ViacomCBS, Language of Love

The campaign, called "Do You Speak MTV ?" has a series of situations in which people speak lines that sound like words from a song (sometimes they actually are), then a current tune kicks in and their behavior changes.

In the one called "Language of Love," there are three couples in a field: two men, two women, and a man and woman. The woman says to the man, "Sorry, I can?t be tied down ? I have needs. Stop being such a player-hater!"

The two young guys are a picture of geek chic. With similar, amusingly stilted comments, one says to the other, "I love you. I hate you . . . I love you. I hate you." To which the other replies, "You are too inflamed with the fire of our desire. That is not good."

Moving to the two women, one of them says, "I love you, but I?m not in love with you." The other, in black leather pants, says, "What does that mean?" And she repeats more slowly, "I love you, but I?m not in love with you."

Then the words "Press Play" appear on screen, the Creed song "Higher" begins playing, and each of the couples grab each other in a passionate embrace. The heterosexual couple falls to the ground, the lesbians are a blur of hair and the guys make out madly.

"Pro-social stuff is so important," says Christina Norman, VP of on-air promotions. "We don?t do it in response to something. That mission is just the right thing to do. Not everybody gets to live in New York City and be exposed to everything. We can show straight kids in this country that (gay people are) out there and gay kids can say, ?There I am!?"

To its credit, MTV ?s inclusion of lesbians and gays has been exemplary for years, in popular programs such as reality series "The Real World," former dating game "Singled Out" and the late-night teen soap "Undressed." In 1996, the network aired its first promotional spot about two surfers who end up running down the beach together, hand-in-hand.

Another promotional ad featuring a lovesick gay teen won the GLAAD Media Award in the advertising category. MTV has set the gold standard among all advertisers for the most ads that refer to the community, more than 25 since 1996, in addition to carrying numerous gay ads from other companies and running its own supportive gay-inclusive programming.