Mindful Marketing
  • Home
  • About
    • Mission
    • Mindful Meter & Matrix
    • Leadership
  • Mindful Matters Blog
  • Engage Your Mind
    • Mindful Ads? Vote Your Mind!
  • Expand Your Mind
  • Contact

Dumb Dad Ads

6/20/2015

1 Comment

 
Picture
Have you noticed an increase in ads featuring dads?  While some kindly affirm fatherhood, e.g., Nissan’s 2015 Super Bowl commercial, many others cast dads as bumbling idiots who desperately need to be saved from their stupidity by their children, spouses, or anyone else with an ounce of common sense.

One such ad is AT&T’s "Piece of Cake" commercial, part of the company’s recent Digital Life campaign.  In the ad, a wife leaves the house in the hands of her largely inept spouse to go on an extended business trip.  As she says goodbye to him and their three children, she asks doubtfully if everything will be okay at home, to which her husband naively replies “Yeah, this is a piece of cake; I got this.”

The rest of the 60-second spot shows the dad making blunder after blunder, for instance, forgetting how to get to the kids’ school, failing to put down the garage door, disregarding the dog walker, letting the kids stay up too late, and forgetting to turn-on the home security system.   Fortunately, mom is able to amend each mistake from afar, using AT&Ts remote monitoring system and digital home controls.

Some are probably thinking “So what?  It’s just one ad.”  After all, other ads and mass media on whole routinely expose the inadequacies of all sorts of people, not just dads.  Plus, you might be postulating, “I bet you’re a dad,” in which event this could simply be a case of sour grapes.

In the spirit of full-disclosure, I am a dad—the father of two wonderful children.  At least, I think they’re wonderful . . . it’s hard for me to know because, after all, I’m a dad (heavy sarcasm intended).  But seriously, dad-bashing ads are quite common.  For example, here are several other TV commercials that seem to intentionally disparage dads:

  • Huggies Dad Test:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7kX8ZKylD4

  • Doritos Princesses:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPtUJHpI3W0

  • State Farm Road Trip:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBRmlVEvQO4

  • Libman Mop Power-washing:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2I02n-vGto

  •  Fidelity My Plan Ping Pong:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJTOZ06BlqU

This tendency to portray dads as dumb is a trend that many have recognized, in advertising as well as in mass media in general.  It’s hard to think of other people groups who are as routinely ridiculed.

Still, some may be thinking, “What’s the big deal?”  Many TV commercials and shows aim to be funny.  It’s hard to have humor if everyone in an ad or sitcom is smart and sensible.  While there’s some truth to this argument, depictions start to become damaging when the same group of people is always made to play the fool.  Such frequency and consistency of negative portrayals rises to the realm of stereotyping.

Most of us recognize the great harm that stereotypes have had on specific people groups over centuries, as well as on our society as a whole.  It’s not to say that the bias dads may encounter equates to other historic prejudices; however, there is legitimate reason to be concerned about what the future might hold if the next generation grows up believing that dads are inherently incompetent.

The challenge is to determine the level at which to place responsibility.  Does the preceding discussion mean that any ad that portrays a dad as less than a genius is guilty of propagating the stereotype?  Normally speaking, no—i.e., it’s reasonable to show that dads, like everyone else, make mistakes.  However, in light of the considerable derision that fathers have faced in the media over recent years, it seems prudent to extend to them a period of reprieve in order for the pendulum to swing the other way and to allow them to regain some of the respect they deserve.  Such restoration is not just important for them but for the health of our entire society.

Unfortunately dad-bashing ads seem to represent effective marketing.  They apparently have worked at some level for those companies that have used them; otherwise it’s unlikely that this promotional tactic would be so common.  The ads probably have created stakeholder value.  However, in light of the negative social outcomes outlined above, due to the aggregation of such stereotyping, ads that intentionally make fun of fathers should be seen at least for a season as “Single-Minded Marketing.”

Picture
Picture
Subscribe to Mindful Matters blog.
Learn more about the Mindful Matrix and Mindful Meter.
Check out Mindful Marketing Ads and Vote your Mind!
1 Comment
vidmate link
3/26/2022 10:02:28 am

ks for sharing the a sdcrticle, and more importantly, your personal experie sdcnce mindfully using our emotions as data about our inner state and knowing when it’s better to de-escalate by taking a time out are great tools. Apprdcd sdcsce dcciate you reading and sharing your story since I can certainly relate and I think others can to

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Subscribe to receive this blog by email

    Editor

    David Hagenbuch,
    founder of
    Mindful Marketing    & author of Honorable Influence

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014

    Categories

    All
    + Decency
    + Fairness
    Honesty7883a9b09e
    * Mindful
    Mindless33703c5669
    > Place
    Price5d70aa2269
    > Product
    Promotion37eb4ea826
    Respect170bbeec51
    Simple Minded
    Single Minded2c3169a786
    + Stewardship

    RSS Feed

    Share this blog:

    Subscribe to
    Mindful Matters
    blog by email


    Illuminating
    ​Marketing Ethics ​

    Encouraging
    ​Ethical Marketing  ​


    Copyright 2020
    David Hagenbuch

Proudly powered by Weebly