An Unprecedented Collaboration of Leading Brands Joins the Ad Council and Leading Non-Profits to Launch "Love Has No Labels," A Campaign to Celebrate Diversity and Promote Inclusion

NEW YORK, Feb. 12, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- In time for Valentine's Day, an unprecedented collaboration of leading brands, including The Coca-Cola Company, PepsiCo, P&G, Unilever, Allstate and State Farm, have joined the Ad Council and leading non-profit organizations to launch "Love Has No Labels," a public service communications effort to promote diversity and inclusion along with acceptance. Brands will kick off the campaign by replacing their social media profile pictures with the "Love Has No Labels" icon and distributing content across their channels. Additionally, new public service advertisements (PSAs) will be filmed in L.A. on February 14^th at a live installation event and distributed to media outlets nationwide in March. The campaign directs audiences to a new website, www.LoveHasNoLabels.com, developed with support from eight leading non-profits, including the Anti-Defamation League and the Southern Poverty Law Center.

The new campaign is designed to encourage people to examine their unconscious biases, or "implicit biases," in an effort to further understanding and acceptance of all communities regardless of race, religion, gender, sexuality, age and ability. According to the Perception Institute, the vast majority of Americans consider themselves to be unprejudiced, yet research has shown that a high percentage of these same people hold negative associations against those whom appear different than themselves.

"Implicit bias refers to the way people unconsciously and sometimes unwillingly exhibit bias towards other individuals and groups," said Rachel Godsil, Co-founder and Director of Research of the Perception Institute. "It doesn't mean that people are hiding their racial prejudices, instead, people who actively reject prejudice may still unknowingly carry around some degree of bias or stereotypes about others. The good news is that once we are aware of our biases, we can begin to take action to reduce the effects they can have on our behavior and ultimately, to reduce the biases themselves."  

"Our nation is making great progress in promoting equality and reducing acts of discrimination, but there is still much to do. As long as people continue to endure harassment; as long as they do not or cannot feel safe being themselves in our schools, our workplaces and our communities, our work is incomplete," said Lisa Sherman, President and CEO of the Ad Council. "We are proud to partner with these iconic brands in asking all Americans to think about their own beliefs and perceptions and to shine a brighter spotlight on the need for greater acceptance and equality in our country."  

In addition to funding the year-long campaign, leading brand partner companies will show their support throughout the year. Each partner company was identified based on their demonstrated commitment to fostering diversity and inclusion within and beyond their organizations. To learn more about how the partners are addressing these issues, visit www.LoveHasNoLabels.com. 

The integrated campaign, created pro bono by R/GA, will include television, print and digital PSAs, as well as an extensive social media program. The campaign website features a quiz where visitors can examine their own biases and find resources on how to overcome those biases. The PSAs also direct audiences to new social communities on Facebook and Twitter for additional content supported by the non-profit partners. The campaign taps into the expertise of eight leading non-profit organizations in each of the discriminated classes. Partnering non-profit organizations include: Anti-Defamation League, Southern Poverty Law Center, National Women's Law Center, Human Rights Campaign, American Association of People with Disabilities, American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, Muslim Advocates and AARP. The campaign website will connect visitors to the partnering non-profits where they can sign pledges, report bullying incidents and participate in other activities.

"It's been a privilege to work with the Ad Council and some of the world biggest brands to bring this initiative to life," said Nick Law, Chief Creative Officer, R/GA. "Our hope is that we've created work that people will want to share, since it's a message that we all need to hear."

To show support through their own social channels, audiences can replace their profile picture with the "Love Has No Labels" logo and use the hashtag #LoveHasNoLabels. Campaign outreach will include an emphasis on key times of year such as Pride Month, Hispanic Heritage Month and Black History Month.

"Awareness is the first step in helping to challenge prejudice and prevent the escalation to hate," said Barry Curtiss-Lusher, ADL National Chair. "As an organization charged with fighting anti-Semitism and bias and bigotry of all kinds, we are pleased to work with the Ad Council, sponsorship partners, and others to raise awareness about the harm of unconscious bias."

"This year marks the 25^th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and we've made great progress in ensuring equal opportunity and access to millions of Americans with disabilities. Despite best intentions, the unconscious judgments we hold towards people with disabilities still play out with serious consequences – employment disparities is just one example," said Mark Perriello, President and CEO of AAPD. "That's why we're joining the Ad Council in asking Americans to examine and challenge their own implicit biases as first steps towards greater acceptance for all."

Ad Council
The Ad Council is a private, non-profit organization with a rich history of marshaling volunteer talent from the advertising and media industries to deliver critical messages to the American public. To learn more about the Ad Council and its campaigns, visit www.adcouncil.org, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or view our PSAs on YouTube.

R/GA
R/GA, the agency for the Connected Age, develops products, services and communications to grow our clients' brands and businesses. Founded in 1977, the agency has been a pioneer at the intersection of technology, design and marketing with work spanning web, mobile, and social communications, retail and e-commerce, product innovation, brand development and business consulting. R/GA has more than 1,400 employees globally with offices across the United States, Europe, South America, and Asia-Pacific and is part of The Interpublic Group of Companies IPG, one of the world's largest advertising and marketing services organizations. For more information on R/GA, please visit us at www.rga.com and on Facebook and Twitter.

Corporate Partners

Allstate
The Allstate Corporation ALL is the nation's largest publicly held personal lines insurer, protecting approximately 16 million households from life's uncertainties through auto, home, life and other insurance offered through its Allstate, Esurance, Encompass and Answer Financial brand names. Allstate is widely known through the slogan "You're In Good Hands With Allstate^®." The Allstate brand's network of small businesses offers auto, home, life and retirement products and services to customers in the United States and Canada. In 2014, The Allstate Foundation, Allstate, its employees and agency owners gave $34 million to support local communities. Allstate employees and agency owners donated 200,000 hours of service across the country.

The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company KO is the world's largest beverage company, refreshing consumers with more than 500 sparkling and still brands.  Led by Coca-Cola, one of the world's most valuable and recognizable brands, our Company's portfolio features 17 billion-dollar brands including Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite, Coca-Cola Zero, vitaminwater, Powerade, Minute Maid, Simply, Georgia and Del Valle. Globally, we are the No. 1 provider of sparkling beverages, ready-to-drink coffees, and juices and juice drinks.  Through the world's largest beverage distribution system, consumers in more than 200 countries enjoy our beverages at a rate of 1.9 billion servings a day.  With an enduring commitment to building sustainable communities, our Company is focused on initiatives that reduce our environmental footprint, support active, healthy living, create a safe, inclusive work environment for our associates, and enhance the economic development of the communities where we operate.  Together with our bottling partners, we rank among the world's top 10 private employers with more than 700,000 system associates.  For more information, visit Coca-Cola Journey at www.coca-colacompany.com, follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/CocaColaCo, visit our blog, Coca-Cola Unbottled, at www.coca-colablog.com or find us on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/the-coca-cola-company.

PepsiCo
PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated more than $66 billion in net revenue in 2013, driven by a complementary food and beverage portfolio that includes Frito-Lay, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Quaker and Tropicana. PepsiCo's product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including 22 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales. At the heart of PepsiCo is Performance with Purpose – our goal to deliver top-tier financial performance while creating sustainable growth in shareholder value. In practice, Performance with Purpose means providing a wide range of foods and beverages from treats to healthy eats; finding innovative ways to minimize our impact on the environment and reduce our operating costs; providing a safe and inclusive workplace for our employees globally; and respecting, supporting and investing in the local communities where we operate. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com.

Procter & Gamble 
P&G serves nearly five billion people around the world with its brands. The Company has one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands, including Always®, Ambi Pur®, Ariel®, Bounty®, Charmin®, Crest®, Dawn®, Downy®, Fairy®, Febreze®, Gain®, Gillette®, Head & Shoulders®, Lenor®, Olay®, Oral-B®, Pampers®, Pantene®, SK-II®, Tide®, Vicks®, Wella® and Whisper®. The P&G community includes operations in approximately 70 countries worldwide. Please visit http://www.pg.com for the latest news and in-depth information about P&G and its brands.

State Farm^®
State Farm and its affiliates are the largest provider of car insurance in the U.S. In addition to providing auto insurance quotes, their 18,000 agents and more than 65,000 employees serve over 82 million policies and accounts – nearly 80 million auto, home, life, health and commercial policies, and nearly 2 million bank accounts. Commercial auto insurance, along with coverage for renters, business owners, boats and motorcycles, is available. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 41 on the 2014 Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit http://www.statefarm.com.

Unilever United States, Inc.
Unilever is one of the world's leading suppliers of Food, Home and Personal Care products with sales in more than 190 countries. Working to create a better future every day, we help people feel good, look good and get more out of life. In the United States, the portfolio includes brand icons such as: Axe, Ben & Jerry's, Breyers, Caress, Clear Scalp & Hair Therapy, Consort For Men, Country Crock, Degree, Dove personal care products, Fruttare, Good Humor, Hellmann's, I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!, Just for Me!, Klondike, Knorr, Lever 2000, Lipton, Magnum, Motions, Nexxus, Noxzema, Pond's, Popsicle, Promise, Q-tips, Simple, St. Ives, Suave, Talenti Gelato & Sorbetto, TIGI, TONI&GUY Hair Meet Wardrobe, TRESemme and Vaseline. 

All of the preceding brand names are trademarks or registered trademarks of the Unilever Group of Companies.

Our ambition is to double the size of our business, while reducing our overall environmental footprint (including sourcing, consumer use and disposal) and increasing our positive social impact. We are committed to helping more than a billion people take action to improve their health and well-being, sourcing all our agricultural raw materials sustainably by 2020, and decoupling our growth from our environmental impact. Supporting our three big goals, we have defined seven pillars, underpinned by targets encompassing social, environmental and economic areas. See more on the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan at http://www.unileverusa.com/sustainable-living/.

Unilever employs approximately 8,000 people in the United States – generating nearly $8.5 billion in sales in 2014. For more information, visit www.unileverusa.com.

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SOURCE Ad Council