The Special Olympics World Summer Games will be held in Athens from June 25 to July 4th this Summer.  Right now, athletes around the world are preparing and competing, hoping to earn a bid.

Which means corporations are preparing and promoting their involvement with the games.  After all, in a society where fierce opinions surround even the most banal issues, one would be extremely hard pressed to take issue with this initiative.

A few months back, longtime sponsor P&G released this spot as part of a multi-platform campaign highlighting their involvement.  The spot centers around the relationship between Kerry Hincka and her daughter and Special Olympic athlete Molly.  It is nothing overwrought, simply an unadorned story of a mother’s wish for her daughter–the universal wish of every parent that their children will find joy, fulfillment, and their own place in a big world.  And precisely because it is unadorned, it is particularly powerful.

What impressed me most about this piece was how the filmmakers discovered a simple detail and used it so eloquently.  The lifelong series of snapshots taken of their daughter all share one common feature: Molly is consistently at the center of the frame.  Think about that how simple a truth that is; the Hincka’s always put their daughter in the center.  As a metaphor and as a practice, that is itself beautiful.

But as a production detail, it is a revelation, elevating this spot with grace and poetry. Beautifully done.

.

By Dennis Ryan, CCO, Olson

.

PS:  If you’d like to support the Special Olympics with P&G’s money, go to http://www.facebook.com/thankyoumom .  Everytime you like, share or comment on the page, they will d0nate a dollar to the Special Olympics Team USA.