Ad of the Week: Procter & Gamble - "Olympics/Thank You Mom

With the Olympics starting in just a couple days, I thought this was a great commercial for this week's Ad of the Week. It's Procter & Gamble's moving Thank You Mom spot for the 2012 Summer Olympics. They released it awhile ago, in time for Mother's day, but I'm sure we'll see plenty of it in the weeks to come.

In nicely understated tones, they show a series of mom's getting their kids up to go to practice – whether it's swimming, running, gymnastics or whatever. And it gives you a good feel for the kind of sacrifice these mom's give to help their children live the Olympic dream and become the best they can be. (I'm not sure why the dad's aren't helping, but that's another story)

They do a good job of not making it an American story, but a global story – a universal story of moms everywhere doing what's best for their kids. And the products are slide in there very slightly, adding to the story not forced in. You don't actually see them unless you look really closely. But to show the work of a mom and the passage of time, you see them doing laundry, doing dishes – all the little things that need to get done on a daily basis (and, not coincidentally, that use P&G's product lines).

It's understated, emotional and beautifully done. It's also the cornerstone to a whole thank you mom/Olympic campaign that features videos featuring stories about the moms behind individual athletes. Each one titled "Raising an Olympian: (athlete's name)." So, enjoy it again or for the first time. Here it is in it's long format.

Procter & Gamble – "2012 Olympics/Thank You Mom"