s Northam didn't know what to expect when he set up a giant, ersatz X-ray installation at the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica, Calif., this past Valentine's Day. But what he ended up with turned into one of the most beloved public service ads in recent memory—the iconic and award-winning anti-bias message "Love Has No Labels" made by R/GA for client The Ad Council.
"Obviously, the subject matter of what was going on might be polarizing for certain people, so there was a bit of a worry going in of what that could stir up in the crowd," says Northam, one of the executive creative directors of video, the crown jewel of The Ad Council's broader "Love Has No Labels" campaign. "It was overwhelmingly positive, which was really interesting given that it was a live crowd.