As Valentine's Day approaches, the latest spot from American Greetings underlines how sometimes, sending a card is a good way of putting into words feelings you can't articulate in everyday life. But, in a move away from Valentine's tradition, it's not just about romantic relationships.

A series of vignettes depict situations such as a couple arguing, a mom trying to reach out to her miserable teenage daughter, a woman working out with her personal trainer, a man helping his elderly father. There's also a gay couple cooking in their kitchen and a busy mom heading off to work as her husband cooks breakfast. In all the scenarios, the words they really want to say are scrawled as handwriting as captions on the screen--but they don't actually say them. The final scene shows the husband handing his wife a card at the door, and they share a tender moment.

The ad is by MullenLowe, and was directed by The Mercadantes, the Park Pictures duo who have previously helmed emotive ads for American Greetings including last year's poignant Mother's Day ad Tattoo and Not Alone, which addressed the issue of infertility.