The Catholic Vote - Not Alone - (2015) 2:40 (USA)

Once upon a time in America, they thought that Kennedy might not make it to the White House because he was a catholic. Now in the days after the Supreme Court ruling that made same-sex marriage legal in all US states, this ad appears. It's your usual choddy, the talking heads, the nervous admission, the music rising as emotions are shown. We've seen this execution for everything from processed cheese to breast cancer awareness. The people in this ad all talk about love, acceptance and fear. "How many people can I really truly, honestly, be open with", a young man asks, while another shyly explains "most people think I'm pretty weird anyway." For a moment, you might even think this is an ad about stepping out of the closet, but that is the twist. The secret these people are reluctant to share is their religious view on marriage. "I believe that a marriage is between a man and a woman" one states frankly, and the video goes on; "No one should be looked down upon, no one should be oppressed..." and "you can not have a society of hatred or a society of bigotry". One woman concludes "the best way to break down all these barriers, is to get to know people one on one". Now, Adweek reviewed this ad stating: "the ad, with a straight face, position Catholics as a persecuted group for not having their message of intolerance (here blatantly recast as its opposite) widely accepted these days" and called it disingenuous and disrespectful, saying "you can't reposition a group as oppressed when there is no movement to oppress them", kind of proving the ads point. Those who through their religion believe that marriage is a sacred vow between a man and a woman and God now fear to express this idea, as they will be called bigoted for adhering to their holy scripture as they understand it.

Client: Catholic Vote