Lifelong Crush’s campaign for Canadian tool brand, Lee Valley, goes far beyond the usual hardware advertising. It contains a thought-provoking, and important, message about life. In fact, the new anthemic platform, Tools for Life, shines a spotlight on the only essential tool you can’t find on its shelves – your hands.

Visually striking, the 60-second ode to “the tool that holds every other” features macro shots of the many textures and sensations our hands experience as they go through life, making and doing.

The spot also features visuals of hands crafting, gardening, and learning with their Lee Valley tools. “We care deeply about the humanity in what people make, and the importance of shared generational knowledge, transferred from one hand to another,” stated Jason Tasse, president and chief operating officer at Lee Valley. “And this spot gets to the core of the human experience – how it feels to learn something, make something, to hold it in your hands. The hard work that goes into it, the pride we take in it. It’s an experience that speaks to every audience, regardless of skill level, and regardless of location.”

“As we use tools we learn,” added Christina Yu, chief creative officer at Lifelong Crush. “In that way, the process of shaping things also shapes us. So, for the new platform there was no better starting point than the first tools we ever use, the ones we’ve been shaped by the most. There’s a reason kids finger paint before they can use a brush. It’s as much about exploring as it is about the result.”

The strategy goes beyond just this primal connection to hands. “One of the fundamental consumer truths we’re invoking is that people dream about what they want to build before they think about tools,” added Geoff Gingerich, SVP strategy at Lifelong Crush. “The hands allow us to explore the world and find inspiration. Only then can we use them to create—that’s when Lee Valley comes into the picture.”

The production was handled entirely in house by Lifelong Crush and running on connect TV, digital and social throughout Canada and the US to support Lee Valley’s ecommerce presence south of the border.