'Dadvertising': The role of fathers are evolving, and advertisers are taking notice

TAMPA, Fla. - They are ads with a focus on dads.

"Dads know best even if that's only in their own mind," said Garrett Garcia, a father of two and the President of PPK in Tampa.

He's well versed in "dadvertising".

"I think it's sort of the industry catching up to the notion that dads are spending more time at home with the kids," Garcia explained. "I think that shift started years ago, pre-pandemic. I think it's a generational shift. Dads just owning more responsibility. Not just with the kids but with the household."

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Scholars and doctoral students at the University of Florida have been researching "dadvertising."

"What happens in society and what we see in advertising portrayals are very closely tied. One of the notes is that there is more of a positive attitude among anxious new fathers. These are portrayals of men who are not afraid to lean into being the primary caretaker if they have to," said Dr. Cynthia Morton with the University of Florida's Department of Advertising.

It's putting dads on equal footing with moms in the ad world.

"Historically, advertisers looked at moms as the keys to the household. You know the keys to the kingdom, and for a long time, they were. They owned the decisions. They owned the buying power as it related to family or children's products, household products and I don't think that that's the case anymore. I think with the shared responsibility of household to-do lists, I think dads have just as much say and influence as the moms do today," said Garcia.

Advertisers like Garcia are tracking the future of fatherhood.

"I think it's going to continue to evolve as the dad's roles evolve," he said. "You know, we're going to possibly see an even greater shift towards dads staying at home and dads running the household in the coming years."