Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Are Dads Taking Over Ads?


In all my years of working with consumer brands, researching families, and consulting on consumerism and branding, the focus has invariably been on Mums.  In marketing circles Mum is seen as the primary carer, shopper and therefore target.  But are we missing a trick as a recent article in Marketing magazine suggested http://tinyurl.com/bsq95ea?
From alpha to modern to family, Dads’ image and arguably expectation has shifted, but does today’s marketing reflect that.
Clearly some brands – such as Kingsmill and Oreo - have singled out Dad as the important influencer that he is, though whether they are effectively engaging with him in a meaningful way in marketing terms is the big question.
Take the VW Polo ad that has over a million views on You Tube alone. It’s a hybrid, of the classic VW safety message, subtle imagery, and appropriately emotive but not emotional sentiment.  It not only makes Dads smile, it makes Mums smile too.  Win win eh?

Doritos meanwhile for its critical Superbowl 2013 ad http://tinyurl.com/c26ygt5 has Dads dressing up for Doritos.  Whether intentional or not, the ad is more about what Dad’ll do for Doritos (a kin to the National Lottery ads theme) than what he’ll do for his daughter.  So although it is funny, it misses a chord that other ads successfully strike:
Like the now old McDonald’s ad, with father and daughter chatting over a burger over the years.  This ad shows the different conversations between the two of them as the daughter grows up, in a naturally wry but also soft way.  It endears without being cloying.
You see if marketers want to speak to Dads, and it is indeed worth their while as borne out by family statistics and consumerist research, then the line they need to walk is to be relevant, but not stereotypical.  The marketing should be honest about the beauty and banes of fatherhood – in much the same way as it usually is about motherhood.  No parent gets it right all the time.  But no parent wants to feel ridiculed for getting it wrong some of the time. 
Yes Dads do funny things.  And they embarrass their kids all the time.  But the communication needs to be about laughing with Dads, not at them.  And as any Dad will tell you – there’s a big difference!