A new marriage equality campaign starts in Maine tomorrow. As reported on Towleroad, the campaign is “Timed to run around Thanksgiving, when families gather around the table and in front of the television, the first 30-second ad features a close shot of an elderly Catholic couple from rural Maine who have been married 42 years, describing the journey they took to accept that one of their daughters is a lesbian…A second 30-second ad features a self-identified conservative United Methodist Church minister, wearing his religious collar, and his wife as they talk about how they ‘really struggled through this issue.'”

Maine is being targeted for these ads because the state will likely once again be dealing with the issue of gay marriage in 2012.

“Instead of being preachy, the ads aim to empathize with the ‘journey’ voters are taking as they try to sort out their conflicted feelings about same-sex marriage,” which was reported in the San Francisco Chronicle.

The advertisers in Maine are trying to learn from the mistakes made in previous pro-gay marriage campaigns. These ads will reflect the struggles that people undergo as they come to terms with gay marriage. For a majority of the nation, the concept of two men or two women pledging their lives together not only makes them uncomfortable, but it challenges a long-held belief system. By highlighting the struggles of those who have accepted gay marriage, gay marriage proponents in Maine hope to capture the “one-third of Maine voters who are comfortable with civil unions but conflicted about supporting marriage.” 

This approach is brilliant. Life and our opinions are a never ending journey. As humans, we change and evolve over time. We don’t remain static. Showcasing the paths other people have taken on the road to marriage equality will hit closer to home and be far more persuasive than simply preaching about how we all deserve to be equal. As any good debater knows, standing on a soap box only convinces an audience that already agrees with you. Skeptical or neutral audiences need more than an emotional appeal. They need arguments that appeal to their belief and their core values. They should see themselves reflected in the argument. This advertising campaign does that well.

Here are the two promos.

(videos found via Towleroad)