Father’s Day Content Tips to Inspire Community Managers

Father’s Day can be a tough one for community managers. Often outshined by Mother’s Day, dads tend get the short shrift, not only with gifts (hello, novelty ties) but creative marketing concepts as well, with brands pushing out elaborate sweepstakes, interactive videos, and increasingly flashy content in celebration of moms but offering nary a peep for dad. Luckily, it’s easy to break free from campaigns as lackluster as a pair of golf socks and create eye-catching, engaging Father’s Day content. Here are some campaigns to show you how:

Jokes From Dad

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#DadJokes—within the past few years, these pun-filled quips have become as quintessentially “dad” as Dockers pants and giving advice in the form of idioms. Though they may not be successful at making you laugh, dad jokes seem to be a pretty effective form of marketing, as proved by appliance company HH Gregg’s Jokes From Dad campaign. Using the hashtag #JokesFromDad, HH Gregg asked fans to share their favorite dad jokes, with the best submissions being acted out by cute kids in oversized suits and ties. The video prompted viewers to visit hhgreg.com/dad, where they could then Tweet out pre-selected dad jokes from their own Twitter handles.

Why It Works:

Lighthearted, silly, and undeniably adorable, the #JokesFromDad campaign was a playful and charming take on the classic, corny dad joke. With a fun hashtag and engaging prompt, HH Gregg was able to generate high engagement amongst fans, later using their shared content to create a humorous video just in time for Father’s Day. The result is a campaign which dares you not to laugh, an appreciation of dads as much as it is a lighthearted mockery of them.
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Dove Men+Care’s First Time Fatherhood

The past 50 years of advertising have featured what can only be described as the “doofus” dad: a lazy, incompetent creature more comfortable with the power saw than he is with the baby stroller. Though many marketers still choose to play up this tired trope, modern dads wish to be represented in a new way, portrayed not as comic relief but as competent, involved caregivers who are just as skilled at nailing naptime, packing PBJs and shuttling the kids to and from soccer practice as their partners. Dove Men+Care accurately portrayed this new version of fatherhood in its touching video campaign, which captured the emotional reactions of 12 men as they discover they’ll be fathers for the first time.

Why It Works:

Sometimes, the best content is that which comes from the community. Often an under-utilized resource, brands only seek to gain by showcasing content from fans, as user generated content is often perceived to be more authentic and representative than branded. In this case, the videos were not submitted directly by the Dove community (rather, the company sourced reactions from high-rating YouTube videos) but the organic and audience-oriented aspect is still there. Simply put, people love stories about themselves, or people like themselves. By featuring home videos full of unfiltered reactions, Dove Men+Care created a relatable, share-able video that is at once perfectly authentic yet also completely on brand, tying into Dove Men+Care’s #RealStrength campaign with one simple caption: “Real strength means showing you care, even from the very first moment.”

Keurig: Dad Knows Best

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The majority of us run on coffee, and dads are no exception. For Father’s Day, Keurig ran a sweepstakes that invited users to share the best advice their dads had ever given them by tagging posts with #DadKnowsBest. The winning Tweet was selected at random, with the grand prize being a Vue Keurig brewer signed by actor Hugh Jackman.

Why It Works:

Twitter is a platform built for conversation. By inviting fans to submit content, Keurig capitalized on Twitter user’s love of sharing (and oversharing).

Though the prompt itself was engaging, what really made this particular campaign is its product giveaway. After all, it’s no surprise that people are more likely to engage with brands if they know there’s a chance of getting something in return. Keurig captured fans attention by the promise of a prize and kept them engaged with relatable, share-able content.

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Keurig also scored big by having actor Hugh Jackman, most well known for playing X-Men’s Wolverine, as their contest spokesperson. Attaching a celebrity or well-known influencer to a campaign not only captures audience’s attention, but can help amplify and lend credibility to brand messaging.

Pro Tip: Even if your brand is unable to put together BPA packages or host a giveaway, always try to find a way to gift fans in other ways, like spotlighting their comments or photos. Featuring their responses gives fans a sense of recognition in addition to furthering their connection with the brand, as fans expect brands to talk with them, not at them. (Bonus—giveaways and sweepstakes are great ways to incentivize Retweets, expanding your contest and brand reach.)

As a CM, you know your audience best. Your daily interactions, along with brand voice and guidelines, give you all the tools you need to create an authentic, thumb-stopping Father’s Day message that resonates with your audience.

Still finding it difficult to plan content for your brand? Check out our client case study for Go Red For Women for tips on how to maximize your social strategy.



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