Dove Men+Care Launches #CongratsItsADad Campaign for Father’s Day

This Father’s Day, Dove Men+Care launched a new campaign, #CongratsItsADad, in celebration of the moment that men became fathers to newborns on the very day that is dedicated to them. 

 

#CongratsItsADad celebrates men who received the ultimate Father’s Day gift this year – the birth of their child. Throughout Sunday’s holiday, starting at the stroke of midnight, Dove Men+Care compiled photographs of some of the newest dads in the US and created an agile campaign, encouraging everyone to acknowledge the care of dads and father figures in their lives. As the photos were submitted by families and birthing photographers around the country, Dove Men+Care quickly transformed them into outdoor digital billboards to be displayed on over 1,600 locations throughout New York City, including in Times Square and Penn Plaza – all on the same day.

“Since the brand’s inception in 2010, Dove Men+Care has found inspiration in the caring role of fathers, and we remain committed to breaking the stereotypes that negatively impact men,” said Augusto Garzon, global lead of Dove Men+Care for Unilever. “The birth of a child also marks the birth of a dad. This campaign was developed to not only celebrate their care, but also to support them as they embark on this new fatherhood journey. This is something we set out to do in 2019 with the launch of the Pledge for Paternity Leave.”

 

As part of an ongoing commitment to making paid parental leave more accessible for all parents, Dove Men+Care will provide each of the dads featured in the campaign with $5,000 grants to supplement any paid paternity leave needs, or to support them in any way during their first few weeks of fatherhood. The brand understands that in the US only 13% of fathers who take time off when their families grow received any payment from work1. Since 2019, this has been a focus for Dove Men+Care, with the introduction of the Pledge for Paternity Leave. The program has included efforts to drive legislative change, offer immediate support for dads in need, and build a community of advocates and supporters of paid parental leave.

 

Throughout the month, #CongratsItsADad content will also be shared across Dove Men+Care social channels and the brand is working with content creators to share their own fatherhood stories. All are encouraged to share their own experiences by engaging with the “Add Yours” feature in Instagram stories and by using the campaign hashtag.

 

The brand and its partners at Ogilvy, who led creative development of the campaign, understand the imperativeness to showcase the care of dads. 

 

“There’s a desperate need to positively model care for men, especially in the lives of their children. With 1 in 4 children in America having no biological, step or adoptive father at home, being a champion of men stepping up to the challenge of fatherhood is part of the bedrock of purpose that Dove Men+Care is building on,” said Rob Butcher, global creative director, Dove Men+Care for Ogilvy. 

 

The desire to create a campaign that demonstrates fatherhood in this way is inherent in the team’s personal experiences. 

 

“Last Friday evening, I got dressed as a merman and took my eldest baby, who is now 9, to see a movie at our local cinema,” said Daniel Fisher, global executive creative director, Unilever for Ogilvy. “I think I promised her I would do this for her, along with millions of other things, at 1:46 PM on March 23, 2014, when I cradled her in my arms for the very first time. Because that moment, when a man becomes a father for first time and meets his newborn, is like nothing else they will ever experience. It fills them with a tidal wave of emotions that change them in that instant forever. I’m so proud that we’ve been able to capture this moment for Dove Men+Care. We are indebted to all the new dads – and their babies, of course – for sharing this wonderful moment with us.”