Advertisements and TV commercials are a part of our everyday lives. With those commercials we tend to sometimes laugh, maybe turned off but the goal is to ALWAYS leave a lasting impression about the product being sold by way of a tag-line. But rarely does a commercial do well in providing some needed ‘human message’. When I first saw this commercial I was stunned with how much commentary it achieved in a mere 30 seconds. I am an advertising major and I know exactly how to grab people’s attention and this commercial just made me laugh as it also left a very good feeling inside. The “Take Time to be to be a Dad” commercial is just endearing and powerful in its message. 

           
link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T37pHK8Cd4A
 

You see an old woman knitting when she hears a man’s voice doing some sort of cheer. When she gets up, she sees a man dancing around as if he was a cheerleader--much like a madman. From the first angle, you see this man from her point of view. The old woman’s probably thinking “What is wrong with that man?”…“Is he whacked or something?”. It would be easy for the old woman to assume that the man is crazy, then the camera switches to an angle with the man dancing by himself (half bodied shot) and the viewer is given more of a detail to his facial expressions and hints at something else may be going on. Then we see a full shot and the secret is revealed. We see a tall, man with a lot of machismo practicing with his daughter on her cheers. Now, he is revealed as a parent, and maybe perhaps he is a single dad who is making every effort to connect with his young daughter. 

       Heck, even cats dance with each other!
 

I’ve never been a parent but I can tell you that the impression this commercial left on me is an intangible element in our lives. It shows the lengths that a parent would go to just to make their kids happy. Men are often seen as the ‘rock, the foundation or the strength of a family while the woman is the light, the compassion and perhaps even the heart of a family. Well, this is a fine example of how a dad makes an extreme effort to connect and support his daughter‘s interests and passion; cheerleading. This man doesn’t care if the neighbors become puzzled or his friends make fun of him for his (ahem) girlish dancing; the important thing is he experiences something with his daughter. The experience may appear girlish or sappy but it would definitely be one of the most memorable moments on this little girl’s life that when she becomes an adult, she’ll probably look back and smile; it would prove to be the foundation where fond memories and where she would get her confidence as an adult. After all, what better support can there be than your own dad looking stupid to build your confidence?

              
 

Small things like this are essential to any child’s growth. I am not a parent but I fondly remember the times when I saw movies with my dad and he taught me to understand just what the movie was about exactly; how my mom and I would argue as to “who is the strongest super-hero”. My dad would tell me to like “Thor” rather than “Superman” and my mom would tell me to like “Batman” because he had no powers and he was human. Heck, my dad was even so happy when he saw me flirting with a girl when I was on the second grade (I know, I developed early, I began flirting in Kindergarten LOL). Little things that leave a great lasting impression will help build the child’s character and ideals. Some may say the man’s whipped (where’s the mom?) but the unorthodox things parents do for their own kid are very important.
 

Small things, may be ignored by some parents because life is hard and they may be too busy making a living to see just how the stupid things are important to a child. This commercial reminds us, that we have to pay attention to the little things and to treasure each moment shared with a loved one.
 

Awesome commercial, awesome dancing, cute but not a sappy commercial. It shows a parent at his strongest; connecting with his child.

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