Brands to target dads

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An article in the ‘Brand Republic’ last month reports the encouraging news that a greater number of men are spending more time and energy on their children – but from a ‘brand’ perspective this means new marketing strategies to ‘capture’ these hands-on dads.

A small number of brands and government agencies have recognised this trend and are beginning to target fathers directly. The National Literacy Trust, for example, began to advise schools and NGOs to engage with them, following research revealing that fathers in England are less likely than mothers to read with their children. The Trust wrote a 'Getting the blokes on board' manifesto containing suggestions on how to communicate with dads. Events labelled for parents tend to attract mothers, according to the study, so addressing letters directly to fathers was one way to get them more involved.

The article also highlights a new forum on the Huggies website which is aimed at fathers…however a quick check by DadTalk & it looks decidedly pink with a list of contributors whose names are not those we would normally associate with men!

This aside, it can’t be a bad thing for fathers to be acknowledged as being more involved in their children’s upbringing – although the article also cites evidence that mothers are still the ‘chief executives of the household’!

The full article from Brand Republic.