I’ve often been critical of commercials and their exaggerations (err, “I just misspoke”…sound familiar?) and am happy to report that there’s a really good one out there now! Yes, a good commercial. And, it portrays men in a good light. How novel? How refreshing? How odd?
Here it is, video’d off my television, with my iPhone:
The company is Mass Mutual. The sentiment is pure. It touched me because it resonated with me in my own life and because it was so genuine. It sold a meaningful change in the relationship between a father and son in less than thirty seconds. The product is secondary to the emotion communicated. It’s a credit to Mass Mutual and it’s classy.
Why does it resonate so much to me? Simply, I was there. I don’t remember the exact time I first began picking up the checks when I was with my parents, but I remember the transition and the joy it gave me to be able to give back to my parents, specifically my hard-working dad.
Media can do so much good. I often despair at the bad it does, especially in the arena of news. I often say that journalism is dead – replaced by opinionism. I also often criticize mainstream entertainment for its degradation of our lives and society.
Sometimes, there’s beauty produced and this is a prime example. How a commercial of just thirty seconds can provoke such warmth is proof of the power of the medium (anyone remember who is famous for that turn of a phrase?).
