What Does Dad Really Want: Connecting Brands with Consumers on Father’s Day

When it comes to Father’s Day, Agencies and Brands have historically leaned on male stereotypes to reach key segments; home-improvement, business attire, and electronics. While this approach has proven lucrative in the past it has the potential to alienate and miss lucrative segments of a new generation of Fathers. In order for brands to capture the hearts and dollars of today’s Dads, they must use Helixa to uncover uncover new, non-traditional, segments that sit outside the stereotypes to realize growth opportunities.

Brands, Agencies, and their Media partners have a few sacred days circled on their collective calendars. The obvious immediately come to mind; Black Friday, the Holiday Season, the Super Bowl, etc. Often overlooked are those second tier holidays that specific industries rely on to make their sales targets on an annual basis. 

Think of your local Florists or internationally 1-800-Flowers without Valentine’s or Mother’s Day. Can you imagine a world where the Car Industry succeeds without President’s or Memorial Day? For those of us who can't skip ads or still have traditional cable, think over the last three or so weeks of commercials. As you may have guessed, Home Improvement, Tech, and Men’s Fashion Houses have dominated the airways as they focus most of their non-holiday budget on June and Father’s Day. While they may sell a lot of tools and ties, is this a sustainable model? Are brands and media companies ignoring lucrative segment opportunities? And most importantly, new Dad here, is that really what Dad wants on his special day? 

This isn’t your Father’s, Father’s Day…

We have known for years that Millennials, next in-line Gen-Z to an even larger degree, refuse to fall into traditional marketing buckets. As marketers, we have wrestled with those challenges and seemingly slayed those demons, stretching our collective minds and budgets to connect directly with the new Yuppie. As this coveted demographic moves from DINKs to DEWKs, does the Millennial generation continue to paint outside the lines or do they in reality turn into their parents like Progressive suggests?  

What Does the Dad of Today Really Want for Father’s Day?

Millennial dads are less likely than the average American to Do-it-Yourselfers (.84x). Helixa Discover can help us unearth the gifts that they actually want, while uncovering a new opportunity for Brands & Marketers.

It’s no big surprise that our millennial dads are both Sports (1.80x) and Outdoor Enthusiasts (1.78x). While hunting and golf are often seen as activities for a bygone generation, our millennial dads are also big fans of both. To dig a step figure, we can uncover which Sport Retail stores millennial dads are more interested in, and more importantly what brands are their favorite.

Sales events at any one of these major retail stores might rouse Dad from the couch, but that still doesn’t answer the questions of what to get him. Utilizing Discovery, we can hone in on specific categories and brands to uncover the perfect gift. What more could Dad want, than either a new camo hat or a brand new Ping Putter to start off the perfect Sunday?

Helixa Discovery Digs Deeper to Uncover True Affinity & Opportunities for Brands…

Not all Dads are created equal. So what do you get the millennial dad who would rather not spend his precious time off pretending to enjoy outdoor sports? If you’ve been in a Target or any other retailer in the last couple of years, you may have seen the signs limiting the number of trading card packs per household. The pandemic offered a whole wave of nostalgia for our collective childhood hobbies. Millennial dads are no different, and have been caught up in the revival as well, with high affinities for sports trading cards, Magic: The Gathering, and their childhood favorite, Pokemon.

Trading cards aren’t the only revival that millennial dads have jumped on board with. They’re also more likely to be fans of Board & Card Games (1.24x) than the average American. So, if you want to spend some quality time with Dad on Father’s Day, then Helixa will uncover the games that he’ll like the most. Don’t worry about letting Dad win, Dads always win – I swear they are cheating!

As another Father’s Day has arrived, the Millennial Dads offer a good reminder for all marketers, Holidays or otherwise. In the increasingly bloody battle for US Consumer dollars, brands must use Helixa to uncover whitespaces and new segment opportunities or run the risk of not connecting with the next generation of consumers. To truly grab the attention of your target audience and drive them to purchase, marketers must dive beyond the obvious to uncover real attributes that motivate target audiences, while making meaningful connections at their passion points. 

And please, get Dad what he really wants to ensure he has a Happy Father’s Day! 

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