This Viral Canadian Commercial Has A Beautiful Message

It seems like each new day brings another viral video, but not all are actually worth watching. However, once in a while, a very good exception comes along. This Canadian Tire commercial is once such exception, and it went viral for good reason.

The heartwarming commercial is spreading a simple but profound message of goodwill toward others and it drives home the old adage, “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.”

And if you can watch it without tearing up, well. . . nevermind actually, you will tear up. Have a look:

The advertisement shows a group of children playing basketball. When the ball rolls away, the boy who runs after it sees another boy sitting on his porch in a wheelchair. The first boy says hello and runs off with the ball. Later, the boy in the wheelchair comes outside to find a basketball on his doorstep.

When he goes over to the area where the boys are playing, he sees them all rolling around on little handmade carts, and he’s able to join the game, too. Just like that, the play field is leveled, in such a beautiful way. The slogan at the end of the commercial is, “We all play for Canada.” And it couldn’t be more powerful.

At the time of publication, the commercial had gotten 82 million views, 1.7 million shares and 25,000 comments on Facebook. Not bad as far as viral sensations are concerned.

Despite its recent popularity, this commercial is not new. It first aired back in August for the summer Olympics. The spot has since been noticed by several publications and garnered a lot of attention online.

“I think being part of a social conversation is always a benefit [to the brand],” Eva Salem, Canadian Tire’s VP of marketing, told Strategy News.

Although the Olympics have long passed, this commercial remains highly relevant. Whether you’re watching it for the first time or saw it back in August (in which case, watch it again!), be sure to share it with others. This message matters—no matter how much time has passed since it was first released.