Laura Tomasetti Managing Partner 360 Public Relations

According to U.S. Census data, there are 25.8 million dads with children 0-18 and more than 66 million dads in all in the U.S., with 29 the average age of the new dad. That's a sizable group to ignore when pitching a product or service. Further, with the increase in households with both parents working and, at the same time, a rising divorce rate producing more single parent moments, there is ample opportunity – and need – for dads to step up their participation in the parenting process, including making decisions about everything from the weekly groceries, to meals out, family vacations, college-savings plans and more.

Sixty-percent of moms of children 0-18 say their partner is an "involved dad," according to Silver Stork Research. One third of dads report making dinner 4-5 times a week. And in one of the most telling signs of the times, only 15 percent of dads say they are at their best when at work. That is a shift — from the traditional dad role as provider to the new dad of today, who wants to participate more at home. And moms have bought in — 85 percent say they would buy products to encourage dad involvement, according to Silver Stork Research's U.S. Mom Market Report.

What The Dad Factor Means for PR

PR agencies can leverage the "dad factor" in their campaigns about mealtime, playtime and everything in between.  Mainstream media, from Time to GQ, and a host of blogs, such as daddytypes.com, athomedad.com (for stay-at-home dads), greatdad.com and "Geek Dad" on Wired.com, are brimming with news about products, services and topics with dad appeal. There are more than 100 dad groups on MeetUp.com. And, it's hard to escape an image of the celebrity dad in People magazine — from Brad to Tom to Matt Lauer. These are just a few illustrations of "the dad factor."

There are numerous channels for communicating with dads, and dads are a receptive audience. Moms are receptive too — responding positively to messaging, imagery and events that convey dad involvement. Take, for example, two very different brands:  LEGO, an established, classic brand, and e-tailer Diapers.com, a new offering in the parenting space. To build a story around Diapers.com, we started by surveying moms on the diapering experience. We found that dads were doing their part — with 87 percent stepping up to the changing table. The "dads on diaper duty" story resonated with mom bloggers and parenting media — many wrote about Diapers.com, with the dad factor as their lead.  

LEGO found that it needed two distinct messages to appeal to moms and dads — with moms focused on education benefits and dads on entertainment. The latter translated to a series of local market events that brought dads and kids together for a hands-on brand experience at "LEGO Imagination Days."

In other instances, one message and one campaign can work on two levels — appealing to both mom and dad. Parents, not just mom and not just dad, are interested in brands that simplify everyday responsibilities, save time and enhance family time. The Crock-Pot brand, for example, is a "tweener" brand that can speak to both moms and dads simultaneously because it does something both are interested in — making dinnertime easier.  Reaching dads via men's media and online with Crock-Pot recipes and mealtime tips is as important as reaching mom-directed media and it has a "gee whiz" factor — it's a new story for men's media and the dad audience offers a new consumer segment and potential growth opportunity for the Crock-Pot brand.

Driven by the dad factor, a new parenting partnership has emerged and that presents some distinct opportunities for PR practitioners to:

• Actively target dads through dad-directed media, blogs and groups.
• Develop messaging that speaks directly to dads, acknowledging and empowering dads.
• Include dads in your campaigns targeting moms — moms respond positively to messages and images that convey dad involvement.

When leveraged, dads can be a powerful trigger and a brand advocate.  If ignored, you may be missing an opportunity for your clients and limiting your campaign's success potential.