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Huggies commercial degrading Fathers..shocker!

Printed From: Commercials I Hate!
Category: Commercials You Hate!
Forum Name: Television / Streaming Ads
Forum Description: You hate them. Tell us why.
URL: http://www.commercialsihate.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=12184
Printed Date: 19 Mar 2024 at 4:49am
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Topic: Huggies commercial degrading Fathers..shocker!
Posted By: calzonesays
Subject: Huggies commercial degrading Fathers..shocker!
Date Posted: 09 Mar 2012 at 8:11am
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=3086325030548 (no youtube video apparently, this is the link)

Well, time to put Huggies diapers to the "Ultimate Test" the condescending voice-over says.  The all-knowing holier-than-thou genius mothers leave their children alone with the incapable fathers who supposedly can't take care of them and are idiots. 

I find it hilarious that this is the route they go, probably one of the worst marketing ideas I've seen.

So what does Huggies expect these bumbling fathers to do when it's time to change the baby's diaper?  Fold it inside out and throw it against the wall and say "unga bunga! me no change diaper, me watch TV and drink beer!!!!!"

I wonder what kind of backlash there would be in the media if the roles were reversed and it was a car commercial saying "time for the ultimate test!" and show a terrible female driver. 



Replies:
Posted By: jeroboam
Date Posted: 09 Mar 2012 at 11:14pm
What is stupid is the whole "bumbling, clueless dad" is kind of outdated. I have heard recently that this is the age of the dad. We are seeing it more and more, especially in larger cities. Dads at parenting classes, dads on play dates, dads in parks. 9-5/ 40 hour weeks are different now, and dads are aware and educated more these days. Dads are shopping for nursery items, dads blog about being dads.

So when I see the clueless dad character I kind of laugh at the out of touch ad exec who still thinks it is funny to show a dad wrapping a baby in duct tape or  whatever.
Mr. Mom couldn't be made today because no one would find it that outrageous.
(still a great movie though)


Posted By: calzonesays
Date Posted: 09 Mar 2012 at 11:59pm
I agree.

I don't understand why these companies go out of their way to slap stereotypes on males/fathers.  


Posted By: Hezadancer
Date Posted: 10 Mar 2012 at 1:27am
Yep, they still think that men don't make any purchasing decisions. Men who make BABY purchasing decisions...now there's a good laugh! AM I RIGHT LADIES?! They need to stop this sh*t. Even if the daddy buying diapers is a small market share, it's worth marketing to them, instead of putting them down in a futile effort to sell to women. There's a Tide commercial that has a dad talking about Tide while his daughter asks to play ponies. It's a terrible ad, but at least it shows that men ARE capable of having a thought about household purchases.

On a side note, I don't know of any of my child bearing friends who purchase diapers based on ads anyway. From what I hear diaper companies are constantly showering these new moms in coupons and samples, to the point that they really just buy whatever company spoils them with discounts the most.


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It's ok, I'm in marketing!


Posted By: jeroboam
Date Posted: 10 Mar 2012 at 4:42am
My wife buys diapers based on what ones don't blow out.
Oh and heza.. you say you and your husband are trying to start in on the kids game. When that day comes, at your baby shower, suggest a little trick. Everyone who came to my wife's shower that brought a pack of diapers, were entered in to a drawing for a 50 dollar gift card to I think Target. My sisters paid for the card. Anyway, we didn't buy diapers for over a year for both kids. What's cool is when they outgrew a size, we'd take the too small diapers to the store and exchange straight across for a bigger size.
We just bought Ollie some diapers for the first time last week.

Oh and I usually buy the detergent


Posted By: CatWoman
Date Posted: 10 Mar 2012 at 4:45am
My daughter has had the better luck with Pampers. 

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Posted By: flychinook
Date Posted: 10 Mar 2012 at 3:18pm
Wow... Had a look at Huggies's Facebook page... They're having a slight PR meltdown over this, and have already tried spinning it as "the true message not coming through clearly". They're trying to say it was actually being positive to dads. Sorry Huggies, I know Bs when I see it.

Imagine DeWalt or Craftsman "putting their tools to the ultimate test" by having a woman use them.


Posted By: jeroboam
Date Posted: 10 Mar 2012 at 4:54pm
Kimbery/Clark actually is VERY much influenced by focus groups. My wife is part of one one for newborns. She was picked and she applied and is part of a group. She goes to a website and watched early ad concepts, storyboards and is asked multiple questions and asked to explain her opinions. She is part of about 500 in the NW area, and each region has a cluster of people. There are some dads on their but mostly it is moms.
Sometimes, they go ahead or don't run an ad past the groups it seems or maybe enough other regions did a feed back that it  never sees us out west. Either way, this one didn't run by wife but she has said that the backlash on the focus site is close to unanimous. They messed up. Now they are responding and agreeing to tweak things and reassess. They did this already with the Huggies Jeans ads. People didn't like the slight sensuality tones so they removed a part.


Posted By: jeroboam
Date Posted: 10 Mar 2012 at 4:57pm
Ok wow, they are actually pulling it and replacing the ad. Here is the letter Kimberly/Clark sent. There's hating commercials.. and then there is HATING commercials... ha.

http://www.daddydoctrines.com/2012/03/09/an-open-letter-to-the-supporters-of-my-huggies-petition/" rel="nofollow - http://www.daddydoctrines.com/2012/03/09/an-open-letter-to-the-supporters-of-my-huggies-petition/





Posted By: dulcefresh
Date Posted: 10 Mar 2012 at 5:02pm
The commercial made it seem like the moms do all the work. which is not true. I dont have kids my self but alot of my friends do and there husbands take as much part in parenting as they do. 


Posted By: Hezadancer
Date Posted: 10 Mar 2012 at 6:20pm
I think the problem is they way they had to ad the snark line "dad...alone with their babies...."

Seriously, they could have edited that line out because the only purpose it serves is to evoke the "horror" of a dad left alone with his child. The ad wouldn't be so bad if they took a different approach. Oh and way to be cliche with the stupid ass fist bump at the end, we could do without that too.


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It's ok, I'm in marketing!


Posted By: dulcefresh
Date Posted: 10 Mar 2012 at 6:24pm
Hezadancer, I totally agree with you. The fist bump was really unnecessary.


Posted By: sgtrock21
Date Posted: 11 Mar 2012 at 2:03am
Hey! I'm a grampa. I have bought diapers and changed many of them. Fathers change many diapers. Don't make them childcare morons. I have grown tired of the "woman smart" "man dumb" commercials. I know they are trying to reach the female audiance but most females can see beyond this.


Posted By: musicman
Date Posted: 11 Mar 2012 at 10:10am
Wink
 


Posted By: Thor
Date Posted: 11 Mar 2012 at 2:05pm
This commercial is...
 
...no more.
 
http://www.examiner.com/advertising-in-richmond/angry-dads-outrage-gets-huggies-ad-campaign-pulled-from-television" rel="nofollow - http://www.examiner.com/advertising-in-richmond/angry-dads-outrage-gets-huggies-ad-campaign-pulled-from-television
 
 


Posted By: calzonesays
Date Posted: 12 Mar 2012 at 4:22am
Originally posted by Thor Thor wrote:

This commercial is...
 
...no more.
 
http://www.examiner.com/advertising-in-richmond/angry-dads-outrage-gets-huggies-ad-campaign-pulled-from-television" rel="nofollow - http://www.examiner.com/advertising-in-richmond/angry-dads-outrage-gets-huggies-ad-campaign-pulled-from-television
 
 


Nice.  The idiots that came up with that marketing idea should be fired.


Posted By: Obie
Date Posted: 12 Mar 2012 at 6:20am
Well, 'Dads' finally win one from the ad industry morons!


Posted By: Matt
Date Posted: 15 Mar 2012 at 4:36am
Sexism works both ways.  I agree with an above about what would happen if a power tool company called women the 'ultimate test' of their tools.


Posted By: Occasionaldream
Date Posted: 18 Mar 2012 at 4:49am
Originally posted by calzonesays calzonesays wrote:


So what does Huggies expect these bumbling fathers to do when it's time to change the baby's diaper?  Fold it inside out and throw it against the wall and say "unga bunga! me no change diaper, me watch TV and drink beer!!!!!"

I wonder what kind of backlash there would be in the media if the roles were reversed and it was a car commercial saying "time for the ultimate test!" and show a terrible female driver. 
 
Best comment ever, thanks for the laugh. I may start saying that to my husband when he doesn't want to change a dirty diaper. Also, I'd love to see the ultimate test for female drivers...maybe having to parallel park in front of a building where there is a sale on shoes? LOL



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