March 2, 2016

Is laundry only a mother’s job?

Laundry. It comes in heaps and never stops, and this week we found a few items in need of a good washing.

First, let’s take a look at the latest Arm & Hammer ad, which offers something both endearing and cautionary about the way it positions its brand. armandhammer1

On one hand, A&H takes a clever, charming approach by using generational ties as laundry solutions. We can certainly appreciate the appeal of doing things the way our parents did them. Passing down advice from one generation to another offers a timeless sentiment that pulls at our emotions. That aspect is nice.

But on the other hand, with piles of laundry comes great responsibility.

That laundry room in your home – yes, that one over there – must be handled with extreme caution. It’s dangerous to assume that it’s mom’s domain. That would be inconsiderate, old-fashioned and passé, sort of like saying a mother’s place is in the kitchen. Frankly, it would have been better had A&H had not even gone there and employed this motherly theme.

We acknowledge that sometimes an idea can be too good to pass up, but that doesn’t mean you still can’t. Look at the incongruity the New York Times offers in name with its Motherlode section – a section which supposedly covers the issues of parenting.

So, by A&H using mom as the focal point, we’re all led down a path to believe that laundry is the mother’s duty. That creates perceptions that aren’t necessarily true, especially in today’s modern, dual-income, gender-lines-have-been-blurred, and everybody-takes-on-different-roles world.

ariel1 Which brings us to the peculiar ad unveiled by Indian detergent maker Ariel. In it, Ariel offers an apology to moms everywhere, on behalf of dads, for guys not helping with the laundry.

Admittedly, we’re somewhat ill-equipped to analyze this ad, as we have no awareness of Indian culture. However, for the purposes of this column, we’ll probe within an American context.

The Ariel ad is admirable for encouraging everyone to help around the house, but sadly, it’s at the expense of dads.

Once again, dads are made out to be the bad guy – the lazy spouse – and coerced into apologizing unnecessarily. Let’s put this ad in perspective: you have to remember that in days past, when the dad traditionally went to a job all day and was the sole breadwinner, it was the mom’s duty to run the household – and there’s nothing wrong with that scenario even today. Both roles contribute to a family and household, even if they’re held by opposite parties nowadays. No job is more important than the other.

The older father in the ad shouldn’t have had to apologize for anything, unless he wasn’t carrying his load and doing his part in life. The younger father in the background, clearly isn’t – at least for the brief period shown in this elongated ad.

A&H curiously has an ad of its own, and not once is a male of any age shown. Perhaps these laundry detergent makers could have compared notes, rather than send conflicting messages that only leave dad caught in the middle of two contradictory campaigns: one that puts dad at fault, another that says it was never dad’s job in the first place.

So when the A&H ads are stacked up next to Ariel’s apologist campaign, it’s more than a little disconcerting to see the commercial’s closing question: “why is laundry only a mother’s job?”

I think we all know the answer to that question: it’s not.

But, maybe, just maybe, that question is better posed directly to A&H.

Tell us, A&H, why is laundry only a mother’s job?

February 24, 2016

Plum Organics and Fatherly inspiring parents who struggle with work-life balance

Being a dad has never been easy, and today’s father might deal with more than any generation in the past.

Consider just a few of the conditions affecting dads nowadays: kids’ desires for unlimited access to social media websites, the seemingly slippery slope of sexualized media, incessant materialism, shifting economies, and the constant worry of violence in schools, if not everywhere. fatherly2

It’s a nonstop pace of life with which dads can hardly keep up. Today’s plugged-in world might offer pockets of freedom here and there, but the sad trade-off is the expected work accessibility, no matter the time of day.

It hardly lets them have time to be, well, dads.

And that’s when the experts of Plum Organics and Fatherly decided to team up to take a close look at the work-life balance in relation to Plum’s successful Parenting Unfiltered campaign.

“Starting with our ‘Chief Dad’ and co-founder, Neil Grimmer, and bridging to other dads like me, we have in leadership roles at Plum today,” said Ben Mand, SVP marketing and innovation, Plum Organics. “Plum has a long history of advocating for caregiving, hands-on working dads everywhere. So when we decided to tackle work-life integration for Parenting Unfiltered, Fatherly, through their unique focus on millennial dads, was the perfect partner.” fatherly1

The two entities are using the award winning #ParentingUnfiltered campaign – found notably at parentingunfiltered.com – to shine a light on the challenges surrounding work-life integration. Both believe the topic affects their brand, their consumers and American families.

“Together, we hope to inspire parents – particularly fathers, who struggle to be valued as caregivers both at home and at work, to take the filter off,” said Mand. “We want to catalyze candid discussions about what we can all do (as spouses, colleagues, employees, employers) to make the landscape better for everyone.”

fatherly3 Though Fatherly came into existence around two and a half years ago, the site launched just last April as a go-to source for all things ‘dad.’ It made an instant splash when it unveiled its “50 best places to work for new dads,” garnering stories with several national media outlets, including USA Today and others.

But it was Fatherly’s unique focus on millennial dads that offered the perfect match for Plum’s campaign.

“(Plum Organics) told us about their Parenting Unfiltered campaign, which struck a chord with us,” said Mike Rothman, co-founder and CEO, Fatherly. “It was a real authentic voice with a sense of unvarnished truth. They were looking to portray all the messier moments in parenting.”

The partnership’s different facets explore the complex state of working parents in America, which includes an ethnographic report; expert interviews with Stew Friedman of Wharton’s “Work-Life Integration Project” and Anne Marie Slaughter, author of the viral article “Why Women Still Can’t Have it All”; and, videos featuring an array of working parents from the street, each with poignant personal stories.

Slaughter’s article was originally printed in The Atlantic, and turned out to be the most popular article it has ever published.

The partnership has already surfaced some fresh, unfiltered thinking and actionable solutions that’ll help dads everywhere get to a better place. Some companies are already looking at more family-friendly work policies.

“The results were really inspiring and challenging,” said Rothman. “We’re looking at the nitty-gritty to broader issues. It’s a really amazing conversation. In that sense, we were able to take this content online into the real world. There are people struggling with these issues.”

plumorganics3 Plum notes that 75 percent of working parents are unhappy with their work-life balance, but are afraid to bring it up at the office, and, almost one in three parents have even faked being sick to meet a family obligation. As such, Rothman is proud of a campaign that talks about an issue which really wasn’t discussed head-on before, even as recent as 10 years ago.

“There are a lot of companies who realize this isn’t just good marketing and communications, this is good for the bottom line of the company,” Rothman said. “Friedman has been able to prove that this isn’t just a marketing issue – you’ll improve your company. That’s part of the conversation that needs to happen.”

Rothman also notes that the way dads are portrayed in marketing and advertising is improving.

“Brands are wisening up,” he said. “Increasingly, it’s no longer just mom, it’s talking about parents. Marketers are catching themselves when they’re talking about just moms, because it’s about dads, too.”

For now, both Plum and Fatherly are excited to change the way parents look at work and how it affects their families.

“There’s a lot of legs to look at this in different ways,” Rothman said. “I would expect to collaborate with the Plum folks to take this campaign a bit further. It is really great for us because there aren’t as many (companies) that are as progressive as Plum.”

February 12, 2016

There’s no ointment that treats offensive marketing

drsmith5 We’re seeing a striking similarity with Dr. Smith’s latest ad, and ads from yesteryear that would be deemed offensive today.

Why is it that Dr. Smith’s can get away with saying that only moms trust its brand? Why does it get away with saying that only moms love Dr. Smith’s?

In doing so, it’s clearly saying that dads don’t matter to Dr. Smith’s as customers.

Forget the fact that Dr. Smith’s might be targeting its product to a certain segment – the product has nothing to do with females. So, you have to consider one simple question: don’t dads parent, too?

That said, pause for a moment and check out this old-fashioned ad.

What might be wrong about running this ad in today’s world? Because people of all genders and ages would rightfully find it incredibly distasteful and insulting.

That’s kind of how we here at dadmarketing view this newest Dr. Smith’s ad. We’re not comparing the ad content — we’re comparing how the two ads make us feel. It’s a sad state when Dr. Smith’s can’t even consider dads enough to speak to them, declaring that only mothers tend to children. It’s insulting and it’s distasteful, to treat dads this way as parents and consumers.

Dads trust Dr. Smith’s. Why can’t Dr. Smith’s trust dads in return?

January 26, 2016

If we’re in this together, you’ll have to unblock our Twitter account

Gerber has an unfortunate history of excluding dads in its direct mail pieces, on its website, and in its My program. But things could be improving – that looks like a man’s hand feeding the baby on its website.

And a recent magazine actually acknowledges that the featured baby is a “him,” a possible future dad that will eventually be disregarded by the very company using his likeness to sell its products.

It’s another piece of a portfolio that’s confusing and erratic.

Just look at the front page of Gerber’s website as it stands today. If you’re a dad and reading the left side of the page, it exclaims, “We’re in this together.” But glance to the right and you find a site that indicates it’s only “For mom.”

(sigh)

However, to top it off – at least for our staff – Gerber has blocked us from following its company on Twitter.

Now, Twitter blocking certainly has its place in life, but to prevent one entity from communicating with another? Why?

The words close-minded and censorship come to mind.

Hey Gerber, we’re only trying to help. Factual proof created by your very own marketing team indicates you have a practice of excluding dads, and that’s wrong.

Dads buy your products. Dads care for children. Dads count too.

We’d love to chat, but it’s kind of hard to do that right now. Drop us a note.

Just some food for thought.

December 28, 2015

Marketing to baby must involve dad

hylands1 Hyland’s has been making safe and natural homeopathic medicines since 1903, and after a quick look at its latest magazine ad, seems to be rather dad-friendly. It’s nice to see a dad featured prominently in its ad.

But take a close look and read the copy. Why doesn’t it speak to dads?

Now glimpse at hylands.com and click on “Calming Tablets,” and you’ll find a similar mom-only reference.

Those are some disappointing dad omissions for an otherwise decent overall marketing approach. Generally, Hyland’s seems to try to use “parent” references, so these nuggets caught us a little off-guard.

hylands3 Hyland’s talks about party invitations here, a symbolic reminder that dads want to be invited to the “party,” too. They take care of babies and have plenty of choices when it comes to baby care products. So why should Hyland’s give them a reason to go anywhere else?

Parenting isn’t a mom-only thing, and mom isn’t the lead parent, regardless of what any particular family’s situation may be. It is the responsibility of both parents to raise a child, and that equality has never been more prevalent than it is today.

The Hyland’s example is an exhortation for any company looking to increase sales: don’t forget your customers, and they won’t forget you.

November 30, 2015

Fresh perspective from Baby Brezza

babybrezza1 Companies like Similac only wish to target its product to mothers, because unfortunately, it still believes that moms solely handle the reins when it comes to feeding babies.

But then you have different companies like Baby Brezza, who offer a progressive, free-thinking approach to its marketing and advertising.

Check out its latest ad (featured), which uses the inclusive word, “parenting.”

Imagine how different this ad would have looked had it chosen to use the word “mothering” instead of “parenting.”

Even with a photo that only includes mom, by using that complete, all-encompassing term, it makes dads feel like they’re being spoken to – like they count.

Over at babybrezza.com, you’ll find a site that mimics the ad, where uses of parenting abound, just as the testimonials impressively reference non-biased terms such as “families” and “parents.” The videos also include dad feeding baby, and includes a special section “Kitchen Time with Dad.”

It’s no wonder Baby Brezza received awards from Parent Tested Parent Approved and the National Parenting Center.

Keep up the good work, Baby Brezza.

November 10, 2015

The reports of dad’s death are greatly exaggerated

You won’t believe what a certain parents magazine recently said about dads: they exist!

After numerous stories where we pointed out American Baby magazine’s inability to consider dads as equal parents, it finally conceded to the inevitable reality that dads are indeed part of its customer base.

It was no easy road to get here.

We’ve written about American Baby magazine and its sexist photo credits.

We’ve written about its general monthly editorial content that ignored fathers.

We’ve written about how it doesn’t believe dads are concerned about child safety.

We’ve written how its baby registry advertisement disregards dads.

We’ve written about how it suggests that dads don’t buy baby products.

We’ve written about how it simply pays no attention to dads as parents.

We’ve also heard absolutely no feedback from ABM, nor any attempt to communicate, or even any acknowledgement of our issues.

But the tide is turning, and if you held the latest American Baby magazine by its spine and emptied out those (sometimes annoying) subscription postcards before reading it, you missed the best part. As you can see above, it clearly mentions dads by name, acknowledging that its magazine is for dads to read, too.

Well done, ABM, and we look forward to your next issue with great interest!

October 21, 2015

Will Folgers treat dads to some conversation?

The best part of wakin’ up may be Folgers in your cup, but it’s clearly not the best part when you discover that among the mere 80 Twitter accounts that Folgers follows, only 14 of them appear to be guys/dads.

The far majority are moms, which leaves us wondering: why?

With over 11,000 followers of its own, it’s a strange enough sight to see Folgers following a meagre 80. That’s the kind of behavior you see among the celebrity types, such as Conan O’Brien, who famously began following one single person – a stranger, no less – back in 2010.

However, coffee is a consumer-driven product which depends on a customer base among an ultra-competitive mix of brand name coffee makers, not to mention modest rivalries among a share of regional favorites, too.

What’s more, coffee isn’t exactly a mom-only thing. Like one of the accounts that Folgers follows, Jif mistakenly believes that only mom handles the shopping. Do birds of a feather flock together? Let’s hope not.

What do you say, Folgers? Are you up for learning more about your true representative customer base? How about listening to some of the words some dads have to say?

After all, it took a few dads to form the company Folgers has become today. We’ll be watching.

September 21, 2015

Which insurance company has dads in good hands?

If the basic definition of marketing is “to promote something in order to sell,” then there’s no question as to whom each insurance company presented here is trying to speak.

One featured ad is actually a direct mail piece from Gerber Life Insurance Company, who for years has been regularly sending this mailer with “See what Moms are saying about…” printed right on the front. And if you’re a dad who has been surprised to receive this in the mail, that’s not the only the only thing Gerber has jumbled; scroll about one-third down here to see another way this piece misfires.

The other featured is a display ad from Allstate found in the July 2015 American Baby magazine (click to enlarge). It not only addresses all of its potential customers by using the word “families,” but it includes a photo of a family where dad is holding the baby.

So, if you’re a dad and in the market for insurance, or even a college savings plan, where are you more likely to turn? To whom is Gerber and Allstate trying to “promote something in order to sell?”

Allstate’s approach is a positive one. Companies so often follow the supposedly “safe” marketing path, misbelieving that mom is the primary household decision-maker. Allstate knows that the days of “mom-stays-at-home, dad-goes-to-work” are ancient history. Indeed, caring for the family is a responsibility handled by both mom and dad.

Gerber, on the other hand, doesn’t want to change. Keeping an iconic, recognizable logo is a wise marketing move, but ignoring potential customers isn’t. Neither is having a college savings plan that gets dubious reviews.

Ever since our first post about Gerber in January 2014 (and again later in October), it began blocking us on Twitter. It’s the only company we’ve written about who has done so, proving that in Gerber’s world, communication is a one-way street.

Allstate, on the other hand, has won dads over. Dads are in good hands, indeed.

September 16, 2015

A fine ad, but what’s with Walmart Moms?

If you’ve been following this website since the beginning, you know we’ve focused on a variety of ways in which dads are portrayed in marketing, advertising and media.

We’ve featured companies, media channels, sports, entertainment avenues, service organizations, as well as some general ideas of our own.

When it comes to the products we buy and consume every day, it is the retailers who exert immense power. Their prices affect our overall budget. They decide what’s on sale. They decide where it’s placed in the store. They shape our buying habits, and often turn items that “I want” into “I need.”

The retailer at the top of the list, of course, is none other than Walmart. With 4,779 stores nationwide, it’s responsible for $482 billion in annual sales, and no other store comes even close.

When we wrote about Walmart on January 7, we were disappointed by an ad featured in the October 2014 American Baby magazine.

But now, almost one full year after that magazine ad we discover a change in Walmart’s ways with an advertisement so impressive (featured left), it will no doubt get everyone’s attention in the retailing world. Hopefully it will turn heads and change the way others operate and market their products and services.

Check out this list of the top retailers from last year. If you’re reading this Kroger, Costco, Target, Home Depot, et al, your friends at Walmart have officially raised the bar.

That doesn’t mean, however, that Walmart is officially the leader in dad-friendly marketing. This ad was a hit, but another part of its portfolio is a clear miss.

That’s because it still insists on offering “Walmart Moms,” a practice that wouldn’t seem so sexist if it offered a dadly counterpart. The old fashioned use of this biased name fosters the misbelief that mom is the lead parent, and dad is merely an assistant.

We call for an end to this chauvinist exercise by renaming the program “Walmart Parents.”

What do you say Walmart?

Walmart’s approach shows that it’s at odds with its own self. By offering a fantastic ad showing dad in a positive light as an involved parent, and then disregarding dad’s parental abilities through the exclusionary Walmart Mom program, it’s sending mixed signals to dads everywhere.

We’ve debunked the moms are the lead shoppers fallacy so many times over it’s hardly worth doing again, so we’ll let another group do it.

Again, Walmart here offers one quality ad and a fantastic step in the right direction. But as for Walmart Mom, it reminds us of another dad exclusionary marketing campaign that’s taken a beating this year.

Perhaps it’s time for Walmart to be proactive (like the Today Show), rather than reactive, and let dads know that they matter as consumers.

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