Adult children raised by single mothers wish their moms a happy Father's Day in this intriguing, unconventional take on the holiday by Deutsch LA for Georgia Pacific's Angel Soft bathroom tissue.

The two-and-a-half-minute video presents various men and women who speak directly to the camera, thanking their moms for being both mothers and fathers in their lives. "She did it all, as though she was two people," one subject says. The others echo this sentiment, explaining how their moms combined softness and strength, tying back to the brand's new tagline, "Be soft, be strong," which is introduced here.

Quite a few of these folks get choked up, but that's de rigueur for the "gratitude advertising" category, and the tears are balanced by some lighter moments. (One guy recalls his mom teaching him to defend himself on the playground: "She was like, 'When you punch, you put your knuckle out and you just go for it.' I don't even know if that's a thing.")

Sure, this is another attempt to yank viewers' heartstrings, but the novel concept and no-frills presentation really carry the day. The subjects simply tell their stories, and there are no "dramatic appearances" by the moms, or clichéd hug sessions, so the spot feels less contrived than others in the genre. Another plus: The ad honors moms and dads by implicitly acknowledging the importance of the latter.

All that said, the work, from my perspective, has a basic conceptual flaw. While well-meaning, it could be be construed as trading in gender stereotypes. Some might find the suggestion of one parent typically being "soft" and the other "strong" kind of regressive. (Gee, I wonder which is supposed to be which?)

Don't men and women—raising kids alone or together, or childless, for that matter—usually combine both traits to varying degrees?

CREDITS

Client: Angel Soft

Chief Marketing Officer: Douwe Bergsma

Senior Vice President, General Manager, Bath Tissue: Vivek Joshi

Senior Marketing Director, Brand Center: Shari Neumann

Senior Brand Director: Joe Stempien

Senior Brand Manager: Todd Wingfield

Brand Manager: Melissa Blunte

Agency: Deutsch LA

Creative Credits:

Chief Creative Officer, North America: Pete Favat

Executive Creative Directors:: Karen Costello, Juan Oubina

Associate Creative Directors: Melissa Langston-Wood, Jorge Ortega:

Director of Integrated Production: Vic Palumbo

Executive Integrated Producer: Rachel Seitel

Integrated Producer: Win Bates

Associate Integrated Producer: Justin Polk

Music Director: Dave Rocco

Account Management Credits:

Group Account Directors: Erik Petersen, Montse Barrena

Account Directors:: Megan Prince, Lauren Pollare

Account Executive:: Melanie Faessler

Assistant Account Executive : Bianca Brittain

Account Planning:

Chief Strategic Officer: Colin Drummond

Executive Planning Director: Jeffrey Blish

Group Planning Director:: Thas Naseemuddeen

Account Planner: Eva Cantor

Digital Strategist: Janet Shih

Business Affairs/Traffic:

Director of Integrated Business Affairs: Abilino Guillermo:

Senior Business Affairs Manager: Terry Miglin

Director or Broadcast Traffic: Carie Bonillo

Broadcast Traffic Coordinator: Anna Brito

Executives:

Chief Executive Officer, North America: Mike Sheldon

President, Los Angeles: Kim Getty

Production Company: Steelhead

Director: Eric Kaufman

Executive Producer: Ted Markovic

Producer: Matt Johnson

Line Producer: Melissa Verdugo

Editing Company: Steelhead

Editor: Morgan Griswold

Executive Producer: Ted Markovic

Producer: Simone Gurren

Postproduction Facility: Company 3

Executive Producer: Rhubie Jovanov

Senior Colorist: Stefan Sonnenfeld

Visual Effects: Steelhead

Executive Producer: Ted Markovic

Broadcast Motion Design Director: Jason Porter

Music: Elias Arts

Track Title: "Father's Day"

Executive Creative Director: Vincenzo LoRusso

Creative Director: Michael Goldstein

Executive Producer: Vicki Ordeshook

Head of Production: Katie Overcash

Audio Post Company: Steelhead

Executive Producer: Ted Markovic

Mixer: Chase Butters