MANILA – When it comes to parenting, fathers usually have unique and unorthodox styles compared to mothers. They may often come across as the disciplinarians of the family, but recent research* has shown that they are also their chilren’s playmates, teachers, travel companions, and even their “personal Google.” These different roles strengthen the bonds they’ve formed with their children and contribute to a child’s well-being.
To celebrate Father’s Day and dads’ many roles as a child’s “DadBud,” Nestlé Chuckie, the brand that brought us the heart-warming ad “Buddy,” now shares “The Buddy Code: Life lessons that dad taught us through play.”
According to Kyle Cruz, Account Cirector at McCann Worldgroup Philippines, which executed the ad for Nestlé Philippines, “One of the most important roles of Dad is to play with their kids. His unique contribution to a happy childhood is something no one else can replicate. Playing harder can mean an encouragement for their kids to push further in life. If they take advantage of this opportunity now, they will surely reap the benefits of a well-prepared child in the future.”
Eileen Borromeo, Planning Head at McCann, adds, “We need to allow dads to be dads to their children. Sometimes, the temptation as mothers is to feel like we are the only ones who know what’s best for our kids.”
To underscore the light, playful tone of the ad’s message, the creative team used what is known as a cinemagraph, which help bring photographs to life through small, repeated movements that can be looped continuously.
Cruz explains, “Unlike a usual tear-jerking Father’s Day tribute, this material light-heartedly puts a spotlight on the life lessons we learn from sharing active play moments with our dads. Each vignette shows an unstructured play scene that alludes to a lesson that each of us realizes as we progress through life. Ultimately, we want to show that dads can be our best buddies in playtime–depicting him as fun, involved, and creative. While kids always pour their hearts out in play, it is when parents invest as much time and effort that help build a stronger bond.”
She points out, “Mass media usually portrays dads in two ways–impassive and careless, or crazy and overly foolish. Their unorthodox parenting style usually takes the sideline compared to the nurturing ways of Mom. But in reality, Dads are the unsung heroes who will go over and beyond to give their kids the happiest childhood. More and more, Dads are getting involved in raising their kids, breaking out from distant Dad stereotype from the past.”
“The execution of a cinemagraph also differentiates it from film advertising, which we usually see on Father’s Day. We leveraged on the power of a single visual to create a story that is both simple and charming. The animating elements bring to life the still photos, which we hope create more intrigue and interest with our audience,” Cruz shares.
Ron Roman, Creative Director at McCann Worldgroup Philippines, also shares: “A photo is a memory, while a video capture has a beginning and end. Since we are celebrating timeless lessons from Dad through play, a cinemagraph is the best way to capture and ‘freeze’ these important moments in time. These are the meaningful moments with Dad that loop and play continuously in our hearts and minds—the fun times together that never fail to make us smile in silent gratitude no matter how old we get.”
Launched a few days before Father’s Day, the light-hearted video has already earned over 1.4 million views on Nestlé Chuckie’s Facebook page and over 1.2 million views on the Nestlé Chuckie YouTube page as of press time. The campaign was amplified by a YouTube masthead that adds an extra element of fun to this tribute piece.
According to Joe Dy, Executive Creative Director at McCann Worldgroup Philippines, “We’ve seen a lot of content portraying dads as either mentors or playmates. We wanted to go a step further and highlight how a dad playing with his child does both. He can be his child’s buddy by really joining him when he plays, while simultaneously imparting important life lessons to him. In his own unique, fatherly way. After all, a child’s values, beliefs, attitudes and perceptions are shaped during play.”
“Chuckie as a brand believes that parents and children should be playing together. This is our way of both celebrating and encouraging the fathers who do,” Dy concludes.
To view the cinemagraph ad on Nestlé Chuckie’s official social media accounts, click on the links below:
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Chuckie.ph/?fref=ts
*Source: The Truth About Filipino Dads, McCann Worldgroup Philippines, 2016
