Young girls need positive role models to build their self-worth, and strong girls become strong women. Inspired by a Wake Forest University study, we learned that girls who spend quality time with their Dads are more likely to grow up to become strong, confident women. We sought to show the positive correlation between a father’s connection to his daughter and her self-esteem. Most mornings, little girls have their hair done – usually by Mom. We decided to flip this pattern on its head and have Dad take over the hair styling duties. We challenged three hyper-masculine National Football League (NFL) players to style their young daughters’ hair into braids, pigtails and buns, creating their own Dad-Dos. We showcased these tough players’ paternal side, shining a light on the idea that even a small amount of time spent with their daughters has a huge impact on the women they will become.

Pantene gave Dads the tools to spend a new kind of quality time with their daughters – a series of how-to videos, in their language, featuring NFL players and their daughters. We released the series days before the most-watched U.S. sports event – Super Bowl 50 – in an exclusive story with Refinery29, the fastest growing independent fashion and style website in the U.S., and supporting content on its social channels to ensure reach and depth of messaging. To drive momentum, we created a series of unique assets including images and videos to make it easy for media across categories to cover the story. We mobilized an influencer network of ambassadors, celebrity Dads, and lifestyle experts to share the content. Media coverage was so pervasive that Dad-Do was named a top Super Bowl 2016 commercial, despite the fact that it never ran as a national spot.

#DADDO BECAME A CULTURAL CONVERSATION.

Dad-Do was the most successful launch in Pantene history, earning 1.68 billion media impressions and 45MM video views. With 250MM social media impressions, we ignited a conversation about the importance of meaningful father-daughter relationships. Dads and daughters posted their own #DadDos on Instagram and Twitter. #DadDo trended organically on Facebook 48 hours after launch.

THE CONVERSATION SWEPT NATIONAL MEDIA.

Media across categories featured the campaign, including: Vogue, Good Morning America, Today, New York Times, Rolling Stone and ESPN. Dad-Do became one of the year’s top Super Bowl commercials – without a national spot during the game.

OTHER STRONG WOMEN TOOK NOTICE, TOO!

Michelle Obama and Sheryl Sandberg reached out to get involved.

MOST IMPORTANTLY, GIRLS EVERYWHERE STARTED FEELING STRONGER.

6.75MM fathers learned the importance of time with their daughters, resulting in 1.125MM more hours spent toward building the next generation of strong women.

Pantene’s breakthrough Dad-Do campaign leveraged the insight that girls who spend quality time with their Dads grow up to be more confident women. The purpose-driven program had public relations at its heart, driving authentic and credible messaging and mobilizing Pantene ambassadors to support and spread the word. The campaign was seeded in traditional media and social channels prior to the onset of advertising, leading to tremendous emotional resonance, consumer engagement and unprecedented praise. The campaign is considered the best public relations launch in the Brand’s history and is credited with driving 87% positive sentiment.

A study from Wake Forest University, showing that girls who spend quality time with their fathers grow up to be more confident women who perform better in school and in their careers, provided the strategic backbone for the Dad-Do campaign. Through the creation of three heartwarming and playful videos showing NFL stars Benjamin Watson (New Orleans Saints), DeAngelo Williams (Pittsburgh Steelers) and Jason Witten (Dallas Cowboys) styling their young daughters’ hair, we demonstrated how to make hair time, quality time. The tutorials were coined Dad-Dos, encouraging Dads everywhere to give them a try.

The videos were released online days before the Super Bowl to capitalize on the mounting game-related media momentum and provide a human interest angle beyond the game itself. This timely strategy resulted in an enormous spotlight on our call-to-action centered around the critical importance of father-daughter time.

PANTENE EXISTS TO MAKE WOMEN STRONGER.

Pantene believes that Strong is Beautiful. It’s not just a tagline. It’s an ethos. It informs everything we say and do. We exist to make all women look and feel their strongest so they can achieve beautiful things.

DADS CAN HELP MAKE THEIR DAUGHTERS STRONGER.

We found studies from Wake Forest University and the University of Utah proving quality father-daughter time plays a key role in daughters becoming stronger women. Girls with supportive Dads enjoy higher levels of educational and economic achievement, confidence, self-reliance, and psychological well-being. They also tend to avoid teen pregnancies, abusive relationships, and have lower delinquency rates.

BUT DADS DON’T KNOW HOW.

Unfortunately, despite increasing fluid gender roles, American Dads still struggle to find ways to engage with their daughters.