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reviews_and_ramblings ([personal profile] reviews_and_ramblings) wrote2009-01-17 01:00 pm

Gay Commercial: American Civil Liberties Union

An older man wakes in the morning, does his push-ups, brushes his teeth and gets dressed.

He puts on a military uniform and looks at the photographs of his days as a young man in football and service uniforms, sitting on his dresser.



The screen then shows a single word, "freedom," which momentarily seems to be a patriotic ad, but it is then followed by a shot of the man's bed -- with another man of his age in it. The last screen shows the remainder of the sentence, "to differ."

This commercial shows an effective, non-threatening portrait of a male couple that is not stereotyped and older, in favor of its support of gays in the military.

ACLU-WA Executive Director Kathleen Taylor explains that "the ads are aimed at people in their 20s and 30s who share the beliefs and values of the ACLU but are not members – partly because they do not know much about what we stand for. The campaign intends to show how the ACLU relates to their lives and issues they care about," she said. "The language is intentionally hipper than usual for the ACLU," she added.

Despite the national scope of the subject and the ACLU organization, this commercial aired only in Washington State.

Commercial Closet Association

Company: American Civil Liberties Union
Brand: ACLU
Ad Title: The Colonel
Business Category: Regional/Local Politics
Media Outlets: Television
Country: United States
Region: North America, US Regional
Agency: Cole & Weber
Year: 2001, 2002
Target: Mainstream

[identity profile] marquesate.livejournal.com 2009-01-17 05:47 pm (UTC)(link)
I really liked it, for many reasons: aesthetically pleasing, elegant, understated, quiet (I don't like things that are to "hip", too loud, too fast, I like to be able to think!), intelligent, and it shows an OLDER couple (that doesn't happen often and I am so very pleased that it isn't a sexy, hot young stereotypical couple), and a very simple and effective comfort which comes through the chosen imagery. Of course, on top of taht I like it for a very very obvious reason. :-)

[identity profile] elisa-rolle.livejournal.com 2009-01-17 05:53 pm (UTC)(link)
I was thinking at you while I posted this one. I was betting with myself if you would left a comment. It was the first time you see it? if so I'm happy to bring it to your attention. Elisa