The Power of “Dadvertising”

If you were anything like one of the the 111.5 million people watching the Super Bowl matchup between the Seahawks and Broncos, you may have been in shock and even critical of Seattle’s play call thus resulting in an interception.  On another note, you probably looked forward to the commercials as much as the game.  If you were not aware, the NFL had a pretty tough year as far as negative publicity goes.  Bottom line, there was more than enough.  In fact, there were so many incidents, that had the players, coaches, as well as owners having their character and role model status questioned, that a large majority of the commercials were aimed directly at fathers and families.  This years Super Bowl commercials now referred to as “dadvertising”, were developed to address the growing concern in America; the lack of real men being real fathers.  Many fathers, myself included, should not be ashamed to admit that several of this year's Super Bowl ads had us reaching for the box of Kleenex.

Often in the past, the commercials have poked fun at dad, or even have gone as far as to glorify certain elements, that are not fit for a family event.  But not this year.  This year's ads celebrated fatherhood and acknowledged that many children have fond memories of their dads.  It's about time.  Actually, I am a bit surprised it took the marketers this long to realize what we should always want to celebrate.  

With this in mind, here are five of my favorites along with a simple summary.  These are the ones that made me stop and think about my role as a father and husband.  These are the ones that made me squeeze a little tighter and hold those hugs a little longer on my daughters and wife.

1.   Presented by The Bold New Camry, Toyota’s “Be a Dad”: Using  former NFL players share personal accounts many with their kids by their side discussing how you become a good father, and wondering if it is something you learn from your parents, or a choice you make on your own?  Final message: You can't choose the dad you have, however,  you can choose the dad you'll be.

2.     A Nissan commercial titled, “With Dad”, set to the epic Harry Chapin hit “Cats in the Cradle” follows the struggles of a hardworking and close-knit family striving for togetherness across the years as dad is off racing cars and ends with an emotional hug in their brand new Nissan.  Even now I get chills while writing about this ad.

3.      Dove Men+Care: Real Strength asked the question, “What makes a man stronger? Showing he cares.” Even when I play this now, I can hear my own children’s voice in each call of, “Daddy”.  In fact it woke my wife up when it recently came on TV, thinking one of our girls was calling for me.

4.     The Proctor & Gamble commercial touched my emotions with a commercial titled, “Like A Girl.”  Being a father of two daughters, it was a stark reminder that girls sometimes are made fun of, ridiculed, or seen as inferior in athletics.  Keeping in mind of the confidence struggles that many girls face during their stages of change, my hope is many of you that felt a little lump in your throat, and realize the impact of our words and actions.

5.      McDonald’s: Pay With Lovin’ is very special to me, because if you can recall from a previous article, we take our girls to McDonald's after church on Sunday’s.  McDonald’s announced it will be randomly accepting a new form of payment: lovin'. Methods of payment included calling Mom to tell them you love her, telling your son what you love about him, and ending with what I hope or bill comes to today, giving one big family hug!

There were many others that were tremendously impactful as well.  How rewarding it was on football's biggest night, that many of the marketers decided to stop showing fathers who can't change diapers or pay attention to their kids because they are too busy with work or play.  Oh, and by the way…...the game was pretty good as well!

Monthly quote: “What makes a man stronger? Showing he cares.” - Dove Men+Care: Real Strength Super Bowl commercial, 2015

Monthly challenge:  You don’t have to go out and buy a new Toyota or Nissan.  You don’t even have to change your selection of body soap.  Just continue to feel the spirit of the “dadvertising” and know that you are not alone on your journey of being a great dad!