This week’s #ThrowAdThursday takes us roughly a year ago when Google released a two-and-a-half-minute video to support the LGBT community. The commercial was published in June last year for Pride Month and brought attention to a gym in Kansas City, Missouri that is open to the transgender community. This powerful story of both struggle and understanding first aired during the 2015 ESPY Awards honoring Caitlyn Jenner and it became the only Google brand commercial ever created externally. It was produced by Art Director Avery Oldfield and Copywriter Adam Wolinsky for agency Venables Bell & Partners, Google Small Business and City Gym KC.

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The couple behind REI’s highly acclaimed and brilliant campaign #OptOutside that suggested people don’t join the Black Friday spending spree and rather go for a hike, created another successful and strong ad campaign that now has now over 1.5 million views on YouTube. It stars mainly Jacob Nothnagel, an IT specialist, and includes clips from his YouTube channel, Jacobs Wandering, that documented his transition. The ad shows how fitness can be a great part of such a transition and the gym owner, Hailee Bland-Walsh, adds: “It was never an intention to create a space specific for any group, but what a testament it is to create a space where any group feels comfortable.”

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The ad has received immense coverage and mostly positive feedback and Jacob Nothnagel said: “When being introduced to the idea of taking part in this all, all I ever wanted was that people would view this ad and that it would open their eyes and minds to the real life situations that are going on around them every minute of every day. I can proudly say that the coverage and the response that this ad has received has completely surpassed all I ever dreamed of and wanted for people to see.”

Credits:

Avery Oldfield & Adam Wolinsky for Google Small Business & City Gym KC

Executive Creative Director: Will McGinness
Creative Director: Lee Einhorn
Art Director: Avery Oldfield
Copywriter: Adam Wolinsky
Production Company: Uber Content
Director: Eliot Rausch
Director of Photography: Chayse Irvin