Ad Council's First Gay Campaign To Target Youth Anti-Gay Language
By Michael Wilke
July 9, 2007

By year end, the 60-year-old nonprofit Ad Council will launch its first ever public service announcement with a gay message by teaming with GLSEN, the Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network, to combat anti-gay language and harassment in schools.

The Ad Council has popularized many slogans over the decades, including the World War II message "Loose Lips Sink Ships" and Smokey the Bear, who declared "Only you can prevent forest fires; (both in the 1940s), the United Negro College Fund campaign's "A mind is a terrible thing to waste" in the 1970s, and the 1980s effort "Friends don't let friends drive drunk." It has also introduced iconic characters including the crying American Indian for Keep America Beautiful, McGruff the Crime Dog who began taking "A bit out of crime" in the 1970s, and the Crash Test Dummies to encourage safety belt usage in the 1980s. the rest