While it seems like Mother’s Day just passed, brands are actively preparing for a virtual Father’s Day. And with a near-record $17 billion at stake for Father’s Day weekend 2020, marketers aren’t taking any chances. 

So how can brands capitalize on this day? First, by recognizing the changing standards of “dadhood.” Let’s look at the facts:

A majority of millennial fathers think today’s ads don’t pay tribute to the engaged roles they play in maintaining a home and in caretaking for their kids. 85% of millennial dads in the U.S. said they know more than people give them credit for, and 80% think a "real man" is one who's comfortable expressing his feelings.

As men reexamine their role in the home, brands reassess their portrayal in advertising. Today’s fathers want to be shown as cuddly caregivers who contribute just as much to parenting duties as the mother as the household.

And many forward-thinking brands have taken note of this. Brands like Dove Men + Care are taking strides to expand their depictions of fatherhood and redefine “dadvertising.”

In this article, we’ve rounded up some compelling Father’s Day campaigns that have challenged stereotypes and depicted fatherhood realistically over the past few years.

Dove Men + Care Championed Paternity Leave 

Since the brand launched in 2010, this Unilever giant has been committed to driving conversations around fatherhood, masculinity, and real men. Dove Men + Care’s most iconic accomplishment was perhaps in 2018 for its Father’s Day campaign. 

The brand wanted to do something beyond celebrating dads and the roles they play. And Dove saw a bigger issue at hand: a lack of access, workplace pressures, and cultural stigmas prohibiting dads from taking extended leave from work. A mere 15% of men have access to paid paternity leave benefits. Because of this, men have had to opt for creative alternatives, including online crowdfunding to raise funds in order to take more time off from work. 

To show its support for paternal leave, Dove Men + Care made surprise contributions to 27 active paternity leave requests across crowdfunding sites including MyTake12, GoFundMe, and PlumFund. In conjunction, the brand released a film titled “Dear Future Dads,” that compiled real stories about why dads value taking time to care for their children. Dove also unveiled a digital content hub providing educational resources for dads about paternal leave.

Takeaway: Dove’s global campaign was not just a simple salute to Dad — as is the case with most #FathersDay campaigns. Rather, it’s part of Dove’s longstanding commitment to challenge stereotypes around men as caregivers. Dove took many tangible actions to show its support for families facing issues with paternal leave.

GE Appliances: Less Oven-Hover, More Dad-Hover 

In an ad spot that is equal parts creative and clever, GE Appliances promotes its new Precision Cooking feature that gives dad less oven-hover time, and “more dad-hover time.”

The commercial features two dads who’s full focus is on their teenage daughter’s love life, rather than on the chicken dinner they’re preparing. 

By showing that there is always space for quality time with Dad, GE’s campaign pays homage to the fathers’ roles in the home as valued family members. Most importantly, it portrays GE’s commitment to simplifying domestic tasks so fathers have more time to devote to their kids.

Takeaway: GE portrays dads how they want to be seen: with an active presence in their childrens’ lives. The ad spot also challenges stereotypes by showing the fathers cooking dinner — a task that is traditionally associated with the women of the household.

Stella Artois: The Best Present For Father’s Day

To encourage kids to take their Father’s Day tributes beyond the social media newsfeed, Stella Artois reminded people that the best present is to, quite literally, be present with their fathers.

The brand’s ad spot, titled “The Best Present for Father’s Day”, features U.S. millennials who all have fathers that live abroad or in a different state. While each millennial had made a Father’s Day tribute to their father, none of the fathers were present on social media — and therefore were unaware of these tributes.

The video follows the emotional responses of three real fathers as they listen in on their unsuspecting children discussing the heartwarming tributes to their dads. This sincere ad spot generated 33MM impressions, 3.8MM worldwide views, and almost 40k social mentions, but it was the incredible reactions that truly painted a story that matters.

Takeaway: Stella Artois not only captured an emotional story that matters, but also encouraged daughters and sons to lessen their reliance on their phones. Because the ad spot was unscripted, it came off very authentic and helped increase the brand’s relatability. 

Denny’s Viral Daddy-Son Duo

Denny’s, often credited as the King of Twitter, is not new to internet memes. The popular diner chain is known for bringing the latest headlines and pop culture references into its messaging. 

So when a video of a Tennessee daddy-son duo went viral, it’s no surprise Denny’s grabbed the pair for its Father’s Day commercial. 

The video of the father and son, originally posted by Shanieke Pryor on June 4, 2019, was shared more than a million times just two days after it was posted. It features a young baby boy, Kingston Pryor, who is intently focused on his dad, Deztin “DJ” Pryor, as they exchange thoughts on the show they are watching. 

Denny’s immediately took note of the viral popularity and evident cute-factor of this video. The chain launched a commercial where the pair bonded over breakfast food in the comfort of a Denny’s booth. As the pair laugh and hug, the message, “Booths were made for quality time with dad," flashes across the screen. 

Takeaway: Sometimes, it’s the unscripted, authentic moments that make for the best advertising. This campaign is a great example of how a brand can leverage viral content and make it their own.

Michelob Ultra: "Dear #ULTRADAD”

Every year, kids across American post heartfelt messages honoring their dads for Father’s Day. But how many dads actually see these posts?

According to Michelob Ultra, not many. While there are 8.5 million posts tagged #FathersDay on Instagram, only 1.6 million dads are actually using the image-sharing app.

In an effort to solve this disparity, the beer brand helped turn Instagram users’ #FathersDay posts into real postcards to send to dads. Michelob Ultra started the campaign by partnering with "The Bachelorette" star Shawn Booth, who surprised his dad with an #ULTRADad card. 

Takeaway: By using actual data, Michelob Ultra was able to uncover and solve a common pain point that prevails on Father’s Day. With the motto "for the love not the likes," this campaign also plays on millennials' desire for authenticity in marketing.

Bagel Bites

Professional skateboarder Tony Hawk endorsed Bagel Bites in one of his first sponsorship deals ever in 2002 — almost two decades ago. His most iconic achievement since then?

Going from legendary skateboarder to father of six.

So in 2019, the Bagel Bites brand teamed up with Tony once again — this time to shine a celebratory spotlight on millennial dads in time for Father’s Day. Its ad spot doubled as a sweepstakes, encouraging dads across America to join the #RadDadSquad. 

Bagel Bites defines “Rad Dads” as the spontaneous dads who go out of their way to create fun moments with their kids, and inspire their kids to laugh and find joy in being themselves. Whether it’s transforming a staircase into an epic slide, hosting tea parties, or having a sing-along dance party, there are so many ways to be a “Rad Dad.”

After the sweepstakes ended, three lucky dads and their kids won an opportunity to spend a day with Tony on his skate ramp in San Diego.

Takeaway: The Bagel Bites campaign highlights a rising trend in Father’s Day marketing — the push to “modernize” dads. 74% of millennial fathers say they think marketers are out of touch with modern family dynamics.

Budweiser

For many, Father’s Day isn’t just a day to celebrate one’s biological father. From grandfathers to uncles, from friends to father figures, there are many men to pay tribute to on this day.

One overlooked group are stepfathers, who often face a difficult journey building a relationship with their stepchildren. Nonetheless, many stepchildren grow to consider their stepfather one of the most important people in their lives. 

In 2019, Budweiser wanted to recognize stepdads who have “stepped up” over the years and owned their roles as fathers. In a short film, the beer brand revealed true stories of stepchildren who surprised their stepdads by officially removing "step" from their title and asking to be legally adopted. What’s more, Budweiser covered the adoption fees and helped the families file their legal documents.

Takeaway: Budweiser shares a unique perspective of Father’s Day that could resonate with an untapped population: stepchildren. The emotional video was a way to capture for what many children is the only father figure they’ve ever known.

Gillette: Go Ask Dad

Millennials are heavily reliant on the internet — particularly search engines — to find answers. Within five minutes, a simple search query can teach you how to do just about anything — from tying a tie to asking a girl out on a date.

The basis for Gillette’s “Go Ask Dad” campaign is grounded in an insight that 84 percent of guys say their go-to source for information is their phone, and only 13 percent go to their dads. 

By nature, many young men are programmed to reject their parents. But there are times when a digital resource can’t help solve an issue — and those are the times a young man should instead “go ask dad.”

Gillette’s commercial shows young men looking up simple questions on the Internet, like how to fry an egg and how to shave. The men then ask the same questions to their fathers, who provided tailored answers that made their sons recognize how much love and wisdom their fathers have.

In its campaign, Gillette reiterates the fact that even as technology progresses, it will never go so far to replace the power of the human relationship between father and son. Dads are more useful than young men think and they appreciate being approached for help from their sons. 

Takeaway: Gillette uncovered a truth most of us ignore: that going to ask for help from your dad is not considered so glamorous. However, to see Gillette’s unique take on this common behavior was incredibly real and authentic.

Conclusion

With Father’s Day right around the corner, marketers need to reflect on what fatherhood means to their brands. For Bagel Bites, it means being a Rad Dad. For, Budweiser, it’s being a courageous stepfather. And for Dove Men + Care, it’s earning the parental leave dads deserve. The most successful campaigns have challenged traditional stereotypes and shown the unique bonds dads can form with their children.