Another Look At Feel-Good and Inspiring Ad Of Paralympic Swimmer Jessica Long
Paralympic swimmer Jessica Long was the star of a Super Bowl Ad for Toyota, and the commercial will surely play as the Paralympics get underway.
The ad tracks Long’s amazing journey, from adoption from an orphanage in Russia to her career as a 23-time Paralympic medalist and 13-time Paralympic gold medalist. She’s one of the most recognized Paralympians in the world and has worked for the advancement of people and athletes with disabilities, work that has been the subject of countless profiles, an autobiography and a short film.
Long shared the 60-second ad, titled “Upstream,” on her Instagram page.
The spot, for Toyota Motor North America and created by the agency Saatchi & Saatchi in partnership with Dentsu and directed by Tarsem Singh, aired during the Super Bowl between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Kansas City Chiefs, and ran frequently during the Olympics.
“’Upstream’ highlights Toyota’s mission to shine a light on athletes like Jessica who work tirelessly every day to pursue their passion and inspire people around the world to reach their full potential,” Lisa Materazzo, group vice president of Toyota Marketing, said in a press release. “We are grateful to Jessica and her family for their willingness to allow us to share such a personal part of their story.”
A teary Long took to Instagram stories to share her joy at the ad, which hits at the message that, “We believe there is hope and strength in all of us.”
“I love that the spot highlights not just the gold medals and accomplishments but the challenging journey to get there,” Long, who is a Team Toyota athlete, said in the statement. “Perseverance, grit and overcoming the odds contributed to my success and my hope is that people feel inspired and uplifted by this emotional spot.”
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Jessica, I was complaining about no Clydesdales or puppies and then canes that call to your parents! Best Super Bowl commercial ever!!! Your journey is so inspiring and uplifting. Your parents must be so amazing and so proud of you. America is proud of you, too. Super Bowl MVP!!! Bless you and thank you!
It was my daughter and my favorite commercial. It was lovely, we cried each time we watched it over and over… perfectly done, God bless Jessica and both of her families!