Father Loses 2 Young Children In Tornado
Why It's Hard To Get Along With Your In-Laws
Where's The Dad?
Filed under: In The News, Media
Who's in charge at home?
If recent ads from Walmart and Target are to be believed, it's all Mom, all the time.
Jezebel has a review of four recent ads from the two big retailers. And they ask a fair question: Where's Dad?
The Walmart commercials are about kids moving into their college dorms. Jez charitably wonders if Walmart is "targeting single moms," before wondering if the more likely scenario is that the big W is assuming that "taking care of kids' college furnishings - like making dinner - is a woman's job?"
For proof of a lack of dadditude, here's the ad.
The two Target ads do include menfolk, but they appear to be available only to watch television or for some necking -- provided the woman doesn't have stinky breath.
Not all companies pretend that Dad has no involvement in the parenting process. A few years ago, Jif Peanut Butter updated its classic slogan "Choosy Moms Choose Jif" to "Choosy Moms, and Dads, Choose Jif", at least for some of its ads.
"We didn't change the slogan, per se," Maribeth Badertscher, a spokesperson for Smuckers, the owners of Jif, told ParentDish."We have different commercials that we've aired. Our company is all about family mealtime. Whatever you consider your family to be, our brands play a very important role in that."
One ad that features a male parent is this one. Dad is building his little girl a treehouse. So she makes him a PB&J.
Jif's web site also has a section called "Mom Advisor". Maybe Dad is choosing Jif, but he certainly isn't making sandwiches with it.
The sketch comedy troupe Quiet Library has a different take on what Dad chooses -- vodka. Hey, at least he's spending time with his kid.
What do you think? Are these advertisers out of touch? Or are they right that it's all Mom, all the time?
If recent ads from Walmart and Target are to be believed, it's all Mom, all the time.
Jezebel has a review of four recent ads from the two big retailers. And they ask a fair question: Where's Dad?
The Walmart commercials are about kids moving into their college dorms. Jez charitably wonders if Walmart is "targeting single moms," before wondering if the more likely scenario is that the big W is assuming that "taking care of kids' college furnishings - like making dinner - is a woman's job?"
For proof of a lack of dadditude, here's the ad.
The two Target ads do include menfolk, but they appear to be available only to watch television or for some necking -- provided the woman doesn't have stinky breath.
Not all companies pretend that Dad has no involvement in the parenting process. A few years ago, Jif Peanut Butter updated its classic slogan "Choosy Moms Choose Jif" to "Choosy Moms, and Dads, Choose Jif", at least for some of its ads.
"We didn't change the slogan, per se," Maribeth Badertscher, a spokesperson for Smuckers, the owners of Jif, told ParentDish."We have different commercials that we've aired. Our company is all about family mealtime. Whatever you consider your family to be, our brands play a very important role in that."
One ad that features a male parent is this one. Dad is building his little girl a treehouse. So she makes him a PB&J.
Jif's web site also has a section called "Mom Advisor". Maybe Dad is choosing Jif, but he certainly isn't making sandwiches with it.
The sketch comedy troupe Quiet Library has a different take on what Dad chooses -- vodka. Hey, at least he's spending time with his kid.
What do you think? Are these advertisers out of touch? Or are they right that it's all Mom, all the time?
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
8-24-2009 @ 1:44PM
Glenn said...WHO CARES?? It's an advertisement!
Reply
8-24-2009 @ 1:52PM
Heather said...Companies are marketing to a their target audience of consumers. When men start buying most of the products, they will target them. It all comes down to the dollar. Women spend the most at the grocery store! They aren't marketing tools to women for the same reason!
Reply
8-24-2009 @ 3:44PM
Maureen said...I wonder about these ads all the time. Whenever you see an ad for something like a floor cleaner or a quick dinner, it is always a woman. If there is a man, he is portrayed as dimwitted. But, as a previous poster said, they are marketing to the people who spend the most on their products.
Reply
8-24-2009 @ 3:52PM
LS said...Why are we surprised? The "feminists" in this country have spent the last 30+ years making man an obsolete entity. We've gone, in TV Land, from "Father Knows Best" and "Andy Griffith", with their put-together and intelligent dads, to "Everybody Loves Raymond" and "The Simpsons", with their stupid-as-dirt, dumbass dads who couldn't think their way past the bottle of beer in their hands. And in every one of those current shows, we laugh and nod knowingly when the all-powerful, all-knowing wife/mother comes to the rescue.
So why are we now surprised that dads are marginalized in, or left completely out of, advertising?
Reply
8-24-2009 @ 4:30PM
SKL said...Why is it that some people are always looking for some imagined slight? What exactly is the damage that is done by using a woman in a commercial about home furnishings?
Last I checked, we were still a mostly capitalistic country and as such, for-profit companies are free to advertise without having to follow the anti-discrimination rules applied to government entities.
Or are you saying the companies would sell more if they used dads in the dorm room commercial? Ha! My mom, not my dad, helped me furnish my dorm room. Was it different for you? Waah. Chances are you can still find stuff in Target even if you never see a commercial with a guy shopping there. Heck, I don't even watch TV and I still manage to find my way around Wal-Mart and even (gasp) Lowes.
Reply
8-25-2009 @ 4:46PM
Reese said......I rarely see "dad's" when I go into Target. Maybe when I go into Best Buy or some home improvement store, but not Target.
As for the dorm-related commercials. I don't know about you...but all the dorm rooms I've been in are half the size of what they show in commercials and are also equipped with desks and chairs. Half the stuff in those dorm commercials aren't needed at all.
Reply
8-28-2009 @ 12:57AM
Julie said...This is advertising, not a social commentary. It's aimed at moms because 99 out of 100 times, it's mom that will be doing the school shopping. Good grief.
9-01-2009 @ 10:31AM
Derik said...I see what Julie is saying but I, as a father, am relecutant to shop at a store that doesnt portray a father as an active participant in the relationship. I think they need to realize that fathers are stepping up and particapte in their childs life.
Reply
9-05-2009 @ 3:41AM
PaulSr said...This is a reflection of the times and Dads everywhere need to speak out! "Girl-Glory" is out of hand and it is a problem. The Man-Hater organizations have re-establish who the head of the family is. It is no longer the father. The order is now like the British Royal Family, where the Mother is always the Queen, but the Father is only a Duke and not recognized as the King. He sits below the entire family. Like a bee hive, where there is a Queen and the men are nothing more than drones.
Yes it is correct that marketing recognizes women as the larger consumer group, but like in the 70s, there is affirmative-action that insisted things have to be equal, regardless of who the larger consumer is. I am tired of hearing the "Mom" word in every commercial I hear anymore. Yes, marketing is part to blame, but they are catering to the Girl-Groups that have pushed Fathers out of the family and financial picture. Dads need to get mad!!!!
Reply