#howtodad: Cheerios Ad Featuring Non-Idiot Dad Goes Viral

[AgeOfEnlightenmentSCP]

A rare depiction of a normal family man who isn't a completely inept idiot.  It's an ad for Peanut Butter Cheerios, but they really nailed it:

#howtodad , indeed.  Well done, General Mills.

[djAdvocate]

a bit too self righteous and boasty for me.  but i won't say i haven't thought most of that shit.

[thyme4change]

Cheerios for breakfast, lunch AND dinner?!

No wonder our country is obese and malnutritioned at the same time.

[Virgil Showlion]

Well, it is nice to see a commercial dad portrayed as something other than a weak, incompetent idiot.

"Dads are awesome just like Peanut Cheerios are awesome. They're the official cereal of dadhood."

The message is a bit... um...

[AgeOfEnlightenmentSCP]

Dec 11, 2014 16:36:31 GMT -5 djAdvocate said:

a bit too self righteous and boasty for me.  but i won't say i haven't thought most of that shit.

A bit over the top- but I chalk that up to having a short time to jam a lot of visual points in.  Self righteous? Not really a word that came to mind.  "Boasty"- well, that's kind of the point.  Dad.  And proud of it.  If you don't mind- what, in your view, was "self righteous"?

[AgeOfEnlightenmentSCP]

Dec 11, 2014 23:00:06 GMT -5 Virgil Showlion said:

Well, it is nice to see a commercial dad portrayed as something other than a weak, incompetent idiot.

"Dads are awesome just like Peanut Cheerios are awesome. They're the official cereal of dadhood."

The message is a bit... um...

Yeah, well- we don't eat a lot of cereal.  My point in posting this is that the ad could have been for Craftsman tools, furniture, or just about anything.  I like the message, not the product per se.

[happyhoix]

I like it.

I've been seeing a lot more commercials that show dad is not an idiot. Dad doing laundry - the right way. Dad cleaning house, in a competent way. Mom and dad sitting together folding laundry. Dad taking a day off work with a sick kid.  Excellent trend.

Although I have to admit one of my favorite ones right now is the dad and kids skyping mom, assuring her the dishes are done, the homework is done, everything is fine, and then the camera pulls back and you see that something exploded in the kitchen  - but still, you have confidence the dad will get that all cleaned up before mom gets back from her business trip
 
This was always one of my pet peeves from commercials and sit coms from the 70's and 80's - the theme of stupid doofis dad.

[busymom]

A wee bit cheesy. But, I like it too!

[Virgil Showlion]

Dec 12, 2014 8:04:22 GMT -5 AgeOfEnlightenmentSCP said:

Dec 11, 2014 23:00:06 GMT -5 Virgil Showlion said:

Well, it is nice to see a commercial dad portrayed as something other than a weak, incompetent idiot.

"Dads are awesome just like Peanut Cheerios are awesome. They're the official cereal of dadhood."

The message is a bit... um...

Yeah, well- we don't eat a lot of cereal.  My point in posting this is that the ad could have been for Craftsman tools, furniture, or just about anything.  I like the message, not the product per se.

I'm at odds with the Bernaysian practice of insinuating positive messages (of any variety) into advertising. The fundamental intent is to sell a product, and this intent perverts the associated message. The advertisers are striving to disingenuously tie a product to some favourable concept or emotional staple in the mind of the consumer. The specific concept chosen is more or less irrelevant as long as the public views it favourably and can subconsciously come to associate it with the product.

For something like these Peanut Cheerios, I guarantee you the marketing team didn't start out with "Let's show America that dads matter." as an advertising goal. It started out with "What can we tie Peanut Cheerios to that will compel Americans to buy them? Funny animals? Nutrition? Breaking the mold?", and at some point during the discussion one team member mentioned, "I hear so many complaints these days about how fathers are portrayed poorly on TV. What if we make Peanut Cheerios 'the' cereal for all the dads and the people who support dads? 'Peanut Cheerios are awesome. Dads are awesome.'"  Voila. Instant Peanut Cheerios sales strategy.

Fundamentally what we're watching is a short propaganda film that happens to have a theme we approve of. This particular ad obviously hit the mark with you, even if you haven't gone out and bought Peanut Cheerios. For me, even the most benign commercials about people repaying acts of kindness or about pets surviving horrific accidents and being reunited with family all sour in my stomach a bit because deep down the message has been co-opted for sake of propagandizing the public. It's a form of deceit, and I don't like it. The whole Bernaysian concept of advertising, I dislike. It's antithetical to truth and reason.

Hence you'll have to forgive my less-than-enthusiastic response. The fact that a commercial contains a commendable message isn't sufficient to make me appreciate the commercial. It's better than a commercial portraying 'dad' as a weak, cowed idiot, I'll grant you, but "better than terrible" doesn't cut it for me. The commercial I respect is short, truthful, informative, and portrays the utility of a specific product in a straightforward way. I'm very much the engineer in that respect.

[djAdvocate]

Dec 12, 2014 8:03:05 GMT -5 AgeOfEnlightenmentSCP said:

Dec 11, 2014 16:36:31 GMT -5 djAdvocate said:

a bit too self righteous and boasty for me.  but i won't say i haven't thought most of that shit.

A bit over the top- but I chalk that up to having a short time to jam a lot of visual points in.  Self righteous? Not really a word that came to mind.  "Boasty"- well, that's kind of the point.  Dad.  And proud of it.  If you don't mind- what, in your view, was "self righteous"?

how cool he is.  how the world revolves around him.

i dunno, Paul, that is not how my family works.  everyone has a part in it.  they are not just "support staff" for my show.  we are a team.

edit: but i agree with you and others that this beats the hell out of doofus dad, which is way further off the mark, in general.

[AgeOfEnlightenmentSCP]

Dec 12, 2014 12:38:33 GMT -5 djAdvocate said:

Dec 12, 2014 8:03:05 GMT -5 AgeOfEnlightenmentSCP said:

A bit over the top- but I chalk that up to having a short time to jam a lot of visual points in.  Self righteous? Not really a word that came to mind.  "Boasty"- well, that's kind of the point.  Dad.  And proud of it.  If you don't mind- what, in your view, was "self righteous"?

how cool he is.  how the world revolves around him.

i dunno, Paul, that is not how my family works.  everyone has a part in it.  they are not just "support staff" for my show.  we are a team.

edit: but i agree with you and others that this beats the hell out of doofus dad, which is way further off the mark, in general.

Well, of course- I think that's the way it works in most families.  I can kinda see your point.  I guess I just got lost in how refreshing it was that the guy wasn't a total doofus.

[djAdvocate]

Dec 12, 2014 12:55:58 GMT -5 AgeOfEnlightenmentSCP said:

Dec 12, 2014 12:38:33 GMT -5 djAdvocate said:

how cool he is.  how the world revolves around him.

i dunno, Paul, that is not how my family works.  everyone has a part in it.  they are not just "support staff" for my show.  we are a team.

edit: but i agree with you and others that this beats the hell out of doofus dad, which is way further off the mark, in general.

Well, of course- I think that's the way it works in most families.  I can kinda see your point.  I guess I just got lost in how refreshing it was that the guy wasn't a total doofus.

to be clear, i enjoyed the commercial.  i just have some minor misgivings about it.

i think it is intended to be funny in a good way, and it is.

[Deleted]

Dec 12, 2014 11:10:05 GMT -5 happyhoix said:

I like it.

I've been seeing a lot more commercials that show dad is not an idiot. Dad doing laundry - the right way. Dad cleaning house, in a competent way. Mom and dad sitting together folding laundry. Dad taking a day off work with a sick kid.  Excellent trend.

Although I have to admit one of my favorite ones right now is the dad and kids skyping mom, assuring her the dishes are done, the homework is done, everything is fine, and then the camera pulls back and you see that something exploded in the kitchen  - but still, you have confidence the dad will get that all cleaned up before mom gets back from her business trip
 
This was always one of my pet peeves from commercials and sit coms from the 70's and 80's - the theme of stupid doofis dad.

And not one favorite mentioned showing the mom helping dad do a traditional male role chore around the house?

[AgeOfEnlightenmentSCP]

Dec 12, 2014 11:59:28 GMT -5 Virgil Showlion said:

Dec 12, 2014 8:04:22 GMT -5 AgeOfEnlightenmentSCP said:

Yeah, well- we don't eat a lot of cereal.  My point in posting this is that the ad could have been for Craftsman tools, furniture, or just about anything.  I like the message, not the product per se.

I'm at odds with the Bernaysian practice of insinuating positive messages (of any variety) into advertising. The fundamental intent is to sell a product, and this intent perverts the associated message. The advertisers are striving to disingenuously tie a product to some favourable concept or emotional staple in the mind of the consumer. The specific concept chosen is more or less irrelevant as long as the public views it favourably and can subconsciously come to associate it with the product.

For something like these Peanut Cheerios, I guarantee you the marketing team didn't start out with "Let's show America that dads matter." as an advertising goal. It started out with "What can we tie Peanut Cheerios to that will compel Americans to buy them? Funny animals? Nutrition? Breaking the mold?", and at some point during the discussion one team member mentioned, "I hear so many complaints these days about how fathers are portrayed poorly on TV. What if we make Peanut Cheerios 'the' cereal for all the dads and the people who support dads? 'Peanut Cheerios are awesome. Dads are awesome.'"  Voila. Instant Peanut Cheerios sales strategy.

Fundamentally what we're watching is a short propaganda film that happens to have a theme we approve of. This particular ad obviously hit the mark with you, even if you haven't gone out and bought Peanut Cheerios. For me, even the most benign commercials about people repaying acts of kindness or about pets surviving horrific accidents and being reunited with family all sour in my stomach a bit because deep down the message has been co-opted for sake of propagandizing the public. It's a form of deceit, and I don't like it. The whole Bernaysian concept of advertising, I dislike. It's antithetical to truth and reason.

Hence you'll have to forgive my less-than-enthusiastic response. The fact that a commercial contains a commendable message isn't sufficient to make me appreciate the commercial. It's better than a commercial portraying 'dad' as a weak, cowed idiot, I'll grant you, but "better than terrible" doesn't cut it for me. The commercial I respect is short, truthful, informative, and portrays the utility of a specific product in a straightforward way. I'm very much the engineer in that respect.

You're probably one of those people that believes that a good enough product will sell itself. 

I get where you're coming from, and ironically enough the aim of Mr. Bernays was to engineer consensus through propaganda because he felt the herd mentality was irrational and dangerous.  And here we have herd instinct in play- a viral video.

[AgeOfEnlightenmentSCP]

Dec 12, 2014 13:18:59 GMT -5 @jma23 said:

Dec 12, 2014 11:10:05 GMT -5 happyhoix said:

I like it.

I've been seeing a lot more commercials that show dad is not an idiot. Dad doing laundry - the right way. Dad cleaning house, in a competent way. Mom and dad sitting together folding laundry. Dad taking a day off work with a sick kid.  Excellent trend.

Although I have to admit one of my favorite ones right now is the dad and kids skyping mom, assuring her the dishes are done, the homework is done, everything is fine, and then the camera pulls back and you see that something exploded in the kitchen  - but still, you have confidence the dad will get that all cleaned up before mom gets back from her business trip
 
This was always one of my pet peeves from commercials and sit coms from the 70's and 80's - the theme of stupid doofis dad.

And not one favorite mentioned showing the mom helping dad do a traditional male role chore around the house?

I'm utterly shameless about the fact that I'd rather do laundry and fold clothes than mow the lawn.  I don't know, maybe somewhere along the line I burned myself out on yard work? 

And whoever said a woman's place was in the kitchen was on crack.  I don't let my wife in the kitchen willy-nilly.  She needs to submit a request, which particularly describes her purpose, length of visit, and an agreement that she'll put everything back where she found it- and it's followed by an inspection.  My kitchen is MY kitchen- a sacred place- hallowed even.

[Tiny]

IDK, kinda lame. I was impressed though that he got the kids to grab the trash on the way out at the end... up til then, he didn't really 'do' much other than offer platitudes to his kids.

Well, he did hand his wife a cup of coffee at the beginning.

I'm too jaded to assume that the Dad took to the kid with the broken arm to the ER and then any follow up visits, or that he took the dog to the vet, or that he had anything to do with the clean house or even the food in the fridge. I'm suspecting it's Saturday and he's shouldering his exhausting "couple of hours" of taking care of the kids while his wife goes grocery shopping to buy MORE of the cereal he's shilling.

I agree he's not an inept idiot - he's doing a great job of appearing to keep his family running smoothly - mostly by giving good face and innuendo.    Pretty sly if you ask me.

[greeniis10]

Dec 12, 2014 14:27:45 GMT -5 Tiny said:

IDK, kinda lame. I was impressed though that he got the kids to grab the trash on the way out at the end... up til then, he didn't really 'do' much other than offer platitudes to his kids.

Well, he did hand his wife a cup of coffee at the beginning.

I'm too jaded to assume that the Dad took to the kid with the broken arm to the ER and then any follow up visits, or that he took the dog to the vet, or that he had anything to do with the clean house or even the food in the fridge. I'm suspecting it's Saturday and he's shouldering his exhausting "couple of hours" of taking care of the kids while his wife goes grocery shopping to buy MORE of the cereal he's shilling.

I agree he's not an inept idiot - he's doing a great job of appearing to keep his family running smoothly - mostly by giving good face and innuendo.    Pretty sly if you ask me.

I didn't think about it too much as I was interrupted by a phone call while watching it, but I was amused by the young boy wearing a cast and the dog in a cone!  Chaotic household?  Looks like it that's what they're trying to show and true to marketing ploys they're countering that by saying, but "Cheerios will make your life easier!". 

[Tennesseer]

Dec 12, 2014 14:27:45 GMT -5 Tiny said:

IDK, kinda lame. I was impressed though that he got the kids to grab the trash on the way out at the end... up til then, he didn't really 'do' much other than offer platitudes to his kids.

Well, he did hand his wife a cup of coffee at the beginning.

I'm too jaded to assume that the Dad took to the kid with the broken arm to the ER and then any follow up visits, or that he took the dog to the vet, or that he had anything to do with the clean house or even the food in the fridge. I'm suspecting it's Saturday and he's shouldering his exhausting "couple of hours" of taking care of the kids while his wife goes grocery shopping to buy MORE of the cereal he's shilling.

I agree he's not an inept idiot - he's doing a great job of appearing to keep his family running smoothly - mostly by giving good face and innuendo.    Pretty sly if you ask me.

It's a commercial! It's not some hidden camera reality show where we get to witness what really goes on in peoples' homes when no one is watching them. It's about as real as the opposite type of commercial with idiot dads who can't chew gum and walk at the same time. Some where in between the two types is the real dad (and mom too).

[happyhoix]

IDK, kinda lame. I was impressed though that he got the kids to grab the trash on the way out at the end... up til then, he didn't really 'do' much other than offer platitudes to his kids.

That's interesting - my take on watching it was their household was chaotic due to all the kids (I think I counted four) and some of them pretty colorful (kid waking dad with horsehead on, kid with broken arm - actually I think that was the same colorful kid!) and the dad, rather than screaming and stressing out like many parents might (ok, like I would if I was trying to marshall that many kids and myself out the door in the morning) he glides through like a field marshal, directing the troops, giving dad advice, keeping things moving, in a 'dad' kind of way - I liked how he flipped the kid with the horse head on over the edge of the bed.

Maybe I saw it differently because I'm an old broad, I'm used to dads in commercials from my youth generally being clueless and having to rely on mom to keep the household on an even keel, so this appealed to me. Younger adults probably see it totally differently.

[AgeOfEnlightenmentSCP]

Dec 12, 2014 14:27:45 GMT -5 Tiny said:

IDK, kinda lame. I was impressed though that he got the kids to grab the trash on the way out at the end... up til then, he didn't really 'do' much other than offer platitudes to his kids.

Well, he did hand his wife a cup of coffee at the beginning. [and said, "Hot stuff, coming through- the coffee, and the wife" - I didn't catch it until the 2nd run-through]

I'm too jaded to assume that the Dad took to the kid with the broken arm to the ER and then any follow up visits, or that he took the dog to the vet, or that he had anything to do with the clean house or even the food in the fridge. I'm suspecting it's Saturday and he's shouldering his exhausting "couple of hours" of taking care of the kids while his wife goes grocery shopping to buy MORE of the cereal he's shilling.



I agree he's not an inept idiot - he's doing a great job of appearing to keep his family running smoothly - mostly by giving good face and innuendo.    Pretty sly if you ask me. [It was light-hearted and funny.  And btw- if it's Saturday, he sure ain't dressed like I dress for a Saturday]

[weltschmerz]

Dec 11, 2014 22:37:12 GMT -5 thyme4change said:

Cheerios for breakfast, lunch AND dinner?!

No wonder our country is obese and malnutritioned at the same time.

If a mom suggested serving Cheerios for breakfast, lunch and dinner, there would be an avalanche of mail expressing outrage at what a crappy mother she is.

This is just a cheap ploy to get the message across "Eat! More! Of! Our! Cereal!"

I guess it's OK because a dad is doing it.

[AgeOfEnlightenmentSCP]

Dec 16, 2014 0:45:57 GMT -5 weltschmerz said:

Dec 11, 2014 22:37:12 GMT -5 thyme4change said:

Cheerios for breakfast, lunch AND dinner?!

No wonder our country is obese and malnutritioned at the same time.

If a mom suggested serving Cheerios for breakfast, lunch and dinner, there would be an avalanche of mail expressing outrage at what a crappy mother she is.

This is just a cheap ploy to get the message across "Eat! More! Of! Our! Cereal!"

I guess it's OK because a dad is doing it.

Perhaps, but it'd be other women / mothers doing it.  You ladies are terrible to one another.

[Virgil Showlion]

Dec 17, 2014 7:55:09 GMT -5 AgeOfEnlightenmentSCP said:

Dec 16, 2014 0:45:57 GMT -5 weltschmerz said:

If a mom suggested serving Cheerios for breakfast, lunch and dinner, there would be an avalanche of mail expressing outrage at what a crappy mother she is.

This is just a cheap ploy to get the message across "Eat! More! Of! Our! Cereal!"

I guess it's OK because a dad is doing it.

Perhaps, but it'd be other women / mothers doing it.  You ladies are terrible to one another.

He did go there.

[Deleted]

I think it is funny. Geek dad try to be cool. Cereal 3X a day better than McDonalds every day.

They need to do mom commercial with my daughter. First FB post of day she high up a tree saying quadshot. Maybe coffee commercial better for her. She make the kids laugh because she iz crazy.

[AgeOfEnlightenmentSCP]

Dec 20, 2014 23:24:00 GMT -5 @taliare said:

I think it is funny. Geek dad try to be cool. Cereal 3X a day better than McDonalds every day.

Likely not.  In fact, it's hard for me to think of something worse than grains, except grains with sugar, artificial colors, preservatives, and flavoring.

They need to do mom commercial with my daughter. First FB post of day she high up a tree saying quadshot. Maybe coffee commercial better for her. She make the kids laugh because she iz crazy.

 Sounds like you have a similar model to mine.