Top 7 Best Father's Day Ads of 2016

Here at NeigerDesign we are gearing up and getting ready for Father's Day this weekend. For me, this means scrambling the web for the perfect last minute gift. In my searching I found a lot of cliche gifts like ties, grill accessories and power tools. Maybe it's because I'm working at a strategic marketing design firm, but while I was getting lost in the sea of online shopping, what really stood out to me were all of the commercials and marketing campaigns I was seeing. Many of them wrenched at my heartstrings and featured stories from real dads and kids around the world. Some featured celebrities while others just featured really cute story lines. One in particular from Century 21 stood out to me for its humor and modern style. Whatever their form, they struck me as effective and creative ads.

Here is my list of my seven favorite Father's Day ads of 2016. Let me know if I'm missing your favorite!

1. PGA TOUR Superstore

This ad for the PGA TOUR Superstore features professional golfer Jason Day and his adorable three-year-old son Dash. It's expertly narrated by the toddler and features home videos and other footage of him playing golf with his dad. I loved how this one mixed humor and sentimentality to create an ad that stands out and stays on theme by using a professional golfer to sell golf accessories. I think it will resonate with a lot of people who grew up playing sports with their dads, and in the end it's just plain cute.

2. Dove Men+Care

This 60-second Father's Day spot for the Dove Men+Care line incorporates videos of real dads doing what dads do. Whether they're skateboarding, making their kids laugh, dancing at weddings or preventing falls, Dove celebrates dads of all kinds and describes them as heroes. Their use of the recognizable Dove Men+Care font and color palette hints at what the ad is for but doesn't overshadow the fact that this is a salute to fathers, and it really is a sweet tribute.

3. Courtyard Hotels

Courtyard also decided to take the famous athlete route and used the kids of New Orleans Saints players. As the official hotel of the NFL, they had the kids describe their favorite things about their football-playing dads to the camera and were surprised to find out the NFL players were listening in. They surprised their kids and shared an emotional moment with them. This is following in the common trend of documentary-style web ads and mixes this with the use of adorable kids and famous faces to become a triple threat trendy ad.

4. Delta Airlines

This simple and cute ad for Delta shows a montage of dads holding their kids up like an airplane. It moves away from the use of real found footage and uses artfully shot scenes of a diverse collection of actors. The ad plays with nostalgia because who doesn't remember playing the airplane game as a kid? And the understated but clear connection between an airline company and a game of airplane is really smart and cute.

5. Gillette

Gillette goes with the "social experiment" route for their Father's Day ad and talks to dads about how their sons go straight to the Internet with questions about life instead of asking them. They then asked the teenage sons to do various tasks like shave their face, cook eggs, and tie a tie with the help of the Internet. As they predictably failed at the tasks, the fathers were sent in to help them succeed. I thought this was a cute idea if not a little cheesy. But it was interesting that Gillette used people speaking many different languages in their interviews to highlight the fact that these were real families and represented diverse groups.

6. AirAsia

The sweet narrative in AirAsia's ad follows a shy girl as she grows up and experiences life with her supportive dad. She ends her journey as a new stewardess for AirAsia and she must finally say goodbye to the man who's been by her side throughout her life. It's a well done ad that gets the point across and was really heartwarming. And besides, what dad wouldn't want a flight to Hong Kong for Father's Day? Sure beats that drill you got him last year.

7. Century 21 Real Estate

My favorite Father's Day ad of 2016 had to be Century 21's "Give Dad Nothing" campaign. It plays on the idea that dads have everything they need and never ask for anything on Father's Day. Century 21 says you should honor their wish and get them nothing. But in this case, Nothing is a town in Arizona. They are offering that you can purchase a free plot of land in Nothing valid only on Father's Day. You can go online and get a certificate and even locate your plot of land on a map. I think this is a hilarious and truly creative campaign. I'm thinking I may even take them up on their offer and get my dad Nothing for Father's Day, because we all know he has enough ties already. In the ad itself, the modern font and desolate, filtered Southwestern imagery adds to the commercial by being aesthetically pleasing and keeping with the times.  

So there you have it. My top seven best dad ads for Father's Day. Which was your favorite? Did you laugh? Did you cry? Let us know on Twitter!