Freedom To Marry Buys National Ads

Freedom to Marry has announced the launch of Why Marriage Matters, a $10 million national public education campaign that will use TV ads to increase majority support for marriage equality over the next three years.

The largest effort of its kind to date, the campaign will launch this Monday on Valentine's Day during Freedom to Marry week with an initial national cable buy on CNN. Watch a preview of the ad, which features a diverse array of couples discussing their marriages, below.

According to a news release, "Freedom to Marry analyzed over 85 data-sets representing 6 years of research to develop messages that are proven to be effective in swaying public opinion around marriage. In particular, the data showed that people who have had conversations with their gay and lesbian friends about why marriage matters to them are more likely to support the freedom to marry. By shifting the conversation from a focus on rights to a conversation about shared values of love and commitment, support for the freedom to marry grows. In partnership with local and state groups, the Why Marriage Matters campaign will include a variety of mixed media advertising, including TV, radio, and online ads."

The public education campaign is part of a significant expansion announced by Freedom to Marry at a high-profile fundraiser in New York City last month. Plans include launching a presence in Washington, D.C. as the group works toward its goal of increasing Americans' majority support for marriage equality from 52% to as high as 58% over the new three years while federal litigation heads toward the Supreme Court.

"We believe we have cracked the code on the language, the messages, the messengers, and the time it will take to engage people and move them along and we want to put that campaign forward," said Freedom to Marry executive director Evan Wolfson in January.

Find out more at the new online resource to accompany the campaign, Why Marriage Matters.