P&G 'Leads With Love' in W+K Ads for the Tokyo Olympics

In a pair of moving Olympic films breaking today, Procter & Gamble explores the role moms frequently play in helping young athletes reach their full potential, both in the arena and as human beings.

First, this two-and-half-minute tale combines narratives about bullying and bad sportsmanship…

…with those of loving moms—long a focus of P&G’s marketing across various channels—teaching their kids life lessons along the road to Olympic glory.

“We created this film before the Tokyo Games were postponed, but we feel that its message of love is more relevant than ever,” P&G chief brand officer Marc Pritchard said in a presentation last week. “P&G believes the Olympic Games have a tremendous power to unite the world through sport.” (Nixed last year amid Covid-19’s first wave, the Summer Games are set to begin July 23, with P&G returning as a major sponsor.)

Created by Wieden + Kennedy Portland, the spot closes with the line, “We can be the people you taught us to be,” and the hashtag #LeadWithLove, both of which P&G introduced in ads last year.

Next, a :60, also from W+K, shows elite athletes performing acts of kindness on the field of play and in their communities. In a notable touch, it’s voiced from the perspective of proud parents, with Marlene Felix, mother of track and field star Allyson Felix, contributing to the narration.

“Your whole life, you’ve done things I could’ve never imagined doing—things almost no one in the world can do,” the ad begins. “But I’m proud of you for something else. I’m proud of you for doing the things we could all be doing. The things you do not for yourself, but for others. Things that matter … and I can’t wait to see what you do next.”

Allyson Felix and basketball standout Elena Delle Donne, both Olympic gold medalists, appear, along with Shigo Kunieda from Japan, a winner of Paralympic gold for wheelchair tennis.

Well timed to Mother’s Day on Sunday, the films deliver a worthy message, celebrating the stuff in life that matters most but often flies under the radar, with no gold medals or Wheaties boxes as rewards.

Felix also features in an installment of P&G’s “Good Is Gold” film series, which profiles individual competitors.

CREDITS

—CLIENT PROCTER & GAMBLE
PROJECT NAME LOVE LEADS TO GOOD

W+K PORTLAND
ECDs ERIC BALDWIN & JASON BAGLEY
Creative Directors DARCIE BURRELL & AZSA WEST
Art Director NADIA AHMAD
Copywriter DEREK SZYNAL
Director of Production MATT HUNNICUTT
Director of Film BEN GRYLEWICZ
Executive Producer HAYLEY GOGGIN
Agency Producer AMY BERRIOCHOA
Associate Producer CECILIA RAMIREZ
Brand Director SARAH LYNCH
Group Brand Director COURTNEY NELSON
Design Ops Manager/Design Producer ALICIA KUNA/ ALEX SANCHEZ
Group Strategy Director ZACK JEROME
Creative Operations Manager BROOKE SALISBURY, KATE OLIVER
Business Affairs LAURA CALDWELL
Broadcast Traffic ZAC ROSEVEAR, QUINN HILL
Brand Executive EMERY BARNES

PRODUCTION
Production Company SMUGGLER
Director MILES JAY
Executive Producer ALLISON KUNZMAN
Line Producer SAUL GERMAINE
Director of Photography CHAYSE IRVIN
Production Design/Art Direction AKIN McKENZIE

EDITORIAL
Editorial Company WHITEHOUSE POST
Editor CHARLIE HARVEY
Assistant Editor TAYLOR SCHWARTZ
Post Producer ANNIE MALDONADO
Post Executive Producer JOANNA MANNING

COLOR
Company COLOR COLLECTIVE
Colorist ALEX BICKEL

ORIGINAL MUSIC COMPOSITION
Music Supervision WE ARE WALKER
Composer DUSTIN O’HALLORAN

VFX
VFX Company A52
VFX Supervisor
VFX Shoot Supervisor
PAT MURPHY
JESSE MONSOUR
CG Supervisor
CG Lead
ANDY WILKOFF
BRIAN WHITE
2D Artists STEFAN GALLIOT, CHRIS RILEY, MICHAEL VAGLIENTY, RICHARD HIRST, JOHN VALLE
3D Artists TOM BRIGGS, JAEMIN LEE, DUSTIN MELLUM, PAULO DE ALMADA, JOEY BETTINARDI, MICHAEL CARDENAS, JIE ZHOU
Roto Artists: ROTOMAKER
VFX Producer MICHAEL STEINMANN, SERENA NOORANI
VFX Executive Producer KIM CHRISTENSEN & PATRICK NUGENT
Managing Director JENNIFER SOFIO HALL

SOUND DESIGN
Sound Designer BRIAN EMRICH

MIX
Music/Sound/Mix Company JOINT
Audio Mixer/Sound Engineer NOAH WOODBURN
Audio Producer JEN MILANO

—CLIENT Procter & Gamble
PROJECT NAME Your Goodness is Your Greatness

W+K PORTLAND
ECD Eric Baldwin
Managing Director Jess Monsey
Creative Directors Kevin Jones, Patty Orlando
Art Director Derrick Ho
Copywriter Becca Wadlinger, Brock Kirby, Max Stinson
Director of Production Matt Hunnicutt
Executive Producer Heather Hanrahan
Senior Producer Katie McCain
Associate Producer Katie Schaller
Group Brand Director Thomas Harvey
Brand Director Sarah Lynch
Head of Strategy David Terry
Business Affairs Teresa Lutz
Broadcast Traffic Quinn Hill
Creative Operations Manager Lindsey Reightley

PRODUCTION
Production Company Ways & Means
Executive Producers Lana Kim, Jett Steiger
Head of Production Lauren Skillen
Director / Director of Photography Natasha Braier
Line Producer Serene Bynum

RESEARCH
Footage Research & Clearance Nickerson Research, Inc.

EDITORIAL
Editorial Company JOINT
Executive Producer Kathleen Russell
Editor Peter Wiedensmith
Cutting Assistant Ian DeVore
Producer Dina Ciccotello
Associate Producer Izzie Raitt

VFX
VFX Company a52
VFX Supervisor Patrick Murphy
Flame Artists Chris Payne, Kevin Stokes, Richie White, Rod Basham
Online Editors Kevin Stokes, Sam Kolber, Noah Poole
Animators Bruno Ferrari, Nader Husseini
Producer Andrew Rosenberger
Head of Production Stacy Kessler-Aungst
Executive Producers Patrick Nugent, Kim Christensen
Managing Director Jennifer Sofio Hall

COLOR
Company Primary
Primary Colorist Daniel de Vue
Assistant Colorists Corey Martinez, Dylan Bursick
Producer Jenny Bright
Executive Producer Thatcher Peterson

MIX/SOUND DESIGN
Sound/Mix Company JOINT
Audio Mixers Noah Woodburn, Natalie Huizenga

LICENSED MUSIC
Artists Ludovico Einaudi, Federico Mecozzi, Redi Hasa
Composer Ludovico Einaudi
Track Name Golden Butterflies (Day 1)
Label Ponderosa Music&Art, Milan, IT