Heartwarming new Ritz crackers holiday ad celebrates LGBT+ love and the beauty of chosen family
Ritz is donating $50,000 to charities that support inclusion. (Ritz Crackers)
A new holiday advert for Ritz crackers, titled “Where There’s Love, There’s Family”, focuses on the beauty of chosen family and celebrates queer love.
Released this week, the TV ad features a queer man who has been desperately trying to contact his mother as she refuses to speak to him. He is eventually welcomed, along with his partner, into a joyful holiday party with his LGBT+ chosen family.
Other storylines in the advert also focus on a desire for connection, including a young girl in a homeless shelter sharing a Ritz cracker with an older man, and a grandmother who is unable to be with her family attending a party at her care home.
A voiceover says: “The holidays are about spending time with family. Whether it’s the one you’re born into, or the one you make.”
The advert was produced for Ritz parent company Mondelēz by The Martin Agency, who made sure to cast actual LGBT+ people in the queer roles.
Creative director Sara Kuhs said in a press release: “We felt strongly about finding a cast who could help us tell these important stories in an authentic and meaningful manner.
“During casting, it became apparent to us how closely linked the actors’ personal experiences were to those they were portraying, making our message about inclusion and belonging that much more palpable and powerful.”
I'll be buying more @Ritzcrackers now. Thank you, Ritz! #Pride #LGBTQ https://t.co/lLYTAyVPfm
— Buddy 🌻🏳️🌈♿️🌊🌊🇺🇦#resist Plz RT my tweets (@BuddyfromNJ) November 13, 2020
Patty Gonzalez, senior director of marketing at Mondelēz, added: “‘Where There’s Love, There’s Family’ challenges the definition of ‘family’ and the belief that it has to be defined by blood or marriage.
“At a time when our families may be strained as a result of social distancing, political tensions or personal orientations and identities, the Ritz brand’s campaign is intended to encourage Americans to help build a more accepting world and welcome in those that may be feeling disconnected or alone.”
As part of its “Where There’s Love, There’s Family” campaign, Ritz is also donating $50,000 to three US charities; It Gets Better Project, which supports LGBT+ youth, Hispanic Star, which supports Hispanic communities, and homelessness charity Invisible People.
