Is it worthwhile to make an ad about dad bods way after that meme peaked?
Probably not, but that didn't stop Australian underwear brand Bonds from making a commercial where dads talk about the changes their bodies underwent after their kids were born—in a spot pegged to that country's upcoming Father's Day on Sept. 4.
The gender role reversal here, complete with discussing social pressures to maintain physical beauty and comparing their bodies to celebrities, is in keeping with Bonds theme of subverting masculinity. If you recall, the brand's other recent, celebrated campaign was a conversation between two testicles.
I can see this ad being read as a mockery of female body image issues instead of the gentle parody it was intended to be, but it's also nice to see male body issues voiced (even as a spoof) and not met with immediate cruelty. It's not difficult to imagine mid-30s dads looking at pictures of David Beckham and feeling insecure about their appearance, even if Beckham is a bit of a testicle himself.
So yeah, the ad might be a little tone deaf, but it's a start. Bonds needs to work on its timing, though. I don't want to see them making Dat Boi ads a year from now.
CREDITS
Client: Bonds
Head of Marketing: Emily Small
Senior Brand Manager: Mahli Pullen
Assistant Brand Manager: Kedda Ghazarian
Agency: Clemenger BBDO Melbourne
Creative Chairman: James McGrath
Chief Creative Officer: Ant Keogh
Creative Director: Ant Phillips & Richard Williams
Group Managing Director: Simon Lamplough
Account Director: Grant Oorloff
Senior Producer: Lisa Moro
Operations Director -Sharon Adams
Production Company: Guilty
Director – Tony Rogers
Producer: Jason Byrne
DOP: Marin Johnson
Editor: Sam Coates
Photographer: Chris Budgeon
