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Move over, Nike. Gillette has just one-upped you – and in a VERY good way. They just released a new ad – and instead of focusing on social justice, they decided to show someone who has overcome real adversity in his life.
Gillette’s new ad is called “Your Best Never Comes Easy,” and showcases NFL rookie Shaquem Griffin. Shaquem, along with his twin brother Shaquill, both play for the Seattle Seahawks. What makes Shaquem’s story compelling is that he had his left hand amputated at age four.
When Tangie Griffin was pregnant, an ultrasound revealed that a fibrous strand of the amniotic membrane had wrapped around Shaquem’s left wrist. If left alone, the band would keep his left hand from developing. Doctors could try to move the band, but if they did, the band might wrap around the neck of one of the twins. “I had a choice to say, ‘Let’s try it and pray everything is O.K.,’ ” Tangie says. “But in my mind, that is not an option at all.” So Tangie and her husband, Terry, discussed how they’d parent a son with a malformed left hand or no left hand at all. Their conclusion? Treat him no differently than their other children. Never let him consider his condition a hindrance.
For the first four years of Shaquem’s life, any jolt to his left hand brought waves of pain. The night he banged the bunk bed frame, Shaquem had enough. So had his mother. A nurse, Tangie called in a favor from a doctor she knew. He said he could get Shaquem on the schedule within the next month. No, Tangie told him. Tomorrow. The next day, after an operation, instead of feeling like something was missing, Shaquem felt relief.
Shaquem Griffin went on to play college football for the University of Central Florida, and then got his magical moment this last April, when he was drafted by the Seahawks – the same team his twin brother was already on.
What a moment, @Shaquemgriffin is officially a Seahawk! #SeahawksDraft pic.twitter.com/7BGA8SPgmt
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) April 28, 2018
Twins and teammates: @shaquemgriffin took the #SeahawksDraft stage with his brother, @ShaquillG. pic.twitter.com/OX1wAXsUxh
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) April 28, 2018
And Gillette decided to run Shaquem’s story in their ad. And not only is it a tribute to Shaquem, but also to his father Terry Griffin.
According to Ad Age, the “Your Best Never Comes Easy” ad shows Shaquem Griffin’s rise to success from a young boy to an adult with the help of his father, Terry. Not only does his father teach him backyard football drills but also (since this is a Gillette ad after all) the basics of shaving.
It is truly a pro-father ad.
“Your best never comes easy,” the ad states in conclusion. “The best a man can get.”
Ad Age reports that “the new TV spot from Grey will be followed by a long-form online-only video next week, combined with a social media, PR and promotional campaign” and is “part of an overall effort aimed at redefining the brand for a new generation.”
Brand director Pankaj Bhalla, brand director said the Griffin family and their story epitomizes everything “The Best a Man Can Get” campaign means to highlight.
“We were asking ourselves what would be the best way to modernize and redefine ‘The Best a Man Can Get?'” Bhalla says. “Once we started to learn about the Griffin family, and what they’ve gone through …we knew the story was compelling.”
I will admit that the Nike and Colin Kaepernick ad has produced some of the best memes EVER on the internet.
Fun Fact: Thanos has more snaps in 2018 than Kaepernick does. #Nike pic.twitter.com/5nc1o0XYNU
— Deadpool (@ComedicMerc) September 5, 2018
https://twitter.com/cannonjw/status/1037347432827416576
Just do it. #Nike pic.twitter.com/t966PgVlmF
— Lorenzo The Cat (@LorenzoTheCat) September 12, 2018
https://twitter.com/PandoricaPhotos/status/1039270855761641474
But in the sheer class and inspirational category, Gillette has Nike beat by a mile.
Featured photo: Shaquem Griffin in SBNation (photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)
Bravo Zulu to Gillette.
And BRAVO ZULU to Shaquem Griffin and his family.
Lorenzo is my new background image.
Nike ad at 1:33. Watch.
How could Nike ignore this great story in their ad???? Oh…they didn’t.
Might make sense to watch both ads before you write a story on them.
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