A short while back I was involved in a discussion with a bunch of dads about how we are portrayed in the media and the consensus was there are a plethora of commercials/television shows and movies in which fathers are made to look foolish.
The feedback among the men was mixed ranging from those who thought it didn’t matter to the guys who said they would not purchase products from companies that think it is ok to make dad look stupid.
My own feelings are mixed. My identity isn’t developed or derived from what I see on television or how the media portrays dads in general so part of me doesn’t care.
However when the discussion moves into brand influence and whether fathers should be part of the target demographic my attention is peaked because there does seem to be a misguided belief circulating around that men just don’t care and/or that our opinions are secondary to women/mothers.
That is a mistake.
It doesn’t take into consideration single fathers, stay-at-home-dads or delve into how work is divided at home. Maybe it is too small a sample group but I know many fathers who are either the primary cook or share the responsibility equally with their wives so I can’t help but wonder why more attention isn’t paid to dad.
Hyundai’s Smart Marketing Move
I can’t tell you about who pushed for Hyundai to produce the commercial below but it is well played. The timing is excellent and the content is going to be the kind of thing that dads will be happy with and that includes those of us who don’t like how we are portrayed and those who are ambivalent.
Can’t say more than that, but the car does look kind of cool. Might be worth looking into when I buy my next vehicle but you won’t find my son behind the wheel and not just because he is 13.
Dad has to have something that is just his, doesn’t he. 😉
It should have been Volvo, that’s who I am working for now 🙂 I agree, that was an awesome commercial and perfect for Dads. I got a really good feeling about the ad and about being a dad, and that’s what it’s all about. I started identifying myself with the brand.
Volvo is a good company, good client to have. I identified with it too, good stuff.
Interesting. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how some brands think it’s okay to make dads look foolish or portray men in general as bumbling idiots. It’s a double standard. It feeds this idea that somehow men aren’t good caretakers. As a father, I resent it. I’ve done a lot of things in my life that might (or might not) require courage — been to war, jumped out of planes, and dived to 40 meters under water (which will make you sillier than a greenie patron in Colorado or Washington), but I am absolutely a loving, gentle and capable father. I appreciate that ad — and this post.
Hi Frank,
You have done many things that a good many people wouldn’t do and serving your country alone is enough to merit some modicum of respect. If the dad as buffoon wasn’t so prevalent it probably wouldn’t register on my RADAR, but it happens too often for me to ignore it completely.
It is good to see ads like this one help remind people that fathers are special people too.
Hi Josh
Okay that is pretty cool commercial. I agree they do make Dads in most as a person without influence or opinion. Of course is it not said “if Mama ain’t happy, nobody is”!
The end of the commercial reminds me of an incident years ago with a distracted driver that was in front of us. There was a pretty girl wearing shorts walking beside the road towards the direction we were coming from. So this guy in a small car was watching her, next thing we hear is the pop of his driver’s side tires (front and back). He had run into the divider and blew both his tires out. We had to laugh and I would really like to have been around as he was explaining that one!
Mary
Hi Mary,
That is a great story, sounds like it was straight out of a movie. It really would have been fun to hear how he explained his way out of that one.