Advertisements don’t often make me cry. Most of the time, I view any ad with skepticism, because I know the writers are just trying to seduce me into buying something I probably don’t need. But this one is different.
It shows an older couple who talk honestly about the difficulties and joys they’ve experienced in raising their granddaughter, because her father is incarcerated. They even say what many in their position wouldn’t: “We want to be the grandparents, knowing we have to be the parents.”
I love it, simply because it’s a story we don’t hear often, but happens all the time. And I’m all about showcasing diversity in popular media, because families come in all different shapes and sizes.
READ: How My Grandparents Taught Me The Meaning of True Love
But it’s also hilarious. Because it’s about toilet paper. How ironic is that? As touching as it is, it’s an ad about what you use to wipe your butt. It also smartly parallels Angel Soft’s tagline: “Be soft. Be strong.” Which is exactly what these grandparents are trying to do in parenting their granddaughter; like toilet paper, parenting is essential. See what they did there?
Of course, we’re just trying not to think about how this is all an extended poop joke/metaphor. But that’s kind of why it’s brilliant.
Watch the entire ad below, it’ll make you laugh/cry:
https://youtu.be/9nepG1YM-to
