Hasta La Creative!

As Father’s Day fast approaches, our media and marketing industry has me thinking about fatherhood. Specifically, what defines a “modern dad.” More than 10 million people watched dad duo Cam and Mitch finally get hitched on the “Modern Family” season finale. “Parenthood” featured a stellar stay-at-home-dad for several seasons before shifting the narrative to his flaws. Cheerios’ 2014 Super Bowl ad put dad at the kitchen table delivering the new baby news. Tide routinely showcases dads fighting stains, while Honey Maid’s buzzy “this is wholesome” campaign celebrates all kinds of dads and families. With today’s dads coming into their own, we should expect consumers to pull out all the stops for Father’s Day this June, right?

In reality, it’s not that simple. I believe Father’s Day undeservedly lives in the shadow of Mother’s Day, both on the calendar and in consumer minds. When we asked 3,000 people across the U.S. about their Father’s Day plans this year, only 60% said they would celebrate Father’s Day in any way. When it comes to spending, more than two-thirds said they put more money and effort into celebrating mom than they do dad. To add insult to injury, when we asked what people would be giving dad, the top response was a gift card: the ultimate “I didn’t know what to get you” afterthought. What gives? Don’t dads equally deserve their day in the sun?

Recent research shows that they do. More dads than ever before are staying home to take care of their kids. Married men are taking on more household responsibilities like grocery shopping. The National Center for Health Statistics reports that most dads with kids under age five are in deep on the parenting front: 90% bathe, diaper or dress their children every day or several times a week. The days of the uninvolved, emotionally-detached, provider dad archetype are over.

Continue reading at AdAge.com