P&G’s Resonant Mom Tributes
Procter & Gamble’s corporate social responsibilty project of paying tributes to Moms for their tireless support in raising Olympians, was launched in 2010 at the Vancouver Winter Olympics.
The integrated Olympic Partnership campaigns are the most successful in the history of the games in generating sustained, consumer goodwill.
Emotively resonant campaign commercials served as insightful reminders to viewers that the journey for every participating athlete to the Olympic Games is a long one that starts in early childhood.
Without the encouragement and the nurturing of their hopes and aspirations by their parents over many years, they would not have made it.
Olympians globally warmly embraced the insightful tributes to their Moms with heartfelt appreciation. Many Dads understandably, were not happy that their contributions were excluded from the film scenarios. Nevertheless, their unanimous sentiment was that the tributes to Moms were undeniably well deserved.
1. P&G 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, You’ll Never Walk Alone
Advertising Agency: Wieden + Kennedy, Portland, USA
Directed by Dante Ariola, the commercial features Moms pledging their lifelong, loving care to their children by singing ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ from the Rogers & Hammerstein musical Carousel.
2. P&G 2012 London Summer Olympics, The Best Job
Advertising Agency: Wieden + Kennedy, Portland, U.S.A.
‘The Hardest Job In The World Is The Best Job In The World’ is the title of a multi-award winning commercial directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu.
Aired online shortly before the start of the games the emotive story is about the support, encouragement and huge effort Mums around the world make daily for their children to become Olympic contenders.
The commercial motivated over 4 million views in the first week of airing, went viral globally to gain a remarkable addition of 74 million more views, and won the Emmy for ‘Commercial of the Year’, as well as two Gold and three Silver Lions at the Cannes Awards.
3. P&G 2012 London Summer Olympics, Kids
Advertising Agency: Wieden + Kennedy, Portland, U.S.A.
Directed by the hugely talented Daniel Kleinman, the multi-media commercial was filmed in the US and Great Britain.
The story is about how the games are viewed from a Mom’s perspective and covers seven Olympic sport disciplines featuring a cast of 245 children from 16 competing countries.
4. P&G 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, Pick Them Back Up
Advertising Agency: Wieden + Kennedy, Portland, U.S.A.
Directed by Lance Acord, the P&G commercial for the Russian winter olympics at the Black Sea coastal city of Sochi, was an integrated advertising extension of their ‘Thank You Mom’ communication platform.
As part of the campaign, all 357 Moms of US Olympians & Paralympians were given a $1,000 VISA gift card from P&G to help them on their journey to Sochi to watch their children compete.
The soundtrack features a new composition by renowned composer Ludovico Einaudi who also provided the stirring background music to the ‘Best Job’ commercial.
5. P&G 2016 Rio Summer Olympics, Someone Strong
Advertising Agency: Wieden + Kennedy, Portland, U.S.A.
Directed by Jeff Nichols and featuring the music of Ludovico Einaudi’s ‘Experience’ composition as the soundtrack, the commercial is a cinematic ode to female strength.
The story focuses on the courageous protection Moms demonstrate at dramatic and often critical times throughout their children’s lives.
6. P&G 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, Love Over Bias
Advertising Agency: Wieden + Kennedy, Portland, U.S.A
Alma Ha’rel directed this emotive commercial for the 2018 Winter Olympics held in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
The interrelated social responsibility campaign is about the championing of diversity and the nurturing of human potential. P&G used the 2018 Pyeongchang olympics as an appropriately opportune time to motivate a global audience to warmly embrace diversity.
The story is about the love and support Olympians require to overcome challenging socioeconomic hurdles and the barriers of cultural, racial, religious, and sexual orientation biases.
The soundtrack fittingly features Connie ‘MILCK’ Lim’s soul-stirring “Ooh Child (Things Are Gonna Get Easier)”.