Dallas advertising agency made ‘He Gets Us’ Super Bowl ads
DALLAS - A Dallas-based advertising agency was behind one of the most talked-about ads from this year's Super Bowl.
Two commercials shown Sunday night centered around Jesus’ message to love your neighbors — even across ideological divides. In one, people of different races, classes and gender expressions have their feet washed, including a woman outside a family planning clinic.
The ‘He Gets Us’ ads were produced by Dallas-based ad agency Lerma.
"We are honored to share Jesus' powerful message of forgiveness, unity, and love. In a world divided, we strive to inspire a future united through compassion," said LERMA/ CEO and founder Pedro Lerma in a post on LinkedIn last week.
He Gets Us campaign spokesperson Greg Miller told the Associated Press the campaign's website received 715,000 views in 24 hours since the ads ran.
The ad also had 603,000 views on YouTube by Tuesday afternoon.
The "He Gets Us" campaign is now under a new charitable organization, Come Near, meaning the Servant Foundation is no longer overseeing it. The nonprofit says it is "committed to sharing the life and love of Jesus in thought-provoking new ways."
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On its website, the campaign notes that "probably the most common questions" received are about its stance on the LGBTQ+ community. "So let us be clear in our opinion. Jesus loves gay people and Jesus loves trans people … No matter who you are, YOU are invited to explore the story of Jesus and consider what it means for your life."
Lerma was also responsible for several electronic billboards for ‘He Gets Us’ that were shown around Las Vegas during the days leading up to the Super Bowl.
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The "He Gets Us" campaign says it plans to advertise during other major cultural moments over the next year, including the Paris Olympics, the NFL draft, and the Republican and Democratic conventions.
The Associated Press' Tiffany Stanley, Religion News Editor Holly Meyer and reporter Deepa Bharath contributed.