Thank You, Mom

In Canada, today is Labour Day, a statutory holiday to celebrate workers.

If you didn't know that, don't feel bad; I had to look up the history of the holiday when I realized I've been enjoying it all these years without actually knowing how it came about.

I wasn't going to spend much time on today's newsletter, because I hoped everybody would be too busy relaxing with their loved ones to read their emails. I was going to present you with an ad, say a few words about why I liked it and why it worked, and just leave it at that.

But which ad should I choose? The fact that it's Labour Day today reminded me of something important: tomorrow is my mother's birthday.

To be clear, it was the act of giving birth, not the work involved in raising me, that made me associate the two, although if you were to ask her, I'm certain she'd say both involved a great deal of pain and effort.

It was that thought that helped me decide which ad to use.

For the 2010 Olympics, consumer giant Procter & Gamble wanted to turn its corporate reputation into a competitive advantage. The subsequent work from Wieden & Kennedy, the world's largest independent advertising agency and the people who brought Nike's "Just Do It" to the world, was an instant classic and remains one of my all-time favourite ads.

You don't have to be an Olympian to appreciate this ad. And although the spot is clearly targeted at "Moms", I'd humbly suggest the insight that drove the creative can apply to anyone who gave their time, energy, and love to you as you were growing up so that you could be successful.

The hardest job in the world,

Is the best job in the world.

Thank you, Mom

The ad is 10 years old.

But the insight that drove it is timeless.

- dp

P.S. It's always important to remember that it's not a "great ad" just because you like it... it has to work. This one worked. According to W&K, "In 2010, Thank You, Mom was the biggest and most successful global campaign in P&G’s 175-year history with: $500 million in global incremental P&G sales, 76 billion global media impressions, over 74,000,000 global views, And over 370,000,000 Twitter interactions." You can read more about the campaign here.