I've liked television commercials ever since I can remember. I used to watch TV with my mom and laugh to commercials like they were cartoons. I think I paid more attention to them than to the actual show we were watching. I never thought much about it until I took an advertising class in college. During that first class, with the old grumpy Jack Mariucci as professor, I realized I've loved advertising since I sat down for the first time in front of a TV. I understood there were people creating those commercials, people imagining scenarios, being original, and most importantly, making a difference to a girl watching TV with her mom. For me, advertising comes easily when there is a story and a feeling I can relate to. I love to perceive my soul being awakened by creative ideas and I love the faces of people getting surprised by those same ideas. Now, I do not watch TV at all, but YouTube compensates the lack of commercials in my life. I’ll spend my perfect afternoon watching them; especially the ones with that touch of magic that I like. One of my favorite commercials is the series of P&G Thank you mom by Wieden + Kennedy, for the Sochi Olympic Winter Games.

The Thank you mom campaign encloses what I love about advertising. It represents a universal feeling: the love and respect for a mom who does her job. It makes people reflect about what it truly means to be a mom. It also has a variety of stories and characters representing different scenarios, with love as main subject. Those are the main reasons people from different backgrounds feel a connection to the campaign. It is an articulation of something that we know, that we all have experience of. I admire advertising that feels close to my own life and this campaign does. I was a high level competitor when I was younger. Every time I the campaign, I remember my mom waiting for me, sitting on a chair more than two hours a day so I could finish my training. I remember her suffering in the audience while I was fighting with someone better than me. I remember that she was the only one who helped me to stand on my own feet when I lost a medal or got a bruise. It is something special when there is a campaign you can relate to. There is something special, when giving yourself to “the dark side” lets you create a little bit of light. That is how I grasp the advertising industry.

Honestly, I think the big idea is essential. It is the soul of a campaign. But a campaign without a proper execution is a waste of time. The Thank you mom campaign has well crafted videos, with a beautiful narrative. The camera work becomes a connection between your personal story and the images on the screen. It makes you feel like a witness of something greater. Moreover, there is the fact that P&G is a family brand. The brand-concept relation makes it even more powerful than it was before. It is like they are telling us: “We are your family. We know what you and your mom go through, we are here to help”. What else do you want from an advertising campaign that wants to reach the core of society. Personally, that is my goal in this wild advertising world: being able to touch a soul, shape a brand, and tell a story.