Forget your story, tell me mine

Ads for Dads
On the YouTube Ads Leaderboard for June 2014 both Dove and Johnson & Johnson had advertisements that made the list. The ads talked about the importance of dads and used story to connect emotionally with their audience. However, one was a clear winner for me. I cried when I saw the Dove commercial because it connected with me deeply through a well executed story (and other factors like work stress, school stress and lack of sleep).

Studying film making as part of my undergraduate degree and spending a good portion of my professional life working on short documentaries has made the art of story telling very important to me. It is through story that we connect with each other and make sense of the world. The advertising world has utilized the power of story to connect with their audiences. Yet the stories that are told do not always connect as deeply as intended. So what is the key to telling a story that connects deeply with the audience?

The Loser

Distinctly Dad. A film by Johnson & Johnson.

Johnson & Johnson told their three dads stories interspersed with a psychological expert reinforcing the importance dads play in their families. Each story represented a different segment of society and talked about the powerful relationship between child and father. It was beautifully shot and had a strong continuous narrative in each story.

This long form commercial was well executed, but lacked a truly deep connection with me. The message in this film is reinforced with real stories and expert opinion. This film contains both an inspirational and educational feel but has a feeling of being better than real life. The film comes across as overly positive and idealistic because the hard times portrayed in the film fail to carry the emotional weight that accompanies them in reality.

The Winner

Calls For Dad #RealDadMoments | Dove Men+Care

How many words do you need to tell a story? Dove Men Care came up with a powerful story using only one spoken word over and over again. To support the one word there are only two written sentences in the entire commercial. That one word is the same one that has changed my world: Daddy.

Although this story is not a continuous narrative, it builds a combined narrative of glimpses into the times “Daddy” is called. They display moments of comfort, trust, excitement, adventure, laughter and pain. Through these simple glimpses there is an emotional connection that is built.

For me the emotional connection is not just remembering moments with my three boys but also remembering moments with my dad. It inspires me to make more of those positive memories with my boys and be a better dad. It challenges me to embrace being there for my kids even when it’s annoying and inconvenient. It accomplishes what Johnson & Johnson was trying to do while doing it in a shorter time with fewer words. How is this possible?

The key to Dove’s video that connects on a deeper level is because of their very skillful use of ambiguity. By utilizing actions rather than words and telling lots of stories that combine to form the same story, the audience is pulled in by their memories.

Dove didn’t just tell a story, they told my story and connected me with millions of dads all over the world.