Procter & Gamble - Pick Them Back Up
The road to Olympic glory is never smooth. Ask any gold medal-winning champion about their path tothe podium and they will talk candidly about the number of setbacks and challenges they’ve faced in their sporting careers.
The sacrifices, the injuries, the cold January mornings... the days when they thought of giving it all up and doing something a little less competitive.
You only need to scratch the gold paint off to reveal a lifetime of blood, sweat and tears.
It’s what makes the Olympics so special. Sure, the sport is good, but what makes the difference is the touching back stories that accompany every race, fight or match.
After all, people don’t want to spend their precious time watching some random ice skater when they can watch some teen whose family gave up everything just so she could follow her dream.
It’s something P&G knows only too well. The FMCG company’s ad for the 2012 Olympics,, was by far the most shared ad of the London Games.
Following the fortunes of four young Olympics wannabes as they grew from sleepy children to medal-winning champions, it managed this by focusing on the loving, unwavering support of their mums rather than the up-and-coming athletes themselves.
The ad hit its target market hard, but it wasn’t just mums who were welling up. Even some of the most flint-hearted sons and daughters found themselves reduced to tears after watching it.
Soppy Sequel
So it’s no surprise that P&G is up for trying the same trick again. Keen to defend its Olympic crown, P&G this week returned with an equally soppy sequel, this time for the Winter Games, which starts in Sochi, Russia, early next month.
"Pick Them Back Up" once again follows young Olympics hopefuls as they take their first uncertain steps towards an Olympic podium. Sure, they fall and stumble along the way, but once again Mum is there to pick them back up. It even uses the same music as the original.
It’s a brilliant piece of sporting theatre that will once again have some of you reaching for the Kleenex (or should that be P&G’s Charmin tissues?).
And if anything, the two-minute ad is even more poignant than its much-lauded predecessor, capable of melting hearts colder than a harsh Russian winter.
Great viral content, after all, is more about emotional appeal than creative appeal – and P&G manages this perfectly.
The Games may be a month away, but already the ad has attracted almost 100,000 shares in 48 hours.
It’s a fantastic watch and will take some beating among this year’s clutch of Winter Games hopefuls. With the right distribution strategy, it could even break records.
However, be warned, you may feel the urge to ring your mum or children after viewing it. You have been told!