Commercial 2: "Handle With Care"

One of my favorite health campaigns during the Health Lions days of the festival was the “Handle With Care” campaign for Gillette. This commercial grabbed my attention while I was perusing commercials and it nearly had me in tears. Honestly, there is nothing I would change about this commercial. In short, this commercial follows a son who is now older and is the primary caretaker for his father after his father experienced a stroke. This commercial highlights the son having to help his father with simple daily activities, showing the father-son role reversal and the depth of their relationship and focusing on the simple act of shaving his father’s face.

According to my own reaction and hearing about the similar reactions others had, this is a very effective commercial. There were a couple of different aspects that made this successful. The first being this appealed to ethos very effectively. The commercial is based on a true story, which makes it relatable. The way it is filmed makes the viewer feel as if they are peeking into very personal and vulnerable moments shared between father and son, using different action shots, close-ups, interview clips and slow motion video. The most careful and intimate moments of the son taking care of his father are shown with more detail in close ups, usually showing the son’s focus or the father’s gratitude. In addition to these moments, the voiceover of the son in the background explains the situation with short recordings of father son daily conversation inserted during pauses. This is all paired with soft heartwarming music.

Through out the commercial, the son describes how taking care of his father is an honor because his father did the same for him when he was young. This is all highlighted when the son takes almost 30 minutes to shave his father’s face, being careful not to cut his “squishy, thin skin”. If the closing line of the father wanting to know what he did to deserve a son like him does not make you cry, then the close-up after of the son tearing up while telling this story will.