Super Bowl ad showing real-life NFL 'Taylor Swift effect' is bringing people to tears
The daddy-daughter storyline is a tearjerker, without saying a word.
Dads and daughters often have a unique bond, which can sometimes hit a rocky spot as adolescence approaches. It's not that the love isn't there, but swift changes in development can leave them both reeling and struggling to connect the way they used to.
In an unexpected turn of events, many fathers are finding themselves bonding over football with their previously uninterested daughters recently. Taylor Swift, pop star beloved by millions of teens and tweens, started dating Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce near the beginning of the NFL season, and as their relationship grew, so did Swifties' interest in football. The phenomenon has been dubbed the "Taylor Swift effect."
Is a singer dating a football player a silly reason to start watching football? Maybe. Has it been a boon for many a daddy-daughter relationships? Apparently so. And skincare company Cetaphil is highlighting one real-life "Taylor Swift effect" example with their tear-jerking Super Bowl ad.
The ad is called "Game Time Glow," and it features a father and daughter who seem distanced at first. The dad sits on the sofa in his jersey watching football, while she puts her headphones on and hangs out in her room.
But soon we hear the game commentator saying something about Taylor Swift at the game, and as it catches the daughter's ear, the dad turns up the volume. Later, he brings her a football jersey of her own—number 13, which is Taylor Swift's favorite number—and soon we see them together in their jerseys, arms decked out in friendship bracelets, sharing the joy of where their worlds have collided.
It's beautifully done. No dialogue, no talking at all, just music and the sound of the game as the story plays out. Watch:
The dad and daughter in the commercial are real, and the ad reflects how their relationship has grown through this football season. The idea for the ad was pitched to Cetaphil by agency Lippe Taylor in early February. Once it was approved, it was pulled together in only one week, with lots of input from the dad-daughter pair, throughout.
That authenticity may be part of why it's hitting people so hard.
"Crying at a Cetaphil commercial at 10am on a Friday," wrote one commenter.
"Cetaphil helps the tears glide more smoothly down my face," wrote another.
"Yep, now I'm crying," shared another. "I love that dad's & daughters are now experiencing this together. It also reminds me that these days with my Daddy are coming to a end soon. I've got to call him now & tell him I love him & thank him for all of the games he watched with me."
Well done, Cetaphil.
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