The Ad Council wants to remind everyone that patriotism is about celebrating diversity DATE: 2024-05-29 16:42:34
As America reels from perhaps its most divisive election in recent memory, a new set of ads seek to remind everyone that patriotism and respect for our country's diversity are two sides of the same coin.
The ads feature members of often-oppressed minority groups in patriotic settings. For instance, a gay military couple embraces in a train station, a transgender cheerleader poses in red, white and blue gear and a Sikh man prays in a gurdwara while wearing a star-spangled turban.
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Their images, captured by renowned photographer Mark Seliger, will run in the form of billboards, bus and subway ads and other outdoor postings in to-be-determined locations around the United States starting this week.
The campaign is the work of the Ad Council, a nonpartisan nonprofit responsible for many of the country's most iconic public service announcements.
It marks the latest installment in a series of viral hits from the group's "Love has no Labels" push, which is aimed at more broadly fighting prejudice.
The new ads strike a similar tone to one the group ran last Fourth of July, in which pro-wrestler John Cena appealed to Americans to remember just how much of their populace is constituted by various minorities.
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At around 45 million views across platforms, the Ad Council considered that video a resounding success.
A spokesperson said the ads were particularly timely considering how the election and various other current events have put a spotlight on implicit biases.
Watchdog groups have registered a disturbing surge in hate crimes across the country in the weeks following Donald Trump's electoral win.
The campaign was created in partnership with New York ad agency R/GA.
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