アクエリアス | NEW YOU キャンペーン 泳げるようになりたい | 2024
What really gets you swimming is everyone cheering you on / Aquarius "NEW YOU Campaign: I Want to Be Able to Swim"
This is a video following a 75-year-old grandmother over 30 days, starting from when she could barely even put her face in the water, as she works toward swimming 25 meters freestyle. It's lovely to see swimmer Kosuke Kitajima coaching her wholeheartedly, showing that age doesn't matter when you want to swim. But what really makes this commercial so moving isn't that part.
The insight
Watching someone take on a challenge is beautiful in itself, but the people watching and cheering them on—the act of support itself—might be one of the most emotionally powerful things humans do. This commercial shows the grandmother's hard work, but it's actually built so that the children at the pool, the instructor's daughter, and even we the viewers get pulled in as the ones doing the cheering.
The idea
On day 30, when she attempts the 25-meter freestyle swim, the children at the pool and everyone around her come together to cheer her on. The children, who can cheer so purely, are given that role by design, and then the daughter's comment comes in as the final touch.
Afterthought
Everyone we meet in life is cheering us on in some way. Watching this commercial reminds you of that. It's no surprise so many comments said things like "this is the first time a commercial made me cry"—it doesn't need logic, it just gets your tears going. The grandmother taking on the challenge, and everyone watching over her, all have such warm smiles, and that warmth is what gets you.
