In honor of Super Bowl weekend, I had to talk about this genius (and adorable) campaign by Pantene. Yes, they did the obvious things right - getting recognizable and charismatic NFL players and their sweet daughters, having an overall "girl power" theme (part of their Strong is Beautiful movement) and of course capitalizing on the Super Bowl. But it's the subtle things that take this campaign from good to great.
There is so much research-based evidence that men are commonly playing more active roles in parenting, particularly among Millennial men. They are regularly taking on more duties that have traditionally been the wife/mom role. For example, Millennial men are more likely than older generations of men to regularly shop for kids' clothes and shoes and to help kids with homework. I'd say doing their daughter's hair fits solidly into that bucket as well. To be clear, I'm not saying moms don't do these things or that this is true across the board (there are of course an alarming number of children who don't have the influence of their fathers on a regular basis, which is part of the message of the campaign - the importance of "Dad time") but the point is this is becoming MORE common among Millennial fathers.
Pantene has cleverly inserted themselves into the mix of this consumer reality by creating a very relevant ad and then additional content that hopefully inspires more Dad-Dos.The how-to videos are so well-done too - they thought of everything (watch all four, they're endlessly entertaining). They would have been a miss if it was just the football dads with their daughters but instead these professional athletes are actually doing their daughter's hair, listening to her preferences and showing every dad out there, "if I can do it, you can do it." The football analogies, sound effects and graphics of the step-by-step tutorial guide is the icing on the cake.
Pantene has also created a special page on their site for Dad-Dos emphasizing that "The Next Generation of Strong is in Your Hands" with a text reminder about the impact quality time with their fathers has on girls. Even their connection to product purchase stays on-point "Ready to Tackle a Dad-Do? Find the right products for your daughter." The product section could have been a bit easier to navigate for men, but the intent is still good (to be fair it's just linking to the ordinary product page, not a special page with suggestions of products specifically to help dads - that would be been ideal). It's also notable that Pantene addressed the specific hair needs of girls of color in the videos too. That was an important detail. Next, I'd like to see them build up the #DadDo hashtag and have fathers tag pictures of their own dad-dos to encourage consumer engagement.
All in all, well done, Pantene. Well done. A+.