giants and volunteer agencies , they filmed scores of Americans of every background imaginable in LA , San Francisco , Chicago , Reno , Dallas , Austin and Raleigh for the now famous " I Am an American " PSAs . The spots were created and delivered to audiences in just 10 days and continue to resonate today .
The initiative we ' ve shown during times of tragedy has also extended into the realm of natural disasters . Our industry rallied in 2005 in response to Hurricane Katrina and rushed to launch PSAs encouraging Americans to donate to immediate disaster relief. That goodwill and push for donations continues whenever we ' re faced with tsunamis , hurricanes or other disasters . Hurricanes Harvey and Irma , two of the strongest storms to hit the United States in decades , were met with expedient relief efforts-- developed in under 48 hours and in market in a matter of days-- made possible by the advertising and media industry .
A Continued Call to Action
Of course , not all " crises " happen over the course of a day or a week . Some quietly brew and build for years--social inequities , growing tensions and cultural clashes . In the past few years , we ' ve seen growing instances of hate crimes and a greater spotlight on acts of prejudice and racism . Here too , our industry has responded .
In 2015 , the Ad Council , RIGA , and a host of industry partners launched the viral " Love Has No Labels " campai gn to combat implicit bias and promote inclusion . To date , the work has garnered over 300 million views worldwide .
A huge proponent of the campaign ' s success comes from corporate competitors Coca-Cola , Pepsi , Wells Fargo , Bank of America , P & G , Unilever , Johnson & Johnson , State Farm and Google , who joined to support and activate the message . And our industry continues to push aside differences for causes that matter , a practice set to continue with the Ad Council ' s Girls in STEM campai gn and Teen Bullying campai gn , both slated to launch this September , and our recent campai gn s addressing Gun Safety ( End Family Fire ) and the Opioids Epidemic ( The Truth About Opioids ).
If we ' ve learned anything in the past year and over the course of our industry ' s history , it ' s that together we can accomplish so much more than we ever could alone . Today , consumers have to come to expect businesses to lead the social impact charge . Our history proves time and again that by combining forces , across industries and verticals , our impact is compounded . And in times of crisis-- that can mean millions of lives touched and millions of lives saved .
Lisa Sherman The Advertising Council New York , New York Women In Business March 2019