Father’s Day 2024: Best Brand Campaigns

Published 13 June 2024

Author
Marta Mąkolska
3 min read

With Father’s Day (June 16) spending in the US alone expected to reach $22.4bn (NRF, 2024), shrewd brands are relaying fresh fatherhood narratives. Dove celebrates alternative father figures via real stories and a chance to be featured in The New York Times (NYT); Walmart’s animated short film depicts Black fatherhood, and Indian delivery platform Zepto plays on a rom-com trope.

At A Glance

Innovation Platforms

Inclusivity Outlook
Convenience Culture

Topics

Key Stats

Father’s Day 2024 Stats

3/4

Three quarters of Americans said in 2024 that they plan to celebrate Father’s Day

$189.81

Those shopping for Father’s Day in the US in 2024 intended to spend $189.81 on gifts and celebrations (compared with 2023’s record of $196.23)

$275.67

In the US, 25- to 34-year-olds are the biggest Father’s Day spenders in 2024, at an average of $275.67

26%

Among Americans celebrating Father’s Day 2024, half plan to purchase a gift for a father or stepfather, followed by husband (26%), son (10%), brother (8%), friend (8%) and grandfather (6%)

58%

Greeting cards are the most popular Father’s Day gift in the US, with 58% intending to buy one in 2024, followed by clothing (54%), a special outing (52%), gift cards (48%) and personal care (31%)

27%

In the US, 27% of Father’s Day shoppers in 2024 planned to give a gift of experience, such as tickets to a sporting event or concert – slightly down from 29% in 2023

42%

Among Americans, 42% were interested in gifting a product subscription box for Father’s Day 2024 – up from 34% in 2019

42%

At 42%, online is the most popular shopping destination for Father’s Day 2024 in the US – in line with 43% in 2023; other choices include department stores (38%), discount stores (24%), speciality stores (22%) and local/small businesses (19%)

£695m

Retail spending on Father’s Day in the UK is forecast to reach £695m ($886.9m) in 2024, up by 1.8% on 2023

<1/2

The UK’s Father’s Day market is less than half the size of its Mother’s Day market

40%

In the UK, 40% of consumers say they find it hard to buy the right thing for their loved ones for Father’s Day

2/5

Two in five Brits agree that retailers don’t do enough to provide gift inspiration for Father’s Day

70%

In the US, 70% of consumers have an impactful father figure in their life, but only 10% regularly celebrate them on Father’s Day

Dove’s Real-Life Stories & NYT Photo Sweepstake Showcase All Father Figures

Dubbed Care Makes a Dad, the Dove Men+Care campaign celebrates all fathers, including non-biological father figures, such as stepdads, adoptive fathers, cousins and teachers. The ad is a response to the Unilever-owned brand’s proprietary research, which found that 70% of people have an impactful non-biological father figure in their life, but only 10% regularly celebrate them on Father’s Day.

The video showcases stories from father figures and their children from across the US, including basketball player Nah’Shon Lee “Bones” Hyland and his cousin, with the dads talking about their loved ones before listening to their loved ones speak about them and then being reunited on camera. All emphasise the men’s impact in their children’s lives through unconditional care. A tagline reads: “You don’t have to be a father to be a Dad. Care makes a difference. Care makes a Dad.”

Dove is also running a sweepstake that will see winners featured in a full-page ad in The New York Times. Participants can choose to attend a pop-up Father Figures photo shoot in New York City on June 14 or post a picture of them and their father figure on Instagram, tagging @DoveMenCare.

Walmart Honours Black Fatherhood via Animated Short & Emerging Directors’ Showcase

American retail giant Walmart has partnered with Black-owned agencies Contender Labs and Martian Blueberry on a five-minute animated short film titled Answering the Call, which spotlights a group of modern-day fathers, dubbed The League of Black and Unlimited Dads, and their superpowers. It shows the men nurturing the physical, mental, spiritual and financial wellbeing of their children, depicting them in situations like calming arguments between siblings and rescuing children’s baking disasters.

Dee Charlemagne, director of cultural strategy at Walmart, said: “In culture and the media, positive stories about Black fathers need to be told. Through animation, the film taps into those everyday moments when dads show up and shape the lives of the next generation – that is a superpower.”

The campaign, which sits within Walmart’s 2021-launched Black & Unlimited marketing platform, appears alongside the second edition of Walmart’s annual partnership with the American Black Film Festival. Its Black & Unlimited Fatherhood Project will showcase three films on the subject from emerging directors at the festival in Miami on June 15 and on Walmart’s Black & Unlimited YouTube page from June 17 to 24. Each of the directors has also been awarded $10,000.

See also Black Consumers' Brand Engagement Briefing 2022.

Zepto Encourages Emotional Connections

Riffing on a stereotypical scenario in which a nervous person rehearses how to tell their new romantic partner that they love them, Indian grocery delivery app Zepto aims to encourage consumers to express their love for their dads with a one-minute campaign titled #JustSayIt.

Released in two languages (Hindi and Tamil), it features a young man selecting a Father’s Day gift for his dad via the Zepto app and preparing to say “I love you” when he goes to see him.

See also Refining Modern Masculinity and Internet Trends 101: Modern Family, publishing June 25.