Cola, Google, PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble, Unilever, State Farm, Wells Fargo, and more, it is the first time a PSA has snagged said title. The video features real people in diverse relationships whose identities are hidden by an x-ray screen.
Allowing viewers to mentally fill in the blanks on what constitutes friendship, romance, and family, the spot filmed on Valentine’s Day in 2015 depicts how Americans embrace, dance, and kiss. When the couples are revealed, so are implicit biases, as each relationship spanned various religions, races, and disabilities.
Supported by an advisory board of non-profit partners including The Perception Institute, Southern Poverty Law Center, and Anti-Defamation League, the creative has been viewed over 160 million times since its exclusive debut on Upworthy, making it the second most viewed social and community activism video of all time.
As a result, there have been more than four million sessions on the campaign website, where visitors are offered a quiz to examine their own biases. Other nominees included Gatorade for Dear Peyton by TBWA\Chiat\Day; Snickers for Marilyn by BBDO; and RPA’s animated spot, Paper, for Honda.
Meanwhile, according to a recent survey commissioned by the Ad Council and conducted by Ipsos, Public Affairs, more adults report discussing discrimination and prejudice and saying that they are regularly accepting and inclusive of other. To date, the campaign has received more than $40 million in donated media.
To coincide with 2016’s Independence Day festivities, the Ad Council and R/GA released We Are America, an extension of the Love Has No Labels platform. The new commercial explains one that a love of country is love for all the people who make up the United States.
Starring WWE’a John Cena, the PSAs further the campaign message. Since its launch on 4 July, the video has received over 35.6 million times, while the percentage of adults who agree to a more accepting environment has increased significantly, from 61 to 72 percent.
“We are thrilled to be recognised by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences with this award and want to thank our brand and media partners who have helped make the campaign such a success,” said Lisa Sherman, President and CEO of the Ad Council.
