You’re probably looking at your mantelpiece post-Mother’s Day thinking, “That looks a little bare of cards…” – but don’t worry, Father’s Day is just around the corner to fill those empty spaces. As role models that teach us valuable life lessons, what better way to show our appreciation for all that they do than by gifting them something meaningful like whiskey or the classic card with a fart joke on it.
We’ve spoken about how to create a great social media campaign in the past, but this month it’s about creating a great Father’s Day campaign. It’s no secret that the best marketing campaigns are the ones that truly tug on heartstrings, or give you a gut punch you didn’t see coming. Going a step further, the great campaigns are the ones that make a difference in people’s lives outside of the KPIs and profit margins – the Father’s Day campaigns we want to explore today are the ones that reunite families, that help blended families become stronger, and highlight the times that parents need their kids just as much as the kids need them.
Emotive campaigns don’t require a huge multi-channel, multimedia format to provoke that feeling. Social media shines brightest when used evocatively and businesses can incorporate these ideas into their marketing to whatever appropriate scale the campaign calls for.
Without further ado, here are what we believe to be extremely powerful Father’s Day campaigns!
Budweiser – Fathers Who Stepped Up – 2019
What is it?
This short film gives the viewer a glimpse into the often unsung heroes in families – the step-parent who stepped up. In many cases, formal adoption doesn’t happen between the step-child and step-parent due to various reasons, mostly financial, which is why in 2019, Budweiser ran the ad campaign along with a pledge that for every comment the film received across social media, they would donate $1 to the StepFamily Foundation; a nonprofit that supports blended families. Overall, they pledged to donate up to $10,000 in total.
Within the ad, we see three blended families talking about their experiences and then at the end, the step-child presents their step-dad with letters of adoption and asks them to adopt them officially, creating the best gift a step-parent can receive; the recognition and appreciation for everything they’ve done.
Why is it powerful?
The ad caused a huge stir on social media when it first aired as it shone a light on these blended families where the step-parent showed that blood isn’t the strongest bond that makes a family, it’s instead delivering on the promises made by biological parents, to paraphrase one of the quotes from the ad.
Dove Men+Care – Mission: Care – 2013
What is it?
This heartwarming ad focuses on a US military family talking about how hard it is for them with the dad being away months at a time and how the dad missed the birth of their second child and two months later, has still not been able to meet his brand-new son, alongside missing the last 7 months of his daughter’s life.
Military reunion videos trend online and it’s usually the soldier coming home to surprise their family. What Dove Men+Care accomplishes in this campaign is bringing the soldier’s family in to surprise him which creates a nice twist on the trend.
Why is it powerful?
Mission: Care works so well because it was followed up with actual action and has also been implemented in the overall Dove Men+Care brand, showing it’s not just for the season but something the business truly cares about to create a real difference. This ad was one snippet into the ongoing work Dove Men+Care and Operation Homefront achieved: the reunion of 300 service members with their families.
Additionally, in 2018, Dove Men+Care actively advocated for fathers’ rights to paternity leave benefits, furthering the message that men are active caregivers and want to be able to spend more time raising their children instead of being expected to return to work straight away.
BMW – What Drives you? – 2017
Watch the ad here.
What is it?
BMW’s film, “What Drives You?” is a short story which says a lot about how the parent-child dynamic does not always go from parent to child, and at some point, the time will come when the support goes from child to parent. This is demonstrated in the ad by a former professional driver who is now unable to drive due to a disability. The man’s son just got his driver’s license and as a gift, takes his father out for a drive on a race track, this time with the dad as the passenger.
Why is it powerful?
The enormity of what transpires between the two is truly heartwarming and is also something we all face as we grow up – the fact that your caregivers are human, and sometimes they will rely on you for support after you’ve become an adult. The son’s rite of passage; getting his driver’s license, and being able to give his father an experience that means so much to him is one such example of the dynamic exchange between them. It’s now not always up to the dad to be the driver and his son is well up for the task.
This campaign isn’t followed up with further active activism but we believe it fits with the examples chosen today because it’s a powerful reminder of the passing of the baton, and Father’s Day is a perfect day to show the dads out there that they did a good job in raising future adults.
Final Thoughts
Whatever form your father figure may come, creating a powerful marketing campaign around dads should make you question what you think it means to be a father. Is it proximity and promises? Is it being a role model to look up to and one day hope to become? Or is it just about finding the dynamic that works for you two? Whatever the meaning, if a marketing campaign has made the audience walk away assessing their current understanding of the world then you know you’ve created something truly powerful.
Does your marketing need that extra punch? Here at Brace Creative Agency, we know how to make an impact. Don’t miss out now, give us a call at 01452 729953 or email us at hello@brace.co.uk!
