Coca-Cola on Sunday became the first advertiser to feature a gay family in a Super Bowl television commercial.
The ad, titled “It’s Beautiful,” celebrates America’s diversity and cultures with images of scenic landscapes from around the country, and the song “America the Beautiful” being sung in a seven different languages.
In a five-second clip within the 1-minute commercial, two male partners and their daughter go roller-skating. Gay rights organization GLAAD praised the ad, calling it “a step forward for the advertising industry.”
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The ad is here; see the gay dads and their daughter around the 0:44 mark:
The ads comes just days ahead of the opening of the Winter Olympic Games in Russia, where Coke is a high profile sponsor.
The beverage maker has been criticized for sponsoring the games because of Russia’s anti-gay law that bans “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations” to minors.
“Coca-Cola has demonstrated to corporate America that being LGBT-inclusive is good business, but as the world turns its attention to Sochi for the 2014 Winter Olympics, it’s time for sponsors of the Olympics like Coca-Cola to show the whole world how beautiful LGBT families are,” said GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis in a statement after the ad aired.
Coca-Cola also released a behind-the-scenes video featuring additional footage of the family which you can see below.
One of the dads spoke out in the behind-the-scenes video saying: “Today I see people asking us to hold hands, people embracing us as a family and respecting us.”
Watch (around 2:24 and 2:58):
A longer version of the ad is set to air during the opening ceremony of the Sochi games on Feb. 7.
