NFL Promoting Inclusion With New "Love Has No Labels" Commercial Shot At Pro Bowl

The NFL is partnering with R/GA, N.Y. and the Ad Council to "create the latest version" of a "Love has no Labels" ad, which "celebrates diversity and inclusion," according to Alexandra Bruell of the WALL STREET JOURNAL. The ad "follows a 'kiss cam'" that roved around Orlando's Camping World Stadium during the Pro Bowl. The kiss cam "features a mixed race couple, two boys with down syndrome, a woman in a wheelchair with her husband and a gay couple -- one of the women featured is a survivor of last year’s deadly shooting at a nightclub in Orlando." The NFL "joins other brands that have lately looked to strike a feel-good note with messages [of] inclusion and diversity." While the NFL's brand "isn't featured in the spot, it centers on professional football imagery" (WSJ.com, 2/14). ADWEEK's Tim Nudd wrote setting the video at the Pro Bowl "emphasizes the truly American nature of inclusion and acceptance of difference at a time when those values are plainly under attack." It also "signals a commitment by the NFL to uphold those values, a week after the league aired a spot (from Translation) during the Super Bowl that encouraged Americans to find common ground amid the political strife of the times." NFL Senior VP/Social Responsibility Anna Isaacson said, "The NFL is strongly committed to diversity and inclusion. We are proud to be working with the Ad Council" (ADWEEK.com, 2/14).