Are you tired of seeing the bumbling, clueless, buffoon-like dads in commercialsthe ones whose biggest contribution to child rearing is uttering “Yes dear” as their partners do all the work?
I am and so are countless other men and women. And now, it seems, Madison Avenue is getting the message.
In Sunday’s Super Bowl — which will be seen by more than 100 million people if last year’s telecast is any indication — a handful of ads will showcase dads as they really are (what a concept!) — as loving, caring, supportive, helpful and major figures in their children’s lives.
“It’s about time,” said Buzz Bishop, a father of two in Calgary, Alberta, and founder of the blog Dad Camp.
One of the brands is Dove Men+Care, which is re-releasing its widely popular ad that debuted last year for Father’s Day.
The ad celebrates fathers with vignettes of children of all ages saluting their individual dad by calling him “Daddy,” “Da-Da” or “Dad.” It will be showcased in a 60-second spot during the big game. (NBC is charging around $4.5 million for 30-second commercials, according to CNN Money.)
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Of course, brands are ultimately driven by profits, and so those that reflect men as they are today stand to earn more than just a feeling of goodwill.
“People who get it right are going to reap major benefits,” said French of the Dad 2.0 Summit.
John Furjanic, a single father of a 7-year-old in Chicago, summed it up this way. He’s received some attention from single women who are taken with his involvement in his daughter’s life.
“It makes sense that advertisers would follow the trend.”
What do you think about the way dads will be portrayed in some Super Bowl ads? Share your thoughts with Kelly Wallace on Twitter or CNN Living on Facebook.
