Love Has No Labels Celebrates Fourth Anniversary with Original Two-Part Facebook Documentary Series in Partnership with Great Big Story Featuring Stories of Unity in the Wake of Crisis

The Ad Council's Viral and Emmy®-Award Winning Campaign Premieres Videos Featuring Jay Shetty

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Feb 12, 2019, 10:47 ET

NEW YORK, Feb. 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- In celebration of the fourth anniversary of Love Has No Labels, the Ad Council joined Facebook and Great Big Story today to premiere the first installment of an original Facebook Anthology showcasing real people from different backgrounds coming together during moments of crisis. The docuseries arrives on the heels of the campaign's first-ever short film, "Rising," which challenges viewers to consider why it takes a disaster to bring us together. Hosted by award-winning online personality and filmmaker Jay Shetty, the two-episode docuseries was produced by Great Big Story's brand studio Courageous. Both episodes showcase moving first-person accounts that explore the deep, unexpected connections and long-lasting relationships formed during harrowing times. The series highlights the lessons we can learn from human behavior during disaster to ultimately act inclusively every day.

"While the immediate effects of hurricanes and other crises are devastating and heart-wrenching to witness, natural disasters are also unique in their ability to bring us together," said Lisa Sherman, president and CEO of the Ad Council. "The stories captured in this docuseries are an inspiring reminder that we have more in common than we are different. There's so much to be gained from embracing our differences and engaging in dialogue—and there's no better time to do so than now."

"I'm so grateful and honored to be a part of such a meaningful series. We should not have to wait for a tragedy to come together, rather we should find unity in our diversity every day," said storyteller Jay Shetty. "I'm positive that this series will serve as a great inspiration and motivation for us to grow, serve and thrive together."

The first docuseries episode tells the story of Munira and Sara, a Muslim woman and Jewish woman who, despite their assumptions about each other's communities, connected on Facebook in the wake of Hurricane Harvey and formed a long-lasting friendship. Viewers can watch it across Great Big Story's digital and social footprint, as well as on Love Has No Labels and Jay Shetty Facebook pages. The second episode, set to air in March 2019, will showcase the friendship formed between Orlando-based reverends, Joel and Terri, a cis man and a gay woman, in the wake of the Pulse nightclub shooting.

"Our team of brand journalists sourced and produced these inspiring stories about real people who forged genuine friendships in the fire of crises," said Otto Bell, chief creative officer of Courageous Studios. "These narratives remind us of our innate humanity because they connect with audiences on a deep, emotional level. As Great Big Story is a positive platform dedicated to changing the way we see the world, it was perfectly fitting to support the distribution of these stories as well."

"It's inspiring to see people use Facebook Groups to come together to love and support each other in times of need," said Addie Marino, Global Prototype Lead on Facebook's Creative Shop. "But what's perhaps even more inspiring are the long-lasting friendships that have connected these communities to each together, making the world a little more inclusive each day."

The docuseries directs audiences to LoveHasNoLabels.com, which features small actions people can take every day to create a more inclusive world and make others feel loved and accepted. The website highlights real people and real stories of love without labels to illustrate the power of acceptance and inclusion. Visitors can find conversations starters to help break down bias and connect based on who they really are instead of what others might assume based on appearances. Additional resources include a glossary of common terms related to diversity, bias and inclusion and self-reflection questions to help people recognize and reduce their own implicit biases.

In keeping with the campaign's previous Valentine's Day launches, Love Has No Labels is also partnering with Grammy-nominated pop artist Lukas Graham and Warner Bros. Records to celebrate all forms of love. Graham created a special, Love Has No Labels version of his music video for the hit song "Love Someone" to feature diverse couples, friends and families across race, age, gender, and sexual orientation. Viewers can watch the music video on the Love Has No Labels Facebook page beginning on February 14^th.

The Love Has No Labels campaign launched nationally in 2015 with a video of skeletons dancing and embracing before coming out from behind an x-ray screen to reveal themselves as diverse couples, friends and families. The original "Love Has No Labels" video became the first PSA to win an Emmy^® for Outstanding Commercial and received more than 169 million views, making it the second most viewed social activism video of all time.

In 2016, it was followed by "We Are America" featuring WWE^® Superstar John Cena celebrating the diversity of America on Independence Day. In 2017, Love Has No Labels put a twist on the kiss cam by turning it into a symbol for unbiased love with "Fans of Love." 2018 most recently followed with the release of "Rising," a powerful short film that challenges Americans to consider, "Why does it take a disaster to bring us together?" It was directed by David Nutter (Emmy^® Award-winning director of Game of Thrones) with a screenplay written by Lena Waithe and Azia Squire. In total, the campaign's four videos have exceeded 350 million online views. The goal of the campaign has always been to elevate messages of diverse love to help erode implicit biases and promote acceptance across race, religion, gender, sexuality, ability and age. The latest film extends the campaign message further by encouraging people to take everyday actions to create a more inclusive community. Since the premiere of "Rising" in November, the short film has garnered more than 6.7 million views.

Since the launch of Love Has No Labels in March 2015 there have been over 3.5 million sessions on lovehasnolabels.com. And, significantly more adults agree that they can create a more accepting and inclusive environment (61% in 2015 to 75% in 2018), according to a survey commissioned by the Ad Council and conducted by Ipsos, Public Affairs. To date, the campaign has received more than $93 million in donated media.

To learn more, visit the Love Has No Labels website, view the PSAs on YouTube, join the campaign's social communities on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and visit the campaign shop.

The Ad Council
The Ad Council brings together the most creative minds in advertising and media to address the most worthy causes. Its innovative, pro bono social good campaigns raise awareness. They inspire action. They save lives. To learn more, visit www.adcouncil.org, follow the Ad Council's communities on Facebook and Twitter, and view our the creative on YouTube.

Facebook
Founded in 2004, Facebook's mission is to give people the power to build community and bring the world closer together. People use Facebook to stay connected with friends and family, to discover what's going on in the world, and to share and express what matters to them.

Great Big Story
Great Big Story produces micro-docs, series, and films about the people, places and things that change the way we see the world – and each of our individual roles within it. Established in 2015 through an investment by CNN Worldwide, Great Big Story operates as an independent media company with award-winning studios in New York City and London. We are filmmakers and global citizens. We're traveled to more than 100 countries and told more than 2000 stories to shine a light on the underrepresented, the uncharted, the endangered and the absolutely amazing. Visit GreatBigStory.com and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

R/GA
R/GA is the company that creates transformation at speed. An innovation leader for more than 40 years, R/GA has expanded and evolved to offer business transformation, experience transformation, and marketing transformation through its award-winning consulting, ventures, technology, design, marketing communications, and IP practices. Its work spans web, mobile, and social communications, retail and e-commerce, product innovation, brand development, and innovation consulting. The company has more than 2,000 employees globally with 18 offices across the United States, Europe, South America, and Asia-Pacific. R/GA is part of The Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE: IPG), one of the world's largest advertising and marketing services organizations. For more information about R/GA, please visit www.rga.com and on Facebook and Twitter.

SOURCE The Ad Council