Minnow’s Five Things

This week I became obsessed with viral ads that work. It all started with the Olympics and went from there. You might have seen some of them already but hopefully there will still be a few surprises. Here’s what caught my attention.
Olympic season is revving up and there is nothing like a good cry, courtesy of P&G, to get moms in the mood for the games (so we’ll say yes to staying up late and watching them on a school night). I love this ad as much as I did the one they made for the summer games. They nailed it again with the tag line: ‘For teaching us that falling only makes us stronger. Thanks, Mom’. Thank you, P&G for respectful and effective advertising to moms.

Here’s another great ad from RBC that succeeds in pulling on parents’ heart strings. You just can’t help but love the kid in this video, and it makes you proud to be Canadian. Any parent will love this one, but hockey parents will especially.

It’s no surprise the big brands are so successful at advertising but it’s nice to see them reaching parents so effectively. Coke nailed it too, with this hilarious and heartfelt ad portraying early parenting trials. The ad was shot in a different language and culture but the challenges are universal. The music is perfect too.

The reviews on the mom blogs of this Old Spice video have been mixed. Not everyone loves it, but it’s getting our attention and that’s half the battle. I think it’s pretty funny, but I have a 16 year old so I sometimes feel like the mom trailing behind the car in my laundry hamper—not wanting to let go. Other times I am waving and dancing a jig while the car drives away. It depends on the day.

Finally, the ads that caught my attention the most are these ones which did more than entertain me or make me cry—they made me think. They ask the question: What if we cared about those living in poverty as much as we care about celebrities? Indeed, this is the question posed by WoodGreen Community Services who, together with DDB Canada, created subway ads in Toronto with pictures of real moms—many of them single parents—who are struggling to feed their families. Why do we care so much about celeb moms? That is the question. Here’s more information about WoodGreen Community Services, because we should care more about the people in our community.

Have a great week.